Kansas City @ Texas Picks & Props

Globe Life Field profiles as the #29 ballpark in the majors for right-handed BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Globe Life Field has the 6th-deepest CF fences among all major league parks. The Globe Life Field roof projects to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -17° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Dane Dunning will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bobby Witt Jr. today. Playing on the road generally diminishes hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Bobby Witt Jr. in today's game.

Josh Smith is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card today. Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Josh Smith will have an advantage today. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Josh Smith will hold that advantage in today's game. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Josh Smith's 58.8% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 48.8%.

Corey Seager projects as the 11th-best hitter in Major League Baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Corey Seager is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game. Corey Seager will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha in today's matchup. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Corey Seager will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Marcus Semien in the 91st percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st in the batting order today. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Marcus Semien will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Compared to last season, Marcus Semien has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 41.9% to 47.8% this season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 89th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Nathaniel Lowe is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Nathaniel Lowe will have an advantage in today's game. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Nathaniel Lowe will hold the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Leody Taveras will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his good side against Michael Wacha in this game. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Leody Taveras will hold that advantage in today's game. Leody Taveras has made significant gains with his Barrel% of late, improving his 6% seasonal rate to 28.6% over the past week. Leody Taveras has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.9-mph to 92.6-mph over the past 14 days.

The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Jonah Heim will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Wyatt Langford in the 81st percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Wyatt Langford will hold that advantage in today's game. Wyatt Langford has made substantial strides with his Barrel% recently, upping his 7% seasonal rate to 15.4% over the past week. In the last 7 days, Wyatt Langford's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90.2-mph over the course of the season to 95.7-mph lately.

Adam Frazier is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 85% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Hitting from the opposite that Dane Dunning throws from, Adam Frazier will have the upper hand in today's game. Adam Frazier's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better recently, rising from 22.1% on the season to 50% over the last 7 days. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.315) implies that Adam Frazier has had some very poor luck this year with his .271 actual wOBA.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this game. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Adolis Garcia will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Adolis Garcia has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91-mph to 93.5-mph in the past week.

Travis Jankowski will hold the platoon advantage over Michael Wacha in today's game. The Kansas City Royals infield defense profiles as the 4th-worst out of every team playing today. Travis Jankowski will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the past two weeks, Travis Jankowski's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 83.7-mph over the course of the season to 86.2-mph lately. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.272) implies that Travis Jankowski has been unlucky this year with his .243 actual wOBA.

Nick Loftin has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (81% of the time), but he is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. In the last week's worth of games, Nick Loftin's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 2.8% up to 22.2%. Nick Loftin has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 88.4-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal EV of 83.8-mph. With a 1.67 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Nick Loftin has demonstrated favorable plate discipline, checking in at the 90th percentile. Placing in the 87th percentile, Nick Loftin sports a .273 batting average since the start of last season.

Hunter Renfroe has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Vinnie Pasquantino ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this game. Batting from the opposite that Dane Dunning throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have the upper hand in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 16.2°, Vinnie Pasquantino has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 23.1° angle over the past two weeks. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Vinnie Pasquantino has had some very poor luck this year. His .315 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .336.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Garrett Hampson in the 87th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Garrett Hampson has seen a big gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 93.8-mph average in the past two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 85-mph figure. Garrett Hampson's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, increasing from 13.9% to 23.4%. Grading out in the 97th percentile, Garrett Hampson has posted a .385 BABIP since the start of last season.

In the past 7 days, Freddy Fermin's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.9% up to 20%. Freddy Fermin's exit velocity on flyballs has declined in recent games; his 90.1-mph seasonal figure has dropped off to 82.4-mph in the past week. In the last two weeks, Freddy Fermin's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (8.7°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 11.7°. Posting a .292 batting average this year, Freddy Fermin has performed in the 90th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 92nd percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. In terms of his batting average, Maikel Garcia has experienced some negative variance this year. His .240 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .263.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects MJ Melendez in the 77th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. MJ Melendez will have the handedness advantage against Dane Dunning today. In the last week's worth of games, MJ Melendez's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 10.9% up to 20%. MJ Melendez has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91-mph to 103.4-mph over the last week. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, MJ Melendez has been unlucky this year. His .263 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .307.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 83rd percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Salvador Perez is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. In the last week, Salvador Perez's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.6-mph over the course of the season to 99.6-mph in recent games. In the last two weeks, Salvador Perez's 20.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 17.4%. Salvador Perez has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last year's 24.24 ft/sec to 24.79 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

Robbie Grossman has gone over 0.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.