Texas @ Houston Picks & Props

The #9 venue in MLB for suppressing base hits to right-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Minute Maid Park. Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest altitudes in MLB, which often leads to lower offensive output. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this game -6° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Jose Altuve has taken a step back with his Barrel% recently; his 7.4% seasonal rate has decreased to 0% in the last week. From last season to this one, Jose Altuve's flyball exit velocity has decreased from an average of 92.9 mph to 90.5 mph.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Marcus Semien ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this game. Marcus Semien pulls many of his flyballs (37.9% — 96th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Extreme flyball bats like Marcus Semien are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Marcus Semien's launch angle recently (27° in the last 7 days) is considerably better than his 16.2° seasonal figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Wyatt Langford in the 87th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Wyatt Langford is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Wyatt Langford has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 92.9-mph average over the last 14 days to his seasonal 88.7-mph average. Wyatt Langford has posted a .327 BABIP this year, checking in at the 81st percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the 2nd-best hitter in MLB. Yordan Alvarez is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this game. The Texas Rangers have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Yordan Alvarez has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Yordan Alvarez will hold that advantage today. Utilizing Statcast metrics, Yordan Alvarez grades out in the 95th percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .374.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this matchup. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Adolis Garcia has made notable strides with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 14.2% seasonal rate to 19.2% over the last 14 days. Adolis Garcia has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 95.9-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 91.3-mph figure.

Josh Smith is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this game. Batting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Josh Smith will have an advantage in today's game. Josh Smith has recorded a .366 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, ranking in the 90th percentile. Sporting a .353 BABIP this year, Josh Smith has performed in the 94th percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Corey Seager ranks as the 9th-best batter in MLB. Corey Seager is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in today's game. Corey Seager will have the handedness advantage against Hunter Brown in today's matchup. Corey Seager has made substantial gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 15.9% seasonal rate to 22.6% over the last two weeks. Corey Seager's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, going from 16.7% to 20.7%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Chas McCormick in the 85th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Chas McCormick will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Heaney in today's matchup. Chas McCormick will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. Chas McCormick's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved recently, rising from 46.6% on the season to 71.4% in the past week. In terms of his batting average, Chas McCormick has experienced some negative variance this year. His .204 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .232.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 97th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Yainer Diaz is penciled in 4th in the batting order in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Heaney throws from, Yainer Diaz will have an edge in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. Yainer Diaz has recorded a .293 Expected Batting Average this year, placing in the 95th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Jeremy Pena's batting average skill is projected to be in the 94th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jeremy Pena is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Heaney throws from, Jeremy Pena will have an advantage in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics across the board, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage today.

The Texas Rangers have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jon Singleton stands a good chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics in all categories, and Jon Singleton will hold that advantage today. Jon Singleton has made notable improvements with his Barrel% recently, improving his 7.5% seasonal rate to 12.5% in the last week's worth of games. Jon Singleton has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 99.1-mph average in the past week to his seasonal figure of 91.3-mph. Jon Singleton's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, rising from 15% on the season to 37.5% over the last 7 days.

Nathaniel Lowe's BABIP talent is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Nathaniel Lowe will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown today. Nathaniel Lowe has a 99th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (43%) and will have a big advantage hitting them in the direction of baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Nathaniel Lowe has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 93.4-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal 89.1-mph mark. Nathaniel Lowe has displayed impressive plate discipline this year, ranking in the 78th percentile with a 1.94 K/BB rate.

Batting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Travis Jankowski will have an edge in today's game. Travis Jankowski has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (40.5%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Last season, Travis Jankowski had an average launch angle of 1.1° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 5.4°. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Travis Jankowski has suffered from bad luck this year. His .236 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .270. Travis Jankowski has exhibited strong plate discipline since the start of last season, grading out in the 89th percentile with a 1.69 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 77th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. The switch-hitting Leody Taveras will get to bat from his good side (0) today against Hunter Brown. Leody Taveras has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.1%) and will have a big advantage hitting them out towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Leody Taveras's launch angle this year (13.1°) is quite a bit higher than his 9.9° figure last year. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.321) suggests that Leody Taveras has had bad variance on his side this year with his .289 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Bregman in the 93rd percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Alex Bregman is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Heaney throws from, Alex Bregman will have an advantage in today's matchup. Alex Bregman will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Alex Bregman has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 94.2-mph average over the past week to his seasonal figure of 89.8-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent. The 2nd-shallowest left field fences in the league are found in Minute Maid Park. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Heaney throws from, Jake Meyers will have the upper hand today. Jake Meyers will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Over the last week, Jake Meyers's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 9.3% up to 21.4%.

Over the last 14 days, Jonah Heim has improved his Barrel% substantially, increasing it from his seasonal rate of 8% to 17.9%. In the past 7 days, Jonah Heim's 64.7% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 41.6%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 86th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Mauricio Dubon will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Andrew Heaney in today's matchup. Mauricio Dubon will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. Mauricio Dubon's launch angle this year (13.5°) is a considerable increase over his 9.7° angle last season. Placing in the 87th percentile, Mauricio Dubon has put up a .286 batting average this year.

Joey Loperfido has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.