Tampa Bay @ New York Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Yankee Stadium as the 5th-worst park in MLB for RHB batting average. Yankee Stadium's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all major league stadiums, which often leads to less offense. Batting from the same side that Zach Eflin throws from, Aaron Judge encounters a tough challenge in today's matchup. Aaron Judge hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.1% — 78th percentile) but may find it hard to clear baseball's 5th-deepest CF fences today. Aaron Judge's exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this season; his 101.9-mph mark last season has dropped off to 99.8-mph.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Benjamin Rice ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Benjamin Rice is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Zach Eflin throws from, Benjamin Rice will have an edge in today's game. Benjamin Rice has a good chance to have an edge against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays has just 1 same-handed RP. Benjamin Rice will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats.

Hitting from the opposite that Zach Eflin throws from, Trent Grisham will have an edge in today's matchup. Trent Grisham is apt to have an edge against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays only has 1 same-handed RP. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Trent Grisham will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Trent Grisham's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last season to this one, rising from 15.7% to 22.2%. Trent Grisham's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved recently, increasing from 30.6% on the season to 40.9% in the past two weeks' worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Verdugo in the 90th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Alex Verdugo is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Alex Verdugo will hold the platoon advantage over Zach Eflin in today's game. Alex Verdugo has a good chance to have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays only has 1 same-handed RP. Alex Verdugo will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats.

Juan Soto projects as the 4th-best batter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Juan Soto is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Zach Eflin throws from, Juan Soto will have the upper hand in today's game. The Tampa Bay Rays have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Juan Soto stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Juan Soto will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Hitting from the opposite that Zach Eflin throws from, Austin Wells will have an advantage today. The Tampa Bay Rays have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Austin Wells has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Austin Wells will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Austin Wells has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 34.3° compared to his seasonal mark of 16.4°. Austin Wells has had some very poor luck with his batting average this year; his .216 mark is quite a bit lower than his .246 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects DJ LeMahieu in the 83rd percentile when assessing his batting average ability. DJ LeMahieu has a 99th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (42.8%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards MLB's 7th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats in all categories, and DJ LeMahieu will hold that advantage in today's matchup. DJ LeMahieu has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .236 rate is a fair amount lower than his .318 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. DJ LeMahieu has exhibited favorable plate discipline since the start of last season, grading out in the 82nd percentile with a 1.88 K/BB rate.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Gleyber Torres ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Gleyber Torres is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Gleyber Torres has an 86th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.5%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 7th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Gleyber Torres will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Gleyber Torres has been unlucky this year, putting up a .290 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .328 — a .038 deviation.

Ben Rortvedt will have the handedness advantage against Gerrit Cole in today's game. The standard deviation of Ben Rortvedt's launch angle this year (25.7°) is in the 88th percentile. A low mark like this tends to lead to a higher rate of base hits. Placing in the 77th percentile, Ben Rortvedt has notched a .272 batting average this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Anthony Volpe in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Anthony Volpe has an 87th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.9%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 7th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics across the board, and Anthony Volpe will hold that advantage today. Anthony Volpe has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .245 BA is a good deal lower than his .267 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.