Texas @ Chicago Picks & Props

Nico Hoerner is penciled in 6th in the lineup today. Less offense (and more strikeouts) are strongly linked with cold weather, and the weather forecast for this matchup projects the 2nd-lowest temperature on the schedule today at 36°. Today, Nico Hoerner is at a disadvantage facing the league's 5th-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 36% rate (89th percentile). Over the past two weeks, Nico Hoerner has recorded a mere a 0% Barrel%, indicating a decline in power ability. Since the start of last season, Nico Hoerner's 1.1% Barrel%, a reliable stat for measuring power, places him in the 1st percentile among his peers.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Josh Jung has put up a .262 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, checking in at the 79th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Josh Jung and his 16.1° launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls rank in 77th percentile, among the highest in Major League Baseball since the start of last season. Josh Jung has been very good at hitting the ball to all fields (a key ability for batting average), ranking in the 97th percentile in THE BAT X's Spray Score since the start of last season.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Jake Burger ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Jake Burger pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.8% — 87th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Jake Burger has hit one of the hardest balls in the majors in the last 7 days — 113-mph — which is a strong measure of recent form and raw power. Jake Burger's maximum exit velocity (a reliable metric to evaluate power) has been 115.5 mph since the start of last season, checking in at the 93rd percentile.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 7th-best hitter in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Extreme flyball bats like Kyle Tucker are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Patrick Corbin. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Kyle Tucker will hold that advantage in today's game.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Marcus Semien ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Marcus Semien pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.3% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Marcus Semien has been honed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs lately, lifting balls between 23° and 34° 36.4% of the time in the last week's worth of games.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Ian Happ ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Ian Happ will hold that advantage today. Ian Happ's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 44% to 50%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Wyatt Langford ranks as the 20th-best batter in the majors. Wyatt Langford is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Wyatt Langford pulls many of his flyballs (34.5% — 84th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. There has been a significant improvement in Wyatt Langford's launch angle from last year's 16.2° to 23.8° this season.

Corey Seager projects as the 10th-best hitter in baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Corey Seager is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Corey Seager will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon in today's matchup. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Corey Seager has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Joc Pederson ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Joc Pederson is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in today's game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Joc Pederson will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's game. Joc Pederson is likely to have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs only has 1 same-handed RP.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Seiya Suzuki ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Seiya Suzuki is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Batting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Seiya Suzuki will have an edge today.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Pete Crow-Armstrong will hold that advantage in today's game. Pete Crow-Armstrong's launch angle this season (23.7°) is significantly better than his 16.7° angle last season. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.319) may lead us to conclude that Pete Crow-Armstrong has been unlucky since the start of last season with his .282 actual wOBA.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Adolis Garcia has been hot of late, notching a a 29.2% Barrel% (an advanced standard to assess power) in the last 14 days.

Justin Turner is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Hitting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Justin Turner will have an edge in today's matchup. Hitters such as Justin Turner with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Patrick Corbin who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 87th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Dansby Swanson is penciled in 5th in the batting order in today's game. Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Dansby Swanson will hold the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin today.

Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Hitting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Matthew Shaw will have the upper hand in today's game. Matthew Shaw will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Matthew Shaw has posted a 22.1° launch angle, lifting the ball well and indicating strong home run potential.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Notching a 95.2-mph average exit velocity over the last week, Jonah Heim has been in great form of late.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Leody Taveras will get to bat from his better side against Jameson Taillon today. Leody Taveras has a 94th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.5%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them out towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. In terms of his wOBA and overall offense, Leody Taveras has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .277 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .299.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Batting from the opposite that Jameson Taillon throws from, Josh Smith will have an advantage today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Josh Smith has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Josh Smith has been honed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs of late, lifting balls between 23° and 34° 40% of the time in the past two weeks' worth of games. In notching a .320 BABIP since the start of last season, Josh Smith is ranked in the 84th percentile.

Wrigley Field has the 6th-shallowest LF fences in MLB. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in the league, which generally leads to higher offensive output. Hitting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Carson Kelly will have an edge in today's game. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Carson Kelly will hold that advantage today. Carson Kelly has been hot lately, putting up a a 42.9% Barrel% (a reliable standard to assess power) in the past week's worth of games.