Athletics @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Andujar in the 90th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Miguel Andujar is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Miguel Andujar has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 86.7-mph average to last season's 84.1-mph average. Miguel Andujar's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 9.6% to 13.5%.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Brent Rooker ranks in the 97th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Extreme flyball bats like Brent Rooker usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Brent Rooker's 13.5% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) grades out in the 84th percentile this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Rodgers in the 81st percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Brendan Rodgers will have an advantage in today's game. Extreme groundball hitters like Brendan Rodgers tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like JP Sears. Brendan Rodgers will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats.

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest elevations in Major League Baseball, which often leads to lower offensive output. The Athletics infield defense grades out as the 2nd-best out of every team in action today. Sacramento's #2-ranked outfield defense of all teams on the slate today poses a formidable challenge for Jeremy Pena, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs. Jeremy Pena's exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this season; his 91.3-mph average last season has lowered to 88.6-mph. Jeremy Pena has been lucky this year, posting a .347 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .320 — a .027 deviation.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Denzel Clarke in the 95th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences in the league. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Wilson as the 10th-best hitter in the league when estimating his batting average skill. Jacob Wilson is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences in the league. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Posting a 0.94 K/BB rate this year, Jacob Wilson has shown good plate discipline, checking in at the 98th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Soderstrom in the 84th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Tyler Soderstrom is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Tyler Soderstrom will have an edge today. Tyler Soderstrom's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 41.6% to 48.5%.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Luis Urias pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.8% — 94th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Luis Urias has done a good job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls. His 17.5° mark is among the highest in the league since the start of last season (84th percentile). Luis Urias has compiled a .324 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, placing in the 77th percentile. By putting up a 2.2 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Luis Urias has demonstrated good plate discipline, placing in the 75th percentile.

Dingers are generally more common at parks with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest among all major league parks. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. C.J. Alexander will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown in today's game. C.J. Alexander's 20% Barrel% (an advanced stat to assess power) ranks in the 98th percentile since the start of last season. C.J. Alexander is in the 100th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs (40% rate since the start of last season).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 81st percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Lawrence Butler is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Lawrence Butler will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown in today's game. Lawrence Butler has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Shea Langeliers in the 90th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Shea Langeliers has gotten much quicker this season, improving from last year's 27.76 ft/sec to 28.36 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric). Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.279) may lead us to conclude that Shea Langeliers has had some very poor luck this year with his .241 actual batting average.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Isaac Paredes will have the upper hand in today's game. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (46.3% — 100th 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 matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Isaac Paredes will hold that advantage in today's game.

Jose Altuve's batting average talent is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Altuve is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Jose Altuve will have the upper hand in today's game. Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (40.8% — 99th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 96th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences in the league. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Yainer Diaz will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 79th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Jake Meyers is projected to bat 5th in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 98% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Jake Meyers will hold the platoon advantage over JP Sears in today's matchup. Jake Meyers will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Nicholas Kurtz will have the upper hand in today's matchup.

Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that JP Sears throws from, Christian Walker will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (34.6% — 86th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves hitter metrics across the board, and Christian Walker will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 83rd percentile when assessing his batting average ability. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Mauricio Dubon will have the handedness advantage over JP Sears in today's matchup. Mauricio Dubon will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Grading out in the 83rd percentile, Mauricio Dubon sits with a .273 batting average since the start of last season.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 5° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games on the slate today — favorable for offense. Chas McCormick will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against JP Sears in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.277) suggests that Chas McCormick has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .261 actual wOBA. When it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34° (the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs), Chas McCormick and his 20.3% rank in the 91st percentile since the start of last season.