Athletics @ Houston Picks & Props

Minute Maid Park has the least fair ground in Major League Baseball — generally good for home runs. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. C.J. Alexander will have the handedness advantage against Lance McCullers Jr. in today's game. C.J. Alexander's 20% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) ranks in the 98th percentile since the start of last season. When it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34° (the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs), C.J. Alexander and his 40% rank in the 100th percentile since the start of last season.

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest elevations in the majors, which generally leads to lower offensive output. Lance McCullers Jr. will hold the platoon advantage over Jacob Wilson today. Extreme groundball hitters like Jacob Wilson usually hit worse against extreme groundball pitchers like Lance McCullers Jr.. Playing on the road typically reduces hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Jacob Wilson in today's matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Jacob Wilson's true offensive ability to be a .312, suggesting that he has been very fortunate this year given the .072 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .384 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Soderstrom in the 84th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Tyler Soderstrom is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today's game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Tyler Soderstrom will have the handedness advantage over Lance McCullers Jr. today. Tyler Soderstrom's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 41.6% to 48.5%.

Built just 20 feet above sea level, Minute Maid Park has one of the lowest elevations in the majors, which generally leads to lower offensive output. Batting from the same side that Luis Severino throws from, Jeremy Pena will have a disadvantage in today's game. Extreme flyball batters like Jeremy Pena tend to perform worse against extreme flyball pitchers like Luis Severino. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-strongest infield defense is that of the the Athletics. Jeremy Pena's exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this year; his 91.3-mph mark last season has decreased to 88.6-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zachary Dezenzo in the 95th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Zachary Dezenzo will hold that advantage today. Zachary Dezenzo is notably quick, placing in the 75th percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.1 ft/sec this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Andujar in the 90th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Miguel Andujar is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. This season, Miguel Andujar has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 86.7 mph compared to last year's 84.1 mph mark. Miguel Andujar's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, going from 9.6% to 13.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Lawrence Butler is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Lawrence Butler will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Lance McCullers Jr. in today's matchup. Lawrence Butler has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Brent Rooker ranks in the 97th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Extreme flyball batters like Brent Rooker generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Lance McCullers Jr.. This year, Brent Rooker's 13.5% Barrel%, an advanced standard for measuring power, places him in the 83rd percentile among his peers.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Shea Langeliers in the 90th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Shea Langeliers pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st 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. Shea Langeliers's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 39.1% to 46.4%. Shea Langeliers's footspeed has increased this year. His 27.76 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 28.36 ft/sec now.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 88th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Jose Altuve is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Jose Altuve pulls a lot 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 today. Jose Altuve will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

Victor Caratini is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Victor Caratini will hold that advantage today. Victor Caratini's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (13.7°) is a considerable increase over his 7.5° mark last season. Victor Caratini has compiled a .333 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, ranking in the 78th percentile.

Isaac Paredes is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Isaac Paredes pulls many of his flyballs (46.3% — 100th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Extreme groundball batters like Isaac Paredes tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Luis Severino. Isaac Paredes will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brendan Rodgers in the 81st percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Brendan Rodgers will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Brendan Rodgers has made big gains with his Barrel%, improving his 5.7% rate last season to 14.5% this season. There has been a significant improvement in Brendan Rodgers's launch angle from last season's 4.7° to 10.2° this season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 79th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Jake Meyers will hold that advantage today. Placing in the 94th percentile, Jake Meyers has posted a .303 batting average this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 96th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage in today's game. Compared to last season, Yainer Diaz has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for home runs, increasing his percentage of balls hit between 23° and 34° from 11.7% to 17.7% this season.

The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule 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 league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Luis Urias and his 17.5° launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls rank in 84th percentile, among the highest in Major League Baseball since the start of last season. Luis Urias has compiled a .324 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, checking in at the 77th percentile. By putting up a 2.21 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Luis Urias has demonstrated good plate discipline, placing in the 75th percentile.

Christian Walker is projected to bat 4th in the batting order today. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Christian Walker pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.6% — 86th 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. Christian Walker will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Christian Walker's true offensive ability to be a .330, providing some evidence that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .054 disparity between that figure and his actual .276 wOBA.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average skill is projected to be in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense. Mauricio Dubon will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Mauricio Dubon has posted a .273 batting average since the start of last season, grading out in the 84th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Denzel Clarke in the 95th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the shallowest. The Minute Maid Park roof figures to be closed today, making conditions in this game 5° hotter than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for offense.