Chicago @ Detroit Picks & Props

Kyle Tucker projects as the 7th-best batter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is penciled in 2nd in the batting order today. Hitting from the opposite that Keider Montero throws from, Kyle Tucker will have an edge today. Typically, bats like Kyle Tucker who hit a lot of flyballs are generally less successful when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Keider Montero. Kyle Tucker has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 14.6% seasonal rate to 22.2% over the last 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael Busch in the 90th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Batting from the opposite that Keider Montero throws from, Michael Busch will have an advantage in today's matchup. Over the past week, Michael Busch's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93.7-mph over the course of the season to 102.6-mph lately. Michael Busch'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 18.1% to 22.8%. Over the last week, Michael Busch's 61.5% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 48.3%.

As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the dish, Wenceel Perez will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Jameson Taillon in today's game. Wenceel Perez will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Wenceel Perez has been hot lately, posting a a 17.4% Barrel% (a reliable stat to measure power) over the last two weeks. Compiling a 94.1-mph average exit velocity over the past two weeks, Wenceel Perez has been in great form in recent games. Wenceel Perez has been honed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs in recent games, hitting balls between 23° and 34° 34.8% of the time over the last two weeks.

Seiya Suzuki projects as the 17th-best hitter in the league, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today. Typically, hitters like Seiya Suzuki who hit a lot of flyballs tend to perform worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Keider Montero. Seiya Suzuki has made substantial gains with his Barrel%, upping his 11.5% rate last year to 17.2% this season. Using Statcast data, Seiya Suzuki grades out in the 91st percentile for offensive skills per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .363.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Pete Crow-Armstrong is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Keider Montero throws from, Pete Crow-Armstrong will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Pete Crow-Armstrong has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 100-mph average in the last two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal figure of 95.1-mph. Pete Crow-Armstrong's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (23.7°) is quite a bit better than his 20.6° figure last year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gleyber Torres in the 89th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Gleyber Torres is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Gleyber Torres will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Gleyber Torres's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 16.6% to 21.5%. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Gleyber Torres's 55.6% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 48.7%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ian Happ in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Ian Happ is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in this game. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will have the advantage of batting from from his good side (0) today against Keider Montero. Over the last week, Ian Happ's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7.8% up to 18.8%. Ian Happ's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 44% to 50.3%.

Nico Hoerner's batting average talent is projected to be in the 97th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Nico Hoerner has notched a .292 Expected Batting Average this year, checking in at the 92nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Nico Hoerner has exhibited good plate discipline this year, checking in at the 91st percentile with a 1.35 K/BB rate. Nico Hoerner has notched a .292 batting average this year, placing in the 90th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 88th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Dansby Swanson is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Dansby Swanson has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 98.9-mph average in the last week's worth of games to his seasonal mark of 94.6-mph. Dansby Swanson's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, increasing from 15.3% to 18.3%. Despite posting a .306 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Dansby Swanson has had some very poor luck given the .027 gap between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .333.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt Shaw in the 80th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. Matt Shaw has made notable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 4.4% seasonal rate to 12.5% over the past week.

Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Jake Rogers will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.276) implies that Jake Rogers has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .256 actual wOBA. Jake Rogers has done a strong job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls. His 20.9° mark is among the highest in the majors since the start of last season (97th percentile).

Zach McKinstry will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon today. Zach McKinstry will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Compared to last season, Zach McKinstry has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 44.5% to 53.6% this season. In the last 7 days, Zach McKinstry's 46.2% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 52.6%. Posting a .279 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year , Zach McKinstry has performed in the 83rd percentile.

Trey Sweeney will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon in today's matchup. Trey Sweeney will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Compared to his seasonal average of 9.3°, Trey Sweeney has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 30.3° figure over the last 14 days. Despite posting a .262 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Trey Sweeney has had bad variance on his side given the .023 gap between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .285.

Reese McGuire will hold the platoon advantage against Keider Montero in today's game.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Spencer Torkelson ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Spencer Torkelson is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in today's game. Spencer Torkelson will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Spencer Torkelson has made big strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 6.8% rate last year to 14.2% this season. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Spencer Torkelson has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 30.3° compared to his seasonal mark of 21.7°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Riley Greene as the 4th-best batter in the majors when estimating his BABIP skill. Riley Greene is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Riley Greene will have the handedness advantage over Jameson Taillon today. Riley Greene will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Riley Greene has made significant improvements with his Barrel% recently, improving his 18.2% seasonal rate to 25% over the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kerry Carpenter in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Kerry Carpenter is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card today. Kerry Carpenter will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jameson Taillon today. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats across the board, and Kerry Carpenter will hold that advantage in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 20.2°, Kerry Carpenter has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 27.5° mark in the last week.

Extreme flyball batters like Javier Baez are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Jameson Taillon. Javier Baez will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Javier Baez has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 97.4-mph average in the past week to his seasonal average of 91.9-mph. Javier Baez's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last year to this one, increasing from 35% to 42%. Ranking in the 85th percentile, Javier Baez has notched a .338 BABIP this year.

Carson Kelly is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card today. This season, Carson Kelly has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 95.9 mph compared to last year's 91.4 mph mark. Based on Statcast data, Carson Kelly ranks in the 96th percentile for offensive ability via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .377. Sporting a .386 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Carson Kelly grades out in the 93rd percentile. Sporting a 0.95 K/BB rate this year, Carson Kelly has shown impressive plate discipline, ranking in the 97th percentile.

Parker Meadows is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Jameson Taillon throws from, Parker Meadows will have an edge in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Parker Meadows will hold that advantage today. Parker Meadows has been hot lately, putting up a 92.9-mph average exit velocity in the past week. When it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34° (the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs), Parker Meadows and his 19.7% rank in the 94th percentile since the start of last season.