Globe Life Field
Kyle Isbel will have the handedness advantage over Shawn Armstrong today. In the past 7 days, Kyle Isbel's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 87.6-mph over the course of the season to 90.6-mph in recent games.
Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats across the board, and Ezequiel Duran will hold that advantage in today's game. Ezequiel Duran's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, going from 11.2% to 14.3%.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Burger in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Jake Burger will hold that advantage in today's game. Jake Burger has been unlucky this year, posting a .285 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .342 — a .057 gap.
Jac Caglianone will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shawn Armstrong in today's game. In the last 14 days, Jac Caglianone's maximum exit velocity (a strong proxy for recent form and raw power) has been 113.6-mph, which qualifies as one of the hardest-hit balls in Major League Baseball. In the last 14 days, Jac Caglianone's swing has been well optimized for base hits, notching a 60% of balls hit with a launch angle in the optimal range of -4° to 26°.
As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Jonathan India ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jonathan India is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Jonathan India has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, upping his 6.3% seasonal rate to 18.8% in the last week's worth of games. Over the last two weeks, Jonathan India's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90-mph over the course of the season to 94.3-mph in recent games. In terms of his wOBA and overall offense, Jonathan India has had bad variance on his side this year. His .294 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .327.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Drew Waters in the 88th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. As a switch-hitter who bats better from the 0 side of the plate, Drew Waters will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side against Shawn Armstrong in this game. Drew Waters's launch angle lately (55.5° over the past 7 days) is quite a bit better than his 10.7° seasonal figure. Drew Waters has notched a .360 BABIP this year, ranking in the 94th percentile.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Wyatt Langford in the 96th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Wyatt Langford is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. Wyatt Langford will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Wyatt Langford's true offensive skill to be a .357, providing some evidence that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .037 discrepancy between that figure and his actual .320 wOBA.
Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Jonah Heim will hold that advantage today. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved of late, going from 42.5% on the season to 66.7% over the past 7 days.
Freddy Fermin has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 94th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill. Maikel Garcia is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Posting a .370 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Maikel Garcia finds himself in the 91st percentile. With a .317 batting average this year, Maikel Garcia grades out in the 95th percentile.
Vinnie Pasquantino is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. Vinnie Pasquantino will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shawn Armstrong today. Compared to his seasonal average of 14.9°, Vinnie Pasquantino has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 21.6° angle over the last week. Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded a .270 batting average this year, checking in at the 79th percentile.
As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Evan Carter ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Evan Carter is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 68% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. Evan Carter will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today. Evan Carter will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Evan Carter has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 93.4-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 87.7-mph average.
Corey Seager projects as the 12th-best hitter in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Corey Seager is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Corey Seager will have an advantage today. Corey Seager will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. Corey Seager has been unlucky this year, notching a .323 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .374 — a .051 discrepancy.
According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Bobby Witt Jr. ranks as the 9th-best hitter in Major League Baseball. Bobby Witt Jr. is penciled in 2nd in the batting order today. Compared to last season, Bobby Witt Jr. 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 43.7% to 48.9% this season. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Bobby Witt Jr.'s true offensive ability to be a .377, implying that he has had some very poor luck this year given the .033 difference between that figure and his actual .344 wOBA. Sporting a .298 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year , Bobby Witt Jr. is ranked in the 97th percentile.
Josh Jung's BABIP ability is projected in the 91st percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage in today's game. Compared to last year, Josh Jung 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 16.8% to 20.7% this season. Checking in at the 77th percentile, Josh Jung has put up a .264 batting average this year.
When estimating his overall offensive talent, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. Adolis Garcia will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. Adolis Garcia has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 92.9-mph to 95-mph over the past two weeks. Adolis Garcia's launch angle this year (20.6°) is considerably better than his 14.8° mark last season.
Alejandro Osuna will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today. Alejandro Osuna will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Alejandro Osuna is remarkably athletic, checking in at the 84th percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.58 ft/sec this year.
Hitting from the opposite that Shawn Armstrong throws from, John Rave will have the upper hand today. In the past week, John Rave has displayed impressive power, recording a a 25% Barrel% (a reliable standard to study power). Compiling a 92.2-mph average exit velocity in the past week's worth of games, John Rave has been in great form lately.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Marcus Semien in the 83rd percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Marcus Semien is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. Marcus Semien will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Marcus Semien's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better lately, rising from 18.9% on the season to 27.3% over the last week. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.328) provides evidence that Marcus Semien has had some very poor luck this year with his .288 actual wOBA.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 79th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Salvador Perez is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. Salvador Perez's launch angle in recent games (26.1° over the past two weeks) is significantly better than his 17.8° seasonal angle. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Salvador Perez's true offensive ability to be a .323, indicating that he has had some very poor luck this year given the .032 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .291 wOBA.
Nick Loftin has gone over 0.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.
