Chase Field
Nick Fortes has seen a big increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 86.9-mph average to last season's 84.1-mph EV.
Eric Wagaman's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, rising from 42.4% on the season to 66.7% in the past week's worth of games. Eric Wagaman's maximum exit velocity (a reliable metric to evaluate power) has been 113.5 mph this year, placing in the 85th percentile.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Javier Sanoja in the 94th percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Javier Sanoja has experienced some negative variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .237 rate is quite a bit lower than his .280 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.
Low humidity has a small yet noteworthy connection with less offense (and more whiffs), and the weather report predicts the driest conditions of all games on the slate at 19%. The Arizona Diamondbacks infield defense profiles as the 5th-strongest out of all the teams on the slate today. Playing on the road typically weakens batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Xavier Edwards today. Xavier Edwards's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (6.6°) is quite a bit lower than his 10.8° angle last year. Xavier Edwards has had positive variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .286 BA is inflated compared to his .260 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.
Extreme groundball batters like Jose Herrera are generally more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Eury Perez. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Jose Herrera will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In the past week's worth of games, Jose Herrera's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 1.4% up to 7.1%. Jose Herrera's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, increasing from 19.7% on the season to 28.6% over the last week.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake McCarthy in the 77th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Batting from the opposite that Eury Perez throws from, Jake McCarthy will have an advantage in today's game. Extreme flyball batters like Jake McCarthy tend to be more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Eury Perez. Jake McCarthy will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. This season, Jake McCarthy has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 91.8 mph compared to last year's 87.1 mph mark.
When estimating his overall offensive talent, Jesus Sanchez ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jesus Sanchez is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. Jesus Sanchez will hold the platoon advantage over Merrill Kelly in today's game. Jesus Sanchez has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% lately, improving his 11.9% seasonal rate to 20% over the past two weeks. Over the last week, Jesus Sanchez's 27.8% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 10.1%.
Geraldo Perdomo is projected to bat 1st in the lineup today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Geraldo Perdomo will hold that advantage in today's game. Geraldo Perdomo has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 90.5-mph average to last year's 88.1-mph average. Geraldo Perdomo's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 13% to 20.4%. Geraldo Perdomo has put up a .345 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, placing in the 81st percentile for offensive skills according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Connor Norby in the 96th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Over the last week, Connor Norby's 0% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 18.1%. Connor Norby has been unlucky this year, compiling a .291 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .313 — a .022 disparity. Sporting a .331 BABIP this year, Connor Norby finds himself in the 81st percentile.
In the past 14 days, Heriberto Hernandez has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .372. Ranking in the 81st percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.42 ft/sec this year, Heriberto Hernandez is quite athletic.
As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Kyle Stowers ranks in the 76th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Kyle Stowers is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Kyle Stowers will hold the platoon advantage against Merrill Kelly in today's game. Kyle Stowers has made significant improvements with his Barrel%, improving his 11% rate last season to 18.5% this year. Kyle Stowers has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 96.4-mph average to last season's 94.4-mph EV.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the 90th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 23.8° compared to his seasonal mark of 13.4°. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.277) implies that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has had some very poor luck this year with his .257 actual batting average. Launch angles in the range of -4° to 26° tend to become base hits at a high rate; Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and his 48.6% this year rank in the 85th percentile by this measure.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Otto Lopez in the 95th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Otto Lopez is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Otto Lopez's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (11.9°) is considerably higher than his 7.9° mark last year. Otto Lopez has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .306 figure is quite a bit lower than his .332 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Otto Lopez has exhibited favorable plate discipline this year, placing in the 88th percentile with a 1.46 K/BB rate.
Agustin Ramirez is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this game. Over the last 7 days, Agustin Ramirez's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 9.2% up to 15.4%. In the last 7 days, Agustin Ramirez's 69.2% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 40.5%.
Alek Thomas will have the handedness advantage over Eury Perez in today's game. Extreme groundball bats like Alek Thomas tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Eury Perez. Alek Thomas will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats.
According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Ketel Marte ranks as the 10th-best batter in MLB. Ketel Marte is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card today. Ketel Marte will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. In the past week's worth of games, Ketel Marte's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 16.4% up to 38.1%. Ketel Marte's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved recently, rising from 16.4% on the season to 38.1% in the last week.
Tim Tawa will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. In terms of his batting average, Tim Tawa has had bad variance on his side this year. His .214 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .243. Tim Tawa is in the 97th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (21.8% rate this year).
When assessing his BABIP talent, Dane Myers is projected as the 13th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). This year, Dane Myers has an average exit velocity of 92 mph, which is among the best in Major League Baseball at the 88th percentile. Checking in at the 75th percentile, Dane Myers has posted a .344 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year. By putting up a .376 BABIP since the start of last season, Dane Myers has performed in the 97th percentile.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Eugenio Suarez in the 89th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Eugenio Suarez is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in today's game. Eugenio Suarez will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. Eugenio Suarez has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 95.4-mph average to last season's 92.6-mph mark. Eugenio Suarez's launch angle this season (23.4°) is considerably better than his 19.3° angle last season.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Pavin Smith in the 78th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Pavin Smith is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Eury Perez throws from, Pavin Smith will have an edge today. Pavin Smith will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. Pavin Smith's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls of late (21.8° in the last two weeks' worth of games) is a considerable increase over his 15.7° seasonal figure.
Randal Grichuk has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.
