Kansas City @ Miami Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 11th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. The #7 ballpark in Major League Baseball for suppressing batting average to left-handed batters, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. LoanDepot Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all stadiums, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to lower offensive output. The LoanDepot Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -6° colder than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for pitching. Today, Vinnie Pasquantino is at a disadvantage facing the league's 4th-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 36.3% rate (93rd percentile).

Graham Pauley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Seth Lugo today. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Graham Pauley will hold that advantage in today's game. Graham Pauley has been unlucky this year, posting a .237 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .291 — a .054 disparity.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dane Myers in the 94th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. Dane Myers hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.9% — 97th percentile) and is fortunate to face the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Extreme groundball hitters like Dane Myers usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Seth Lugo. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and Dane Myers will hold that advantage in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 11.8°, Dane Myers has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 21.9° figure over the past two weeks.

LoanDepot Park projects as the #24 stadium in Major League Baseball for RHB batting average, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). LoanDepot Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all stadiums, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to lower offensive output. The LoanDepot Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -6° colder than the average outdoor game on the schedule today — favorable for pitching. Sandy Alcantara will hold the platoon advantage against Bobby Witt Jr. in today's matchup. Bobby Witt Jr. has an 86th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.1%) but may find it hard to clear MLB's 4th-deepest RF fences in today's matchup.

Eric Wagaman is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this matchup. Eric Wagaman hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.8% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Eric Wagaman will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Xavier Edwards in the 97th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Xavier Edwards is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in today's game. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Xavier Edwards will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side against Seth Lugo in this game. Extreme flyball batters like Xavier Edwards generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Seth Lugo. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Xavier Edwards will hold that advantage today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Otto Lopez in the 95th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Otto Lopez is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card today. Otto Lopez hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.6% — 94th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards baseball's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Hitters such as Otto Lopez with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Seth Lugo who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Otto Lopez will hold that advantage in today's game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jesus Sanchez in the 89th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Jesus Sanchez is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this game. Jesus Sanchez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Seth Lugo today. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Jesus Sanchez will hold that advantage in today's game. Jesus Sanchez's launch angle this year (10.9°) is a considerable increase over his 7.7° mark last year.

Nick Fortes will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Nick Fortes's average exit velocity has risen significantly from last season to this one, averaging 87.2-mph now compared to just 84.1-mph then.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 83rd percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Salvador Perez is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. Extreme flyball bats like Salvador Perez are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Sandy Alcantara. Salvador Perez has seen a big gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 93.7-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 90.3-mph figure. Salvador Perez's launch angle lately (25.3° in the last two weeks' worth of games) is quite a bit better than his 19.3° seasonal angle.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jonathan India in the 88th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Jonathan India is penciled in 1st in the lineup today. In the league, LoanDepot Park's CF fences are the 6th-shallowest. Despite posting a .304 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Jonathan India has had bad variance on his side given the .028 deviation between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .332. Jonathan India has displayed strong plate discipline this year, placing in the 77th percentile with a 1.79 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 93rd percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Maikel Garcia is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Maikel Garcia's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, rising from 16% on the season to 25% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Sporting a .285 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year , Maikel Garcia is ranked in the 93rd percentile. In terms of plate discipline, Maikel Garcia's talent is quite good, posting a 1.65 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 83rd percentile.

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Agustin Ramirez ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Agustin Ramirez is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this game. In the league, LoanDepot Park's CF fences are the 6th-shallowest. Agustin Ramirez will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Agustin Ramirez has made significant strides with his Barrel% lately, improving his 11.5% seasonal rate to 18.2% over the past week.

Nick Loftin has seen a notable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 89.7-mph average to last season's 83.6-mph mark. Nick Loftin's launch angle this year (20.2°) is quite a bit better than his 9.8° angle last year. Nick Loftin's launch angle in recent games (37.5° over the past two weeks) is a significant increase over his 20.2° seasonal figure. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.343) implies that Nick Loftin has been unlucky this year with his .269 actual wOBA. With a 1.72 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Nick Loftin has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, placing in the 88th percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Seth Lugo throws from, Liam Hicks will have an edge in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Liam Hicks will hold that advantage today. Liam Hicks has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 91.9-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 85.5-mph average. Over the last two weeks, Liam Hicks's 26.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 23.4%. Liam Hicks grades out in the 99th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (23.4% rate this year).

Batting from the opposite that Sandy Alcantara throws from, Kyle Isbel will have an advantage in today's matchup.

Batting from the opposite that Sandy Alcantara throws from, John Rave will have the upper hand today. John Rave hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 76th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the league's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, John Rave has had bad variance on his side this year. His .234 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .281. John Rave is notably toolsy, ranking in the 94th percentile in Sprint Speed at 29.27 ft/sec this year.

Hitting from the opposite that Sandy Alcantara throws from, Jac Caglianone will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Jac Caglianone hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.9% — 97th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.316) implies that Jac Caglianone has suffered from bad luck this year with his .205 actual wOBA. Ranking in the 92nd percentile, the hardest ball Jac Caglianone has made contact with this year reached a maximum exit velocity of 114.1 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power ability.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kyle Stowers in the 85th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Kyle Stowers is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this game. Batting from the opposite that Seth Lugo throws from, Kyle Stowers will have an edge today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Kyle Stowers will hold that advantage in today's game. The Barrel% of Kyle Stowers has significantly improved, with an increase from 11% last year to 20.1% this season.

Freddy Fermin has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Javier Sanoja has gone over 0.5 in 8 of his last 10 games.