Athletics @ Houston props

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Minute Maid Park as the 8th-worst stadium in the game for right-handed batting average. Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest among all major league stadiums, which often leads to less offense. The Minute Maid Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -10° colder than the average outdoor game of the day — favorable for pitching. Yainer Diaz hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 89th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards baseball's 9th-deepest CF fences in today's matchup. Yainer Diaz's exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off in recent games; his 93.1-mph seasonal average has dropped off to 87.3-mph over the last 7 days.

In Major League Baseball, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest.

Victor Caratini has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (53% of the time), but he is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Victor Caratini will hold that advantage in today's game. With a .274 batting average this year, Victor Caratini is ranked in the 77th percentile.

As it relates to his batting average talent, Jacob Wilson is projected as the 16th-best batter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). In Major League Baseball, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. In the past two weeks, Jacob Wilson's 25.8% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14.6%. Sporting a 1.5 K/BB rate this year, Jacob Wilson has displayed favorable plate discipline, ranking in the 86th percentile. Jacob Wilson has posted a .310 batting average this year, ranking in the 98th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 76th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Lawrence Butler will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ryan Gusto in today's matchup. Lawrence Butler has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.3%) and will have a big advantage hitting them out towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. In the past 7 days, Lawrence Butler's 66.7% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 45.2%. This year, the hardest ball Lawrence Butler has hit reached a maximum exit velocity of 113.6 mph (an advanced metric to evaluate power), checking in at the 83rd percentile.

Gio Urshela's batting average ability is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Gio Urshela has made big improvements with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 2.9% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last 7 days. Gio Urshela's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved lately, increasing from 20.2% on the season to 33.3% in the past week. Gio Urshela's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last season to this one, going from 47.5% to 53.8%.

Max Schuemann's footspeed has gotten better this year. His 27.85 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 28.35 ft/sec now.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 91st percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Jose Altuve is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Hitting from the opposite that Jeffrey Springs throws from, Jose Altuve will have an advantage in today's matchup. Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (41% — 99th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics.

Zack Short will have the handedness advantage over Jeffrey Springs in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Zack Short will hold that advantage in today's game. Compared to his seasonal average of 19.3°, Zack Short has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 30° figure in the last week's worth of games.

In Major League Baseball, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Brice Matthews will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jeffrey Springs in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Brice Matthews will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the last 14 days, Brice Matthews's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 38.5% up to 38.5%.

Brent Rooker projects as the 14th-best batter in baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this game. Brent Rooker pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 79th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. In the past week's worth of games, Brent Rooker's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 14.9% up to 21.4%. Compared to his seasonal average of 14.9°, Brent Rooker has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 21° figure in the past two weeks.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average ability is projected to be in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mauricio Dubon will have the handedness advantage over Jeffrey Springs today. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Mauricio Dubon will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 11.8°, Mauricio Dubon has significantly improved his launch angle in recent games, posting a 24.9° mark in the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Andujar in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Miguel Andujar is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Miguel Andujar has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 87.8-mph average to last season's 84.1-mph average. Miguel Andujar has posted a .285 batting average this year, checking in at the 87th percentile.

Luis Urias pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st 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 has displayed favorable plate discipline this year, checking in at the 90th percentile with a 1.4 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Shea Langeliers in the 87th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Shea Langeliers is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Shea Langeliers pulls many of his flyballs (34.6% — 86th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Shea Langeliers's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, increasing from 14.7% on the season to 23.5% over the last week. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.270) suggests that Shea Langeliers has suffered from bad luck this year with his .243 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Soderstrom in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Tyler Soderstrom is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. Tyler Soderstrom will hold the platoon advantage against Ryan Gusto in today's matchup. Tyler Soderstrom has an 85th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.9%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Tyler Soderstrom has made significant gains with his Barrel% lately, upping his 13% seasonal rate to 20% over the last 14 days.

Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Christian Walker will hold the platoon advantage against Jeffrey Springs in today's game. Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (33.4% — 77th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Christian Walker will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats.

Cooper Hummel pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.3% — 77th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Cooper Hummel will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. Cooper Hummel has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .263 figure is significantly deflated relative to his .304 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Carlos Cortes is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Home runs are generally more common at venues with shallow fences, and Minute Maid Park has the shallowest among all major league parks. Hitting from the opposite that Ryan Gusto throws from, Carlos Cortes will have an edge in today's matchup.

Chas McCormick will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jeffrey Springs in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 7th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Athletics. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage today. Compared to his seasonal average of 22°, Chas McCormick has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 32.8° figure over the past week. Chas McCormick's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this year (28.6°) is significantly better than his 15.6° mark last year.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Nicholas Kurtz ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Nicholas Kurtz is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 52% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Nicholas Kurtz will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ryan Gusto today. Nicholas Kurtz has made substantial strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 19% seasonal rate to 34.8% over the last two weeks. Nicholas Kurtz has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 93.3-mph to 98.7-mph in the past 14 days.