Athletics @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 76th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Lawrence Butler is penciled in 1st in the lineup in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Lawrence Butler will have an advantage today. Lawrence Butler has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.5%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Lawrence Butler's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved lately, going from 45.2% on the season to 66.7% in the last week's worth of games.

Max Schuemann's footspeed has improved this season. His 27.85 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 28.4 ft/sec now.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Shea Langeliers ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Shea Langeliers is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Shea Langeliers pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.5% — 85th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. In the past week's worth of games, Shea Langeliers's 23.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14.7%.

Brent Rooker projects as the 14th-best hitter in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Brent Rooker pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.7% — 80th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Bats such as Brent Rooker with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Hunter Brown who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. In the last 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%.

Gio Urshela's batting average skill 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, upping his 2.9% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last week. Gio Urshela's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, going from 20.2% on the season to 33.3% over the last week. Gio Urshela's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 47.5% to 54.6%.

Luis Urias pulls a lot of his flyballs (36% — 92nd percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Luis Urias has displayed impressive plate discipline this year, grading out in the 90th percentile with a 1.4 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Andujar in the 89th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Miguel Andujar has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 87.8-mph average to last season's 84.1-mph figure. In notching a .285 batting average this year, Miguel Andujar is positioned in the 89th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Wilson as the 16th-best batter in the league as it relates to his batting average ability. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest LF fences among all major league stadiums. Jacob Wilson's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased lately, going from 14.6% on the season to 25.8% in the last two weeks' worth of games. When it comes to plate discipline, Jacob Wilson's talent is quite impressive, sporting a 1.47 K/BB rate this year while placing in in the 87th percentile. Jacob Wilson has compiled a .310 batting average this year, checking in at the 98th percentile.

Victor Caratini has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (52% of the time), but he is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Victor Caratini will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average ability is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mauricio Dubon will hold the platoon advantage against Jacob Lopez in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics 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 of late, posting a 24.9° mark in the past two weeks.

Jose Altuve's batting average ability is projected to be in the 91st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Altuve is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Jose Altuve will have an edge today. Jose Altuve pulls a lot of his flyballs (40.9% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Tyler Soderstrom ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler Soderstrom is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Tyler Soderstrom will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown today. Tyler Soderstrom has an 85th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Tyler Soderstrom has made notable gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 13% seasonal rate to 20% in the last two weeks.

Minute Maid Park has the least fair ground among all parks — generally good for homers. Carlos Cortes will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 97th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Yainer Diaz is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Yainer Diaz will have the upper hand today. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Yainer Diaz will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Batting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Zack Short will have an advantage in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Sacramento's 2nd-worst outfield defense of the day creates a favorable matchup for Zack Short, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Zack Short will hold that advantage today. Compared to his seasonal average of 19.3°, Zack Short has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 30° angle in the last week's worth of games.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest LF fences among all major league stadiums. Hitting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Brice Matthews will have an advantage in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Brice Matthews will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Brice Matthews's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 38.5% up to 38.5%.

Chas McCormick is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 94% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Hitting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Chas McCormick will have the upper hand today. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Compared to his seasonal average of 22°, Chas McCormick has significantly improved his launch angle lately, posting a 32.8° figure over the past week.

Cooper Hummel pulls many of his flyballs (33.3% — 76th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Cooper Hummel will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.302) implies that Cooper Hummel has had some very poor luck this year with his .251 actual wOBA.

Christian Walker is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today. Christian Walker will have the handedness advantage over Jacob Lopez in today's game. Christian Walker pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.3% — 76th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-worst outfield defense is that of the Athletics. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Christian Walker will hold that advantage in today's game.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Nicholas Kurtz ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Nicholas Kurtz has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (52% of the time), but he is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Hunter Brown throws from, Nicholas Kurtz will have an advantage today. Nicholas Kurtz has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% of late, upping his 19% seasonal rate to 34.8% over the past two weeks. Nicholas Kurtz has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 98.7-mph average over the last 14 days to his seasonal 93.3-mph mark.