Houston @ Miami Picks & Props

LoanDepot Park grades out as the #22 park in MLB for RHB batting average, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). Built just 6 feet above sea level, LoanDepot Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to less offense. The LoanDepot Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -7° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Cal Quantrill will have the handedness advantage over Jose Altuve today. In today's game, Jose Altuve is at a disadvantage facing the league's 10th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 41.1% rate (99th percentile).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Javier Sanoja in the 95th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Javier Sanoja hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 85th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Javier Sanoja will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. As it relates to his batting average, Javier Sanoja has suffered from bad luck this year. His .251 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .287.

Eric Wagaman hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.2% — 91st percentile) and is fortunate to face baseball's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Eric Wagaman will hold that advantage today. In the past week's worth of games, Eric Wagaman's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.4% up to 11.1%. In the last two weeks, Eric Wagaman's 21.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 15%. Despite posting a .269 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Eric Wagaman has had bad variance on his side given the .033 disparity between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .302.

The #9 stadium in MLB for suppressing batting average to left-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Built just 6 feet above sea level, LoanDepot Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to less offense. The LoanDepot Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -7° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Xavier Edwards has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (39%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of MLB's 10th-deepest LF fences in today's game. Xavier Edwards's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (6.3°) is quite a bit lower than his 10.8° figure last year.

LoanDepot Park grades out as the #22 park in MLB for RHB batting average, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). Built just 6 feet above sea level, LoanDepot Park has one of the lowest elevations in MLB, which tends to lead to less offense. The LoanDepot Park roof figures to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -7° colder than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for pitching. Batting from the same side that Cal Quantrill throws from, Jeremy Pena encounters a tough challenge today. Among every team in action today, the best infield defense is that of the the Miami Marlins.

Mauricio Dubon's batting average talent is projected to be in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Compared to last year, Mauricio Dubon 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 12.1% to 20.3% this season. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Mauricio Dubon's 59.1% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 42.6%. In terms of plate discipline, Mauricio Dubon's ability is quite strong, posting a 1.59 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 83rd percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Steven Okert throws from, Liam Hicks will have an advantage in today's game. Liam Hicks will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Liam Hicks's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has declined recently, falling from 20.7% on the season to 14.3% over the last 7 days. When it comes to plate discipline, Liam Hicks's ability is quite strong, putting up a 1.4 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 90th percentile.

The 6th-shallowest CF dimensions among all major league stadiums are found in LoanDepot Park. In the last 7 days, Ramon Urias's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 6.8% up to 15.4%. Over the last 7 days, Ramon Urias's 38.5% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 13.5%. Ramon Urias'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 38.1% to 46.2%.

Carlos Correa's batting average skill is projected to be in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Carlos Correa is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today's game. The 6th-shallowest CF dimensions among all major league stadiums are found in LoanDepot Park. Carlos Correa has made significant gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 7% seasonal rate to 27.3% in the past week. Carlos Correa has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 107.4-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal average of 92.5-mph.

Victor Caratini hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 90th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Grading out in the 78th percentile, Victor Caratini sits with a .272 batting average this year.

Taylor Trammell will hold the platoon advantage against Cal Quantrill in today's matchup. Taylor Trammell's launch angle in recent games (50.7° over the last week) is a considerable increase over his 11.6° seasonal angle.

Jakob Marsee will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Steven Okert in today's matchup. Jakob Marsee will hold the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats. Jakob Marsee has been cold in recent games, notching a 0% Barrel% (an advanced standard to evaluate power) over the past 7 days. Posting a 98-mph average exit velocity in the last 7 days, Jakob Marsee has been in great form recently. In the last 7 days, Jakob Marsee's swing has been well optimized for base hits, notching a 100% of balls hit with a launch angle in the optimal range of -4° to 26°.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Agustin Ramirez ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Agustin Ramirez is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. The 6th-shallowest CF dimensions among all major league stadiums are found in LoanDepot Park. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Agustin Ramirez will hold that advantage today. Agustin Ramirez has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 12.4% seasonal rate to 20% over the last two weeks.

Otto Lopez's batting average skill is projected to be in the 95th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Otto Lopez is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in today's game. Otto Lopez hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (40.1% — 97th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball batters like Otto Lopez tend to be more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Steven Okert. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Otto Lopez will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Jesus Sanchez ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jesus Sanchez is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game. Batting from the opposite that Cal Quantrill throws from, Jesus Sanchez will have an edge in today's matchup. Jesus Sanchez has seen a big gain in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 94.7-mph average over the last 14 days to his seasonal 92.2-mph EV. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.341) provides evidence that Jesus Sanchez has had some very poor luck this year with his .320 actual wOBA.

Yainer Diaz's batting average ability is projected to be in the 97th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Yainer Diaz hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 90th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Over the last 7 days, Yainer Diaz's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 8.2% up to 16.7%. Over the past 7 days, Yainer Diaz's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93.2-mph over the course of the season to 95.2-mph lately. Yainer Diaz has been unlucky this year, notching a .302 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .330 — a .028 deviation.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dane Myers in the 91st percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Dane Myers hits many of his flyballs to center field (40.2% — 98th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Extreme groundball bats like Dane Myers usually hit better against extreme flyball pitchers like Steven Okert. Dane Myers will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Dane Myers has made substantial strides with his Barrel% lately, upping his 7.4% seasonal rate to 15.8% in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kyle Stowers in the 88th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Kyle Stowers is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Steven Okert throws from, Kyle Stowers will have an edge in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Kyle Stowers will hold that advantage today. Kyle Stowers has made sizeable strides with his Barrel%, improving his 11% rate last season to 20.2% this season.

Christian Walker is penciled in 5th in the batting order in today's game. In the last 7 days, Christian Walker's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 92.2-mph over the course of the season to 100.1-mph of late. Christian Walker has been unlucky this year, notching a .301 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .328 — a .027 gap.

Heriberto Hernandez is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game. Heriberto Hernandez will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. In the past 14 days, Heriberto Hernandez's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 95.7-mph over the course of the season to 99.3-mph of late.