Los Angeles @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Ward in the 94th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Taylor Ward is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in today's game. Taylor Ward has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.5-mph to 94.7-mph in the last week's worth of games. As it relates to his batting average, Taylor Ward has had bad variance on his side this year. His .231 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .248. Taylor Ward has put up a .341 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, ranking in the 76th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yoan Moncada in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Yoan Moncada is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this game. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Yoan Moncada will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side against Spencer Arrighetti today. Using Statcast metrics, Yoan Moncada is in the 78th percentile for hitting ability via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .333. Placing in the 84th percentile, Yoan Moncada sits with a .346 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Logan O'Hoppe ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Logan O'Hoppe pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.8% — 82nd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Logan O'Hoppe has made big gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 15.2% seasonal rate to 28.6% in the last week. Logan O'Hoppe has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 97.1-mph average to last season's 94.6-mph EV. Over the last two weeks, Logan O'Hoppe's 66.7% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 50.2%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Rengifo in the 82nd percentile when estimating his batting average talent. In the past two weeks, Luis Rengifo's 27.6% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 15.2%. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 41.4% to 47.4%. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.279) may lead us to conclude that Luis Rengifo has had bad variance on his side this year with his .245 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christian Moore in the 91st percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Christian Moore's launch angle of late (38.3° in the past week's worth of games) is a significant increase over his 12.5° seasonal mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Mauricio Dubon in the 79th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Mauricio Dubon will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. Mauricio Dubon's launch angle recently (27.4° in the last 7 days) is a significant increase over his 13.1° seasonal mark. Compared to last season, 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 20.1% this season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Carlos Correa in the 94th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Carlos Correa is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. Among all parks, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Carlos Correa will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 87th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill. Jo Adell is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. Among all parks, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Jo Adell has made notable improvements with his Barrel% of late, upping his 17.2% seasonal rate to 26.7% over the last 14 days. Jo Adell has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.5-mph to 96.1-mph in the past two weeks' worth of games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 97th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage in today's game. Yainer Diaz has been unlucky this year, compiling a .301 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .328 — a .027 difference.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-smallest outfield among all stadiums — generally good for HRs. Jacob Melton will have the handedness advantage against Kyle Hendricks in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Jacob Melton will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats. Jacob Melton has seen a big increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 91.5-mph average over the last 14 days to his seasonal 88.6-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 89th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Zach Neto is projected to hit 1st in the lineup today. Zach Neto pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.8% — 94th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. The Barrel% of Zach Neto has significantly improved, with an increase from 8.5% last year to 15% this season. Zach Neto has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 96.3-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal 91.4-mph figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 97th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Jeremy Pena is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this game. Among all parks, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Jeremy Pena will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

Mike Trout projects as the 19th-best batter in baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mike Trout is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Among all parks, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. In the past week's worth of games, Mike Trout's 40% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 19.8%. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Mike Trout's true offensive ability to be a .360, indicating that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .021 difference between that figure and his actual .339 wOBA.

Christian Walker pulls many of his flyballs (33.1% — 76th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Christian Walker will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. Christian Walker has made substantial strides with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 12.1% seasonal rate to 20% over the past two weeks. Christian Walker has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 92.8-mph average in the past two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 90.5-mph mark.

Bryce Teodosio has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jesus Sanchez in the 87th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Jesus Sanchez is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Jesus Sanchez will have an edge today. Jesus Sanchez has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Jose Altuve is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Jose Altuve pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (41.6% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Jose Altuve will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the 3rd-best hitter in the majors. Yordan Alvarez is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in this game. Yordan Alvarez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Hendricks today. Among all the teams in action today, the worst infield defense is that of the the Los Angeles Angels. Yordan Alvarez will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-smallest outfield among all stadiums — generally good for HRs. Niko Kavadas will hold the platoon advantage against Spencer Arrighetti today. Niko Kavadas has been zeroed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs in recent games, lifting balls between 23° and 34° 33.3% of the time in the past 7 days. Niko Kavadas has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA since the start of last season; his .261 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .282 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.