Athletics @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

Hitting from the opposite that Jose Soriano throws from, JJ Bleday will have an advantage in today's matchup. Extreme flyball hitters like JJ Bleday usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Jose Soriano. In the last 7 days, JJ Bleday's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7.3% up to 22.2%. Compared to his seasonal average of 21.7°, JJ Bleday has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 32.3° figure over the past week.

Darell Hernaiz's batting average talent is projected to be in the 85th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.242) provides evidence that Darell Hernaiz has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .216 actual batting average. Sporting a 1.63 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Darell Hernaiz has shown impressive plate discipline, placing in the 91st percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zack Gelof in the 82nd percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. Zack Gelof has made notable strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 9% rate last year to 17.2% this season. Zack Gelof has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 101-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal EV of 95.3-mph. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Zack Gelof has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-hit balls: 24.2° compared to his seasonal mark of 17°.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Taylor Ward ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Taylor Ward is penciled in 4th in the batting order in today's game. Taylor Ward is an extreme flyball hitter and matches up with the weak outfield defense of Sacramento (#1-worst of the day). Taylor Ward will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Taylor Ward's launch angle recently (39.7° in the past 7 days) is quite a bit higher than his 18.7° seasonal mark.

Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Travis d'Arnaud will hold that advantage in today's game. Travis d'Arnaud's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, increasing from 12.2% to 20.8%. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.300) implies that Travis d'Arnaud has experienced some negative variance this year with his .267 actual wOBA. Travis d'Arnaud's 11.8% Barrel% (an advanced standard to measure power) grades out in the 80th percentile this year. Travis d'Arnaud's 96.8-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced standard to study power) is in the 92nd percentile this year.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Brent Rooker ranks as the 15th-best hitter in Major League Baseball. Brent Rooker is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this game. Bats such as Brent Rooker with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Jose Soriano who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Over the last 7 days, Brent Rooker's 36.4% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 17.7%. Brent Rooker's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, going from 42.1% to 48.1%.

Mike Trout projects as the 20th-best hitter in the game, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Mike Trout is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Mike Trout will hold that advantage in today's game. Mike Trout has made significant strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 14.5% seasonal rate to 33.3% over the last 7 days. Mike Trout'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 31.3% in the last 14 days.

Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats across the board, and Oswald Peraza will hold that advantage today. Over the past week, Oswald Peraza's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 7% up to 16.7%. Oswald Peraza has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 101.2-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal mark of 93-mph. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.208) provides evidence that Oswald Peraza has had some very poor luck this year with his .163 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Shea Langeliers in the 91st percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Shea Langeliers is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Shea Langeliers has put up a .273 Expected Batting Average this year, placing in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Ranking in the 82nd percentile, Shea Langeliers has notched a .352 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

When it comes to his batting average ability, Jacob Wilson is projected as the 16th-best batter in MLB by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jacob Wilson is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in today's game. Jacob Wilson's launch angle lately (18.6° in the last two weeks' worth of games) is quite a bit higher than his 9.3° seasonal mark. Posting a 1.38 K/BB rate this year, Jacob Wilson has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, grading out in the 93rd percentile. In notching a .313 batting average this year, Jacob Wilson is positioned in the 99th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jo Adell in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Jo Adell is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this game. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Jo Adell will hold that advantage today. The Barrel% of Jo Adell has significantly improved, with an increase from 11.8% last year to 17.7% this year. Jo Adell has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 17.7% seasonal rate to 27.8% in the last week's worth of games.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Lawrence Butler ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Batting from the opposite that Jose Soriano throws from, Lawrence Butler will have an edge in today's matchup. Lawrence Butler has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 99.1-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal mark of 93.7-mph. Lawrence Butler's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, increasing from 47.4% on the season to 59.3% over the last two weeks.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Tyler Soderstrom ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler Soderstrom is penciled in 4th in the lineup in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Jose Soriano throws from, Tyler Soderstrom will have an advantage in today's game. Utilizing Statcast data, Tyler Soderstrom grades out in the 80th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .345. Placing in the 79th percentile, Tyler Soderstrom sports a .350 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Zach Neto in the 89th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Zach Neto is projected to bat 1st in the lineup today. Zach Neto will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Over the last week, Zach Neto's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 15.5% up to 26.7%. Last year, Zach Neto had an average launch angle of 16.7° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 20.1°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Logan O'Hoppe in the 78th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Logan O'Hoppe will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Compared to his seasonal average of 18.2°, Logan O'Hoppe has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 62.7° figure over the past 7 days. Logan O'Hoppe's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (20.6°) is quite a bit higher than his 16° figure last year. Logan O'Hoppe has been unlucky this year, compiling a .282 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .322 — a .040 deviation.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Yoan Moncada ranks in the 84th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Yoan Moncada is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today. The switch-hitting Yoan Moncada will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Mason Barnett. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Yoan Moncada will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Yoan Moncada has made significant gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 13.5% seasonal rate to 22.7% in the past two weeks' worth of games.

Luis Rengifo's batting average ability is projected to be in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Luis Rengifo will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats. Luis Rengifo's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 41.4% to 47.2%. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.276) implies that Luis Rengifo has been unlucky this year with his .247 actual batting average.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Nicholas Kurtz ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Nicholas Kurtz is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. Nicholas Kurtz will hold the platoon advantage over Jose Soriano in today's matchup. Over the past two weeks, Nicholas Kurtz's 33.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 21.9%. Nicholas Kurtz 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 (21.9% rate this year).

Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and Bryce Teodosio will hold that advantage in today's game.