Minnesota @ Texas Picks & Props

Austin Martin's batting average talent is projected to be in the 86th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Austin Martin is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today. Austin Martin will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Austin Martin has seen a substantial improvement in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 91.6-mph average in the past two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal 86.2-mph average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ezequiel Duran in the 77th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. Ezequiel Duran will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Placing in the 79th percentile, Ezequiel Duran has posted a .323 BABIP this year.

Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Jonah Heim will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Jonah Heim's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, going from 11.1% to 15.8%.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Byron Buxton ranks as the 16th-best hitter in the game. Byron Buxton is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. Byron Buxton will have the handedness advantage over Patrick Corbin in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Based on Statcast data, Byron Buxton is in the 89th percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .357.

Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. James Outman has made big strides with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 18.6% seasonal rate to 45.5% over the past 14 days. James Outman has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 106-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal average of 96.4-mph. James Outman's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls of late (26.3° in the past two weeks) is significantly better than his 21° seasonal mark. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.185) provides evidence that James Outman has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season with his .146 actual batting average.

Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers.

Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Kody Clemens has made big strides with his Barrel% recently, improving his 12.1% seasonal rate to 23.8% in the past 14 days. In the past 7 days, Kody Clemens's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 95-mph over the course of the season to 107.1-mph in recent games. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.241) implies that Kody Clemens has had some very poor luck this year with his .215 actual batting average.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Ryan Jeffers ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ryan Jeffers is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. Ryan Jeffers will hold the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin today. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luke Keaschall in the 90th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Luke Keaschall is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Luke Keaschall will have the upper hand in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Sporting a .357 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Luke Keaschall grades out in the 91st percentile.

Royce Lewis is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Patrick Corbin throws from, Royce Lewis will have an advantage in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Royce Lewis has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 89.9-mph average to last season's 87.1-mph figure. Despite posting a .299 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Royce Lewis has had bad variance on his side given the .022 gap between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .321.

Christian Vazquez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's matchup. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Christian Vazquez has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .228 rate is quite a bit lower than his .258 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Carson McCusker will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Patrick Corbin in today's game. Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Wyatt Langford in the 97th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Wyatt Langford is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in today's game. Wyatt Langford will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Wyatt Langford has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 91.3-mph to 96.2-mph in the past 14 days. Last year, Wyatt Langford had an average launch angle of 11.5° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 17.1°.

Among every team playing today, the 4th-worst infield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Jhonny Pereda has made notable strides with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 4.5% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last two weeks.

Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Cody Freeman will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Burger in the 94th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Jake Burger has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (66% of the time), but he is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Jake Burger will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Jake Burger has made significant gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 13.6% seasonal rate to 28.6% over the last 7 days. Jake Burger has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 97.6-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal average of 94.3-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 88th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Josh Jung will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. In comparison to his 86.2-mph average last year, Josh Jung's exit velocity has noticeably risen this season, now sitting at 89 mph. In the last 14 days, Josh Jung's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93.3-mph over the course of the season to 97.8-mph lately. By putting up a .328 BABIP this year, Josh Jung finds himself in the 85th percentile.

Kyle Higashioka will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the last week, Kyle Higashioka's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 92-mph over the course of the season to 106.3-mph lately. In the last week, Kyle Higashioka's 57.1% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 44.7%.

Joc Pederson is projected to hit 1st in the batting order today. Joc Pederson will have the handedness advantage over Zebby Matthews today. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Joc Pederson will hold that advantage today. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Joc Pederson's true offensive skill to be a .342, providing some evidence that he has been unlucky this year given the .066 difference between that figure and his actual .276 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adolis Garcia in the 81st percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Adolis Garcia is penciled in 5th in the batting order in today's game. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Adolis Garcia will hold that advantage today. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Adolis Garcia's true offensive ability to be a .324, providing some evidence that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .037 gap between that figure and his actual .287 wOBA.

Rowdy Tellez has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (79% of the time), but he is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. Batting from the opposite that Zebby Matthews throws from, Rowdy Tellez will have an advantage in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Rowdy Tellez will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Rowdy Tellez has made sizeable improvements with his Barrel%, bettering his 8.1% rate last season to 14.3% this year. Rowdy Tellez has seen a big gain in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 97.7-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal 90.9-mph mark.

Josh Smith will have the handedness advantage against Zebby Matthews today. Josh Smith will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Josh Smith's launch angle recently (19.4° over the last two weeks) is a significant increase over his 12.1° seasonal mark. When it comes to plate discipline, Josh Smith's ability is quite good, posting a 1.78 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 77th percentile.

Alejandro Osuna is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 75% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. Alejandro Osuna will have the handedness advantage against Zebby Matthews in today's matchup. Alejandro Osuna will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to bolster all of his stats. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Alejandro Osuna has had some very poor luck this year. His .264 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .325. As it relates to plate discipline, Alejandro Osuna's ability is quite good, putting up a 1.46 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 92nd percentile.

Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats across the board, and Michael Helman will hold that advantage today. In the last week's worth of games, Michael Helman's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93-mph over the course of the season to 100.9-mph of late. Michael Helman has gotten much quicker this year, improving from last year's 28.55 ft/sec to 29.39 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).