Minnesota @ Texas Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ezequiel Duran in the 77th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Ezequiel Duran will hold that advantage in today's game. Posting a .327 BABIP this year, Ezequiel Duran is ranked in the 83rd percentile.

The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Christian Vazquez has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .239 mark is quite a bit lower than his .267 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Posting a 1.84 K/BB rate this year, Christian Vazquez has displayed impressive plate discipline, grading out in the 83rd percentile.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Ryan Jeffers ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ryan Jeffers is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in this matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Ryan Jeffers's average exit velocity has risen significantly from last season to this one, averaging 89.2-mph now compared to just 86.9-mph then. Ryan Jeffers's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 37.5% to 45.5%.

The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Edouard Julien as the 12th-best hitter in baseball when assessing his BABIP ability. Batting from the opposite that Tyler Mahle throws from, Edouard Julien will have the upper hand in today's game. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Edouard Julien's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, increasing from 50% to 56.8%. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.277) suggests that Edouard Julien has had some very poor luck this year with his .216 actual batting average.

As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Brooks Lee will get to bat from his good side against Tyler Mahle today. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Over the last 7 days, Brooks Lee's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5.9% up to 16.7%. Brooks Lee has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 93.8-mph average over the last week to his seasonal 88.6-mph average. Brooks Lee's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased recently, going from 41% on the season to 66.7% in the last week.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Trevor Larnach ranks in the 78th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Trevor Larnach is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. Hitting from the opposite that Tyler Mahle throws from, Trevor Larnach will have the upper hand in today's matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today.

Royce Lewis is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Royce Lewis has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% in recent games, bettering his 9.4% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the last week's worth of games. Despite posting a .295 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Royce Lewis has had bad variance on his side given the .025 discrepancy between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .320.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Byron Buxton ranks as the 17th-best batter in MLB. Byron Buxton is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this game. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Byron Buxton has put up a .356 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, ranking in the 88th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Grading out in the 93rd percentile, Byron Buxton sports a .369 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Austin Martin in the 86th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Austin Martin is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Austin Martin has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 95.2-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal EV of 91.3-mph. By putting up a .282 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) using Statcast data) this year , Austin Martin grades out in the 92nd percentile.

Alejandro Osuna is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in today's game. Alejandro Osuna will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bailey Ober in today's game. Alejandro Osuna will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Alejandro Osuna's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved in recent games, going from 47.7% on the season to 58.3% over the last 7 days. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.267) suggests that Alejandro Osuna has had some very poor luck this year with his .206 actual batting average.

Josh Smith is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Bailey Ober throws from, Josh Smith will have an edge in today's game. Josh Smith will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. In the past week's worth of games, Josh Smith's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 5% up to 16.7%. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Josh Smith's 22.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14%.

Hitting from the opposite that Tyler Mahle throws from, Ryan Fitzgerald will have an advantage in today's matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today.

Joc Pederson is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Bailey Ober throws from, Joc Pederson will have the upper hand today. Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Joc Pederson will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Joc Pederson has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 99.6-mph average in the last 7 days to his seasonal figure of 92-mph. Joc Pederson's launch angle recently (32.5° over the past 7 days) is significantly higher than his 17.3° seasonal angle.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 88th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Josh Jung is penciled in 3rd in the batting order today, which would be an upgrade from his 60% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage today. Josh Jung has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 89.1-mph average to last year's 86.2-mph figure. Despite posting a .298 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Josh Jung has suffered from bad luck given the .018 difference between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .316.

Kody Clemens has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (53% of the time), but he is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Kody Clemens will have the handedness advantage against Tyler Mahle in today's matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense grades out as the 7th-weakest among every team in action today. Kody Clemens has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% of late, improving his 11.8% seasonal rate to 20.8% in the past two weeks' worth of games. Kody Clemens's launch angle recently (27.5° in the past week) is quite a bit higher than his 16.1° seasonal angle.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Michael Helman will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Kyle Higashioka will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Rowdy Tellez is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 78% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Rowdy Tellez will have the handedness advantage against Bailey Ober in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Rowdy Tellez will hold that advantage in today's game. The Barrel% of Rowdy Tellez has significantly improved, with an increase from 8.1% last year to 14.1% this season. Rowdy Tellez has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 90.8-mph to 92.9-mph in the last 14 days.

Cody Freeman has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.

Adolis Garcia has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.