Chicago @ New York Picks & Props

When it comes to his overall offensive skill, Seiya Suzuki ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in today's game. Seiya Suzuki hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (42.5% — 100th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's shallowest CF fences today. Seiya Suzuki has made notable gains with his Barrel%, upping his 11.5% rate last season to 17% this year. Seiya Suzuki's launch angle in recent games (23.7° in the past two weeks' worth of games) is quite a bit higher than his 20° seasonal angle.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Dansby Swanson hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40.1% — 98th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the league's shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Dansby Swanson's launch angle this season (17.4°) is considerably higher than his 10.2° angle last season. Dansby Swanson's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved lately, going from 44.7% on the season to 69.2% in the last 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jon Berti in the 93rd percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Extreme flyball batters like Jon Berti tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Tylor Megill. Jon Berti has posted a .264 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, ranking in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Jon Berti grades out in the 94th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (50.5% rate since the start of last season).

Justin Turner is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Justin Turner hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 76th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's shallowest CF fences in today's game. Justin Turner's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, rising from 19.1% to 34.8%. By putting up a 1.59 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Justin Turner has demonstrated good plate discipline, checking in at the 91st percentile.

Carson Kelly is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this game. Carson Kelly hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.6% — 81st percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the game's shallowest CF fences in today's game. Carson Kelly has made significant gains with his Barrel%, bettering his 6.6% rate last season to 18.8% this year. Carson Kelly's exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off in recent games; his 96.8-mph seasonal average has lowered to 92.2-mph in the past week. Posting a .352 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) since the start of last season, Carson Kelly has performed in the 89th percentile.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Kyle Tucker ranks as the 8th-best batter in the game. Kyle Tucker is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Batting from the opposite that Tylor Megill throws from, Kyle Tucker will have an edge in today's game. Kyle Tucker is likely to have the upper hand against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the New York Mets only has 1 same-handed RP.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 76th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Pete Crow-Armstrong has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (100% of the time), but he is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Hitting from the opposite that Tylor Megill throws from, Pete Crow-Armstrong will have an edge in today's matchup. Pete Crow-Armstrong is apt to have the upper hand against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the New York Mets only has 1 same-handed RP.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 96th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Over the past 14 days, Nico Hoerner's 22% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14.7%. Nico Hoerner has compiled a .290 Expected Batting Average this year, grading out in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Posting a 1.65 K/BB rate this year, Nico Hoerner has shown good plate discipline, checking in at the 77th percentile.

Tyrone Taylor hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 84th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Tyrone Taylor will hold that advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.259) may lead us to conclude that Tyrone Taylor has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .246 actual batting average. Tyrone Taylor has posted a .316 BABIP since the start of last season, grading out in the 79th percentile.

In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Francisco Alvarez will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats. In the last week's worth of games, Francisco Alvarez's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 8.3% up to 14.3%. Francisco Alvarez has recorded a .314 BABIP since the start of last season, grading out in the 77th percentile.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Ian Happ ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his good side (0) today against Tylor Megill. Ian Happ has seen a big increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 94.3-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 89-mph EV.

In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Miguel Amaya's launch angle this season (21.2°) is considerably better than his 10.9° figure last year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luisangel Acuna in the 87th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. Luisangel Acuna hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.8% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Luisangel Acuna will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Luisangel Acuna has recorded a .307 batting average since the start of last season, grading out in the 97th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brandon Nimmo in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Brandon Nimmo is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Brad Keller throws from, Brandon Nimmo will have the upper hand today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brandon Nimmo stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Brandon Nimmo 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 out towards the league's 4th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

Mark Vientos is penciled in 5th in the lineup today. Mark Vientos hits many of his flyballs to center field (40.1% — 98th percentile) and is fortunate to face baseball's shallowest CF fences in today's game. Mark Vientos will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. Checking in at the 83rd percentile, Mark Vientos sports a .341 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) since the start of last season.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Michael Busch ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Michael Busch is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Batting from the opposite that Tylor Megill throws from, Michael Busch will have the upper hand in today's game. Michael Busch is apt to have an edge against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the New York Mets has just 1 same-handed RP.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Pete Alonso ranks as the 15th-best batter in the league. Pete Alonso is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Pete Alonso will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Pete Alonso has made big strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 13.2% rate last season to 19.7% this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Francisco Lindor in the 96th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Francisco Lindor is penciled in 1st in the batting order today. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Francisco Lindor will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Francisco Lindor has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.5-mph to 95.2-mph in the past 7 days.

Juan Soto projects as the 3rd-best batter in Major League Baseball, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Juan Soto is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card today. In the majors, Citi Field's CF dimensions are the shallowest. Batting from the opposite that Brad Keller throws from, Juan Soto will have an advantage today. Juan Soto will probably have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs only has 1 same-handed RP.

Hitting from the opposite that Brad Keller throws from, Brett Baty will have an advantage today. Brett Baty will probably have the upper hand against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs only has 1 same-handed RP. Brett Baty has an 87th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.4%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 4th-shallowest LF fences today. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Brett Baty will hold that advantage today. Brett Baty has made sizeable strides with his Barrel%, upping his 5.5% rate last year to 11.6% this season.

Starling Marte has gone over 0.5 in 9 of his last 10 games.