Cleveland @ Chicago Picks & Props

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Austin Hedges will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today's game. Austin Hedges pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.9% — 80th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. This season, Austin Hedges has experienced a significant increase in his exit velocity on flyballs, now sitting at an average of 93.2 mph compared to last year's 88.4 mph mark. Austin Hedges's 24.6° launch angle (a reliable metric to assess a hitter's ability to lift the ball for power) is one of the steepest in Major League Baseball: 97th percentile.

Extreme groundball bats like Jose Ramirez usually hit worse against extreme groundball pitchers like Shota Imanaga. The Chicago Cubs outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-best among every team playing today. Playing on the road typically diminishes hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Jose Ramirez in today's game. Over the past two weeks, Jose Ramirez's 6.4% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 18.1%. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.280) suggests that Jose Ramirez has experienced some positive variance this year with his .305 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Johnathan Rodriguez in the 93rd percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. In the league, Wrigley Field's left field dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Shota Imanaga throws from, Johnathan Rodriguez will have an advantage in today's matchup. Extreme flyball batters like Johnathan Rodriguez are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Shota Imanaga.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nolan Jones in the 89th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Nolan Jones has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.1%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Nolan Jones has made big strides with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 9.4% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the past week. Nolan Jones has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 91.8-mph average to last season's 88.3-mph EV.

Lane Thomas is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Batting from the opposite that Shota Imanaga throws from, Lane Thomas will have an edge in today's game. Lane Thomas pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.6% — 78th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Lane Thomas has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 3.6% seasonal rate to 10% in the past 7 days.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Ian Happ ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Ian Happ is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the dish, Ian Happ will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Tanner Bibee today. Ian Happ has a 76th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.7%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Steven Kwan in the 94th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Steven Kwan is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card today. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Steven Kwan has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.2%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Over the past two weeks, Steven Kwan has significantly improved the launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls: 17.9° compared to his seasonal mark of 11.8°.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The switch-hitting Angel Martinez will get to bat from his better side (0) today against Shota Imanaga. Angel Martinez pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (37.8% — 96th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Angel Martinez's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased recently, going from 16.2% on the season to 38.5% over the past 14 days. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Angel Martinez's true offensive skill to be a .292, indicating that he has experienced some negative variance this year given the .026 gap between that figure and his actual .266 wOBA.

David Fry is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. David Fry will have the handedness advantage over Shota Imanaga in today's matchup. David Fry pulls many of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. David Fry has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 90.3-mph average to last year's 88.3-mph mark.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Seiya Suzuki ranks as the 17th-best hitter in baseball. Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this game. In the league, Wrigley Field's left field dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Seiya Suzuki will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats.

Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Matt Shaw will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Matt Shaw has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 84.5-mph average over the past week to his seasonal 82.5-mph figure. In terms of his wOBA and overall offense, Matt Shaw has had some very poor luck this year. His .280 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .303.

Carlos Santana is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the plate, Carlos Santana will get to bat from his better side against Shota Imanaga in this game. Carlos Santana pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (39.9% — 98th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Sporting a 1.63 K/BB rate this year, Carlos Santana has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, grading out in the 82nd percentile.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 7th-best hitter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Kyle Tucker is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Hitting from the opposite that Tanner Bibee throws from, Kyle Tucker will have an edge in today's game. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Kyle Tucker will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

In the league, Wrigley Field's left field dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Carson Kelly will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In the past 14 days, Carson Kelly's 58.8% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 44.1%. Using Statcast data, Carson Kelly ranks in the 88th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .356.

When assessing his batting average ability, Nico Hoerner is projected as the 19th-best hitter in the majors by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Nico Hoerner will hold that advantage today. Nico Hoerner's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, increasing from 15.1% on the season to 33.3% in the last week. By putting up a .287 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) based on Statcast data) this year , Nico Hoerner has performed in the 92nd percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 87th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Dansby Swanson is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this game. In the league, Wrigley Field's left field dimensions are the 6th-shallowest. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Dansby Swanson will hold that advantage in today's game.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Michael Busch ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Michael Busch will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Tanner Bibee in today's game. Michael Busch will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Michael Busch has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 25.6° compared to his seasonal mark of 17.3°.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks in the 79th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Pete Crow-Armstrong is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. Built 599 feet above sea level, Wrigley Field has the 10th-highest elevation in MLB, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. Pete Crow-Armstrong will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Tanner Bibee in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Pete Crow-Armstrong will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Reese McGuire has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.