Texas @ Houston Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Wyatt Langford in the 97th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Wyatt Langford is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. Wyatt Langford pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.3% — 89th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Wyatt Langford has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 13.7% seasonal rate to 25% over the past two weeks.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Jake Burger ranks in the 94th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jake Burger is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 67% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Jake Burger has made significant improvements with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 13.2% seasonal rate to 20.7% over the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 88th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Josh Jung has been unlucky this year, putting up a .296 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .314 — a .018 gap. Josh Jung has compiled a .323 BABIP this year, ranking in the 82nd percentile.

Josh Smith is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. Batting from the opposite that A.J. Blubaugh throws from, Josh Smith will have the upper hand today. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. As it relates to plate discipline, Josh Smith's skill is quite strong, sporting a 1.68 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 81st percentile.

Christian Walker is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Christian Walker pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.2% — 77th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Christian Walker will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Christian Walker has made substantial gains with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 12.3% seasonal rate to 21.4% over the past week.

Michael Helman pulls many of his flyballs (37.5% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. In the past week, Michael Helman's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 12.7% up to 21.4%. Michael Helman's launch angle in recent games (24° over the past week) is considerably better than his 20.5° seasonal mark.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Jesus Sanchez ranks in the 87th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jesus Sanchez will hold the platoon advantage over Merrill Kelly in today's game. Jesus Sanchez has an 88th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.6%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them out towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Jesus Sanchez will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats.

In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. In the past week, Cody Freeman's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 89.7-mph over the course of the season to 95.4-mph in recent games. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.290) may lead us to conclude that Cody Freeman has suffered from bad luck this year with his .260 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Altuve in the 90th percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Jose Altuve is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. Jose Altuve pulls many of his flyballs (41.8% — 99th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Jose Altuve will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the plate, Victor Caratini will have the advantage of batting from from his good side against Merrill Kelly in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Victor Caratini will hold that advantage in today's game. Victor Caratini's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this year (13.7°) is significantly better than his 7.5° angle last year. Victor Caratini has put up a .268 batting average this year, placing in the 76th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Meyers in the 85th percentile when assessing his batting average ability. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Jake Meyers will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. In the past 14 days, Jake Meyers's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 92.6-mph over the course of the season to 99-mph lately. Jake Meyers's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last season to this one, rising from 44.4% to 50.4%.

When assessing his batting average skill, Yainer Diaz is projected as the 19th-best hitter in the majors by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Yainer Diaz will benefit from the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Over the past 7 days, Yainer Diaz's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 8.7% up to 21.4%. Over the past week, Yainer Diaz's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 93.7-mph over the course of the season to 102.5-mph of late.

The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Jonah Heim has been unlucky this year, posting a .267 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .286 — a .019 disparity.

Joc Pederson is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game. Joc Pederson will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh in today's game. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. As it relates to his batting average, Joc Pederson has had bad variance on his side this year. His .175 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .217. When it comes to plate discipline, Joc Pederson's skill is quite strong, posting a 1.86 K/BB rate this year while ranking in in the 82nd percentile.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Adolis Garcia's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last year to this one, going from 13.9% to 17.8%.

Kyle Higashioka is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 89% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Kyle Higashioka pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (39.1% — 97th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. Kyle Higashioka has made notable strides with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 9% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Carlos Correa in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Carlos Correa is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game. In the majors, Minute Maid Park's LF fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Carlos Correa will hold that advantage in today's game.

Jeremy Pena's batting average skill is projected to be in the 97th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jeremy Pena is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today's game. Jeremy Pena pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 80th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of every team playing today, the 3rd-weakest infield defense is that of the the Texas Rangers. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Jeremy Pena will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

Alejandro Osuna will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against A.J. Blubaugh today. The Houston Astros outfield defense projects as the 5th-weakest out of all the teams on the slate today. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Alejandro Osuna has had bad variance on his side this year. His .260 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .337.