New York @ Houston Picks & Props

Minute Maid Park's altitude is near sea-level, one of the lowest in the majors, which usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to lower offensive output.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Juan Soto ranks as the 4th-best hitter in the majors. Juan Soto is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Juan Soto's average exit velocity has risen significantly from last season to this one, averaging 93.1-mph now compared to just 90.9-mph then. Utilizing Statcast data, Juan Soto grades out in the 95th percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .386.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gleyber Torres in the 95th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Gleyber Torres is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Gleyber Torres will have the upper hand in today's game. Gleyber Torres has experienced some negative variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .273 figure is a good deal lower than his .287 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Aaron Judge projects as the 2nd-best hitter in Major League Baseball, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Aaron Judge is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup today. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences among all stadiums. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Aaron Judge will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez today.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Kyle Tucker ranks as the 14th-best hitter in Major League Baseball. Kyle Tucker is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today. Kyle Tucker will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Anthony Rizzo's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better from last season to this one, rising from 39.5% to 47.5%. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Anthony Rizzo's true offensive skill to be a .325, implying that he has been unlucky this year given the .011 deviation between that figure and his actual .314 wOBA. The standard deviation of Anthony Rizzo's launch angle this year (24.6°) is in the 95th percentile. A low deviation like this tends to lead to a higher rate of hits on balls in play.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Yordan Alvarez ranks as the best batter in MLB. Yordan Alvarez is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today. Yordan Alvarez will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Oswaldo Cabrera pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.7% — 78th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. Oswaldo Cabrera has been unlucky this year, compiling a .257 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .287 — a .030 difference.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Jose Trevino will have the handedness advantage over Framber Valdez in today's matchup. In terms of his batting average, Jose Trevino has suffered from bad luck this year. His .210 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .258.

Anthony Volpe is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences among all stadiums. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Anthony Volpe will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Framber Valdez in today's matchup. Extreme flyball bats like Anthony Volpe are generally more successful against extreme groundball pitchers like Framber Valdez.

The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Jake Meyers will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Nestor Cortes today. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today. Jake Meyers will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yainer Diaz in the 96th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Nestor Cortes throws from, Yainer Diaz will have an advantage in today's game. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics in all categories, and Yainer Diaz will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Abreu in the 82nd percentile when assessing his batting average skill. Jose Abreu is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Nestor Cortes throws from, Jose Abreu will have an advantage in today's matchup. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jeremy Pena in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences among all stadiums. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Nestor Cortes throws from, Jeremy Pena will have an advantage today. Extreme flyball bats like Jeremy Pena usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Nestor Cortes.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Giancarlo Stanton ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Giancarlo Stanton is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Minute Maid Park has the shallowest LF fences among all stadiums. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Batting from the opposite that Framber Valdez throws from, Giancarlo Stanton will have an edge today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Chas McCormick in the 86th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Hitting from the opposite that Nestor Cortes throws from, Chas McCormick will have an advantage in today's matchup. The New York Yankees outfield defense grades out as the 4th-worst out of all the teams on the slate today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter metrics across the board, and Chas McCormick will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Alex Bregman ranks in the 97th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Alex Bregman is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today. The Minute Maid Park roof projects to be closed today, making the temperature in this match-up 12° hotter than the average outdoor game of all games today — favorable for offense. Alex Bregman will have the handedness advantage over Nestor Cortes today. Alex Bregman pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.9% — 92nd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

Alex Verdugo has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.