New York @ San Diego Picks & Props

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Juan Soto ranks as the 4th-best hitter in MLB. Juan Soto is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. Juan Soto will have the handedness advantage against Joe Musgrove in today's matchup. Juan Soto hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.3% — 82nd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Using Statcast data, Juan Soto ranks in the 96th percentile for hitting ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .384.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jackson Merrill in the 88th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Jackson Merrill will have the handedness advantage against Clarke Schmidt today. Jackson Merrill hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40.1% — 99th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the league's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Jackson Merrill will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Alex Verdugo in the 96th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Alex Verdugo is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 52% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Alex Verdugo will have the handedness advantage against Joe Musgrove in today's matchup. Alex Verdugo hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.3% — 82nd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Alex Verdugo has posted a .268 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, placing in the 75th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Fernando Tatis Jr. projects as the 8th-best batter in the league, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Fernando Tatis Jr. is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card today. Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 89th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the league's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Fernando Tatis Jr. will hold the home field advantage today, which figures to boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Cronenworth in the 78th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Jake Cronenworth is projected to bat 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Hitting from the opposite that Clarke Schmidt throws from, Jake Cronenworth will have the upper hand in today's game. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees.

Ha-seong Kim hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 84th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats in all categories, and Ha-seong Kim will hold that advantage in today's game. As it relates to his batting average, Ha-seong Kim has experienced some negative variance this year. His .209 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .258. As it relates to plate discipline, Ha-seong Kim's talent is quite impressive, sporting a 1.28 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 94th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Anthony Volpe in the 79th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. Anthony Volpe is penciled in 1st in the batting order today. Anthony Volpe hits many of his flyballs to center field (38% — 75th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences today. The standard deviation of Anthony Volpe's launch angle since the start of last season (25.2°) is in the 93rd percentile. A low deviation like this tends to lead to a higher BABIP. Anthony Volpe is quite quick, ranking in the 88th percentile in Sprint Speed at 28.74 ft/sec this year.

Hitting from the opposite that Clarke Schmidt throws from, David Peralta will have an advantage today. David Peralta hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.3% — 82nd percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. David Peralta will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.331) may lead us to conclude that David Peralta has suffered from bad luck since the start of last season with his .289 actual wOBA.

Jurickson Profar is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card today. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Jurickson Profar will hold that advantage in today's game. Jurickson Profar's speed has increased this season. His 25.68 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 26.7 ft/sec now. Jurickson Profar has exhibited impressive plate discipline this year, ranking in the 98th percentile with a 1.04 K/BB rate.

Aaron Judge projects as the best hitter in MLB, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Aaron Judge is penciled in 3rd in the lineup today. Aaron Judge hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.3% — 82nd percentile) and will have a big advantage facing baseball's 2nd-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.239) implies that Aaron Judge has had positive variance on his side this year with his .280 actual batting average. Aaron Judge's 26.9% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) ranks in the 100th percentile since the start of last season.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Manny Machado ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Manny Machado is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Manny Machado will hold that advantage in today's game.

Petco Park profiles as the #27 venue in baseball for lefty BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). Petco Park's elevation is near sea-level, one of the lowest in MLB, which tends to lead to lower offensive output. As far as temperature and humidity are concerned, the 2nd-most suitable pitching weather on the schedule is expected for this game. Luis Arraez's 3.5% Barrel% (a reliable metric to assess power) is in the 10th percentile since the start of last season. Since the start of last season, the hardest ball Luis Arraez has hit reached a maximum exit velocity of 104 mph (a reliable stat to evaluate power), checking in at the 1st percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Gleyber Torres in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Gleyber Torres's true offensive skill to be a .330, implying that he has suffered from bad luck this year given the .054 gap between that mark and his actual .276 wOBA. In notching a .358 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) since the start of last season, Gleyber Torres is positioned in the 89th percentile for hitting ability. Gleyber Torres ranks in the 82nd percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs (18% rate since the start of last season). Gleyber Torres has been very good at hitting the ball to all fields (a core talent for batting average), grading out in the 84th percentile in THE BAT X's Spray Score since the start of last season.

Batting from the opposite that Joe Musgrove throws from, Anthony Rizzo will have an advantage in today's matchup. Anthony Rizzo is in the 89th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in base hits (47.5% rate since the start of last season). The standard deviation of Anthony Rizzo's launch angle since the start of last season (24.9°) is in the 94th percentile. A low deviation like this tends to lead to a higher batting average on balls in play.

Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. The switch-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera will get to bat from his good side (0) today against Joe Musgrove. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.348) may lead us to conclude that Oswaldo Cabrera has been unlucky this year with his .286 actual wOBA.

Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Austin Wells will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Joe Musgrove in today's game. Austin Wells has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .218 rate is quite a bit lower than his .266 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Posting a 1.8 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Austin Wells has displayed favorable plate discipline, placing in the 85th percentile.

Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Giancarlo Stanton ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Giancarlo Stanton is projected to bat 5th in the batting order in this matchup. Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. In terms of his batting average, Giancarlo Stanton has had positive variance on his side this year. His .240 rate has been considerably higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .234. Since the start of last season, Giancarlo Stanton's 15.8% Barrel%, an advanced metric for measuring power, places him in the 95th percentile among his peers.

Among all major league stadiums, Petco Park's centerfield fences are the 2nd-shallowest. Out of every team on the slate today, the 2nd-worst outfield defense is that of the New York Yankees. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Kyle Higashioka will hold that advantage today. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.293) suggests that Kyle Higashioka has had some very poor luck since the start of last season with his .275 actual wOBA. Since the start of last season, Kyle Higashioka's 11.1% Barrel%, a reliable stat for measuring power, places him in the 79th percentile among his peers.