Chicago @ Cincinnati Picks & Props

The 4th-shallowest RF fences among all major league parks are found in Great American Ball Park. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Michael Busch has been hot of late, cruising to a .337 wOBA in the past two weeks' worth of games. Since the start of last season, Michael Busch's flyball exit velocity (an advanced metric to study power) grades out in the 80th percentile at 94.5 mph. Michael Busch and his 22° launch angle on his hardest-hit balls rank in 93rd percentile, among the highest in the league since the start of last season.

Jake Fraley is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Jake Fraley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ben Brown in today's matchup. Jake Fraley pulls many of his flyballs (34.4% — 82nd percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 8th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Jake Fraley will hold that advantage in today's game.

Mike Tauchman has a 98th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (41.7%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards MLB's 8th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Placing in the 82nd percentile, Mike Tauchman sits with a .345 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) this year. Mike Tauchman has displayed impressive plate discipline this year, placing in the 89th percentile with a 1.53 K/BB rate.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Jonathan India ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The 4th-shallowest left field dimensions in MLB are found in Great American Ball Park. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Jonathan India will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Based on Statcast data, Jonathan India is in the 76th percentile for hitting ability via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .342.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 88th percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Dansby Swanson has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (57% of the time), but he is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Hitting from the opposite that Andrew Abbott throws from, Dansby Swanson will have an advantage in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Despite posting a .277 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Dansby Swanson has experienced some negative variance given the .051 deviation between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .328.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Elly De La Cruz as the 2nd-best batter in the game when assessing his BABIP ability. Elly De La Cruz is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. The switch-hitting Elly De La Cruz will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Ben Brown. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Elly De La Cruz will hold that advantage today.

Will Benson will hold the platoon advantage against Ben Brown in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Will Benson will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Since the start of last season, Will Benson's flyball exit velocity (a reliable metric to measure power) grades out in the 84th percentile at 94.8 mph. Will Benson grades out in the 83rd percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce base hits (47.3% rate since the start of last season).

The 4th-shallowest left field dimensions in MLB are found in Great American Ball Park. This matchup is predicted to have the 11th-most favorable conditions for pitching among all the games scheduled today. Hitting from the opposite that Andrew Abbott throws from, Miguel Amaya will have the upper hand in today's game. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Miguel Amaya ranks in the 86th percentile with a 18.6° launch angle, which is one of the most flyball-inducing angles in the majors.

T.J. Friedl is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. T.J. Friedl will have the handedness advantage over Ben Brown today. T.J. Friedl pulls many of his flyballs (37.7% — 95th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 8th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. T.J. Friedl will possess the home field advantage today, which should boost all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Spencer Steer in the 83rd percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Spencer Steer is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Spencer Steer pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.8% — 86th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the league's 8th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Spencer Steer will hold that advantage today.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Cody Bellinger ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Cody Bellinger is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. Cody Bellinger pulls a lot of his flyballs (35.8% — 91st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Cody Bellinger has done a strong job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-hit balls. His 16.7° angle is among the highest in baseball since the start of last season (90th percentile).

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Christopher Morel ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Christopher Morel is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this game. Batting from the opposite that Andrew Abbott throws from, Christopher Morel will have an edge today. Christopher Morel pulls many of his flyballs (38% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 8th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Tyler Stephenson in the 92nd percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. Tyler Stephenson has a 92nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.9%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the league's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Tyler Stephenson will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Since the start of last season, Tyler Stephenson's flyball exit velocity (a reliable metric to study power) grades out in the 78th percentile at 94.4 mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ian Happ in the 81st percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill. Ian Happ is projected to hit 5th in the lineup today. Ian Happ has an 81st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.4%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of MLB's 8th-shallowest RF fences today. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Utilizing Statcast data, Ian Happ ranks in the 79th percentile for offensive skills per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .346.

Jeimer Candelario is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today. Jeimer Candelario pulls many of his flyballs (38.1% — 96th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 8th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Jeimer Candelario will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Jeimer Candelario is in the 79th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (17.8% rate since the start of last season).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Hurtubise in the 78th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. The 4th-shallowest RF fences among all major league parks are found in Great American Ball Park. Batting from the opposite that Ben Brown throws from, Jacob Hurtubise will have the upper hand in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 4th-worst outfield defense is that of the the Chicago Cubs. Jacob Hurtubise will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Patrick Wisdom is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. Hitting from the opposite that Andrew Abbott throws from, Patrick Wisdom will have an advantage today. Patrick Wisdom pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.1% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 8th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Since the start of last season, Patrick Wisdom's 19.4% Barrel%, an advanced standard for measuring power, places him in the 98th percentile among his peers.

Hitting from the opposite that Andrew Abbott throws from, Yan Gomes will have an advantage in today's matchup. Out of all the teams today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense is that of the the Cincinnati Reds. Despite posting a .180 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Yan Gomes has experienced some negative variance given the .098 deviation between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .278. Yan Gomes is in the 78th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in home runs (17.7% rate since the start of last season). Yan Gomes has been very good at hitting the ball to all fields (a key ability for batting average), grading out in the 100th percentile in THE BAT X's Spray Score since the start of last season.

David Bote has gone over 0.5 in 2 of his last 10 games.