Minnesota @ Texas Picks & Props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nathaniel Lowe in the 88th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Nathaniel Lowe is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this game. Batting from the opposite that Bailey Ober throws from, Nathaniel Lowe will have an advantage in today's game. Batters such as Nathaniel Lowe with extreme flyball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Bailey Ober who skew towards the groundball end of the spectrum. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins.

Corey Seager projects as the 8th-best hitter in baseball, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Corey Seager is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. Corey Seager will hold the platoon advantage against Bailey Ober today. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Corey Seager will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats.

Josh Smith is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card today. Josh Smith will hold the platoon advantage against Bailey Ober today. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Josh Smith will hold that advantage in today's game. Josh Smith's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better recently, rising from 44.1% on the season to 61.5% in the past 7 days.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Marcus Semien ranks in the 90th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Marcus Semien will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.344) implies that Marcus Semien has experienced some negative variance this year with his .309 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willi Castro in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Willi Castro is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this game. In the past week, Willi Castro's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 6.2% down to 0%. Willi Castro's launch angle of late (20.4° over the past two weeks) is quite a bit better than his 12.7° seasonal figure. Compared to last year, Willi Castro has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for base hits, increasing his percentage of balls hit between -4° and 26° from 41.9% to 49.5% this season.

Max Kepler's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better lately, rising from 43.9% on the season to 57.1% over the past two weeks. Ranking in the 83rd percentile, Max Kepler has posted a .327 BABIP this year.

When assessing his BABIP talent, Josh Jung is projected as the 17th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage today. Using Statcast data, Josh Jung is in the 78th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .264. Josh Jung has notched a .349 BABIP since the start of last season, ranking in the 97th percentile.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in today's game. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Adolis Garcia will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should improve all of his stats. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Adolis Garcia's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (7.4°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 11.1°.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Royce Lewis ranks in the 93rd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Royce Lewis is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Royce Lewis will hold the platoon advantage against Cody Bradford in today's game. Royce Lewis's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, going from 12.3% to 20.4%. Using Statcast metrics, Royce Lewis grades out in the 98th percentile for offensive skills per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year at .385.

Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Jonah Heim will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Travis Jankowski will hold the platoon advantage over Bailey Ober today. Bats such as Travis Jankowski with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Bailey Ober who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Home field advantage generally improves hitter stats in all categories, and Travis Jankowski will hold that advantage in today's game. Travis Jankowski's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this year (5.7°) is considerably better than his 1.1° angle last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Leody Taveras in the 77th percentile when estimating his batting average ability. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Leody Taveras will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Leody Taveras's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better lately, going from 43.6% on the season to 70% in the past week. As it relates to his batting average, Leody Taveras has had bad variance on his side this year. His .232 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .270.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Wyatt Langford ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Wyatt Langford is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in today's game. Among every team today, the 13th-best infield defense is that of the the Minnesota Twins. Wyatt Langford will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Wyatt Langford has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 98.6-mph average over the last week to his seasonal average of 91.1-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Miranda in the 85th percentile as it relates to his batting average talent. Jose Miranda is projected to hit 4th in the batting order in today's game. Jose Miranda will hold the platoon advantage against Cody Bradford today. Jose Miranda's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined lately, falling from 43.3% on the season to 35.3% over the past 7 days. Sporting a .363 wOBA (a leading indicator of offensive ability) this year, Jose Miranda is positioned in the 91st percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Christian Vazquez will have an edge today. Christian Vazquez has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 88.9-mph average to last season's 86.4-mph EV. Christian Vazquez's launch angle this year (16.8°) is quite a bit better than his 9.6° figure last year.

Manuel Margot's batting average skill is projected to be in the 87th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Manuel Margot is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Manuel Margot will hold the platoon advantage over Cody Bradford in today's matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Manuel Margot's true offensive ability to be a .309, providing some evidence that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .028 deviation between that figure and his actual .281 wOBA.

Carlos Santana has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (67% of the time), but he is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today's game. As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the dish, Carlos Santana will have the advantage of batting from from his better side against Cody Bradford in this game. Carlos Santana has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.9-mph to 94.5-mph over the past week. Carlos Santana's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (12.9°) is significantly better than his 7.9° mark last season. As it relates to plate discipline, Carlos Santana's talent is quite good, sporting a 1.79 K/BB rate this year while grading out in in the 85th percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Cody Bradford throws from, Austin Martin will have an advantage in today's game. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Austin Martin's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 88-mph over the course of the season to 90.8-mph in recent games. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.277) implies that Austin Martin has had bad variance on his side this year with his .243 actual batting average. With a 1.91 K/BB rate this year, Austin Martin has shown favorable plate discipline, grading out in the 84th percentile.

Kyle Farmer will have the handedness advantage over Cody Bradford in today's game. In the last week's worth of games, Kyle Farmer's Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 3.7% up to 16.7%. There has been a significant improvement in Kyle Farmer's launch angle from last season's 13° to 16.8° this year. When it comes to his batting average, Kyle Farmer has had bad variance on his side this year. His .191 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .228.