Chicago @ Miami Picks & Props

Built just 6 feet above sea level, LoanDepot Park has one of the lowest altitudes among all parks, which generally leads to lower offensive output. The LoanDepot Park roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -10° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate — favorable for pitching. Hitting from the same side that Adam Oller throws from, Nico Hoerner has a tough challenge today. Nico Hoerner has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.5%) but may find it hard to clear the league's 4th-deepest RF fences today. Playing on the road typically weakens batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Nico Hoerner today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Derek Hill in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Derek Hill will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats. In the past week, Derek Hill's 33.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 16.4%. As it relates to his batting average, Derek Hill has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season. His .220 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .241.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ian Happ in the 92nd percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Ian Happ is projected to bat 1st on the lineup card in this matchup. The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. The switch-hitting Ian Happ will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side (0) today against Adam Oller. Ian Happ has made significant strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 13.2% seasonal rate to 22.2% in the past two weeks.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Compared to his seasonal average of 23°, Isaac Paredes has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 47° figure over the last week. Last year, Isaac Paredes had an average launch angle of 18° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this year it has significantly increased to 21.9°. As it relates to plate discipline, Isaac Paredes's ability is quite good, putting up a 1.41 K/BB rate this year while grading out in in the 94th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Otto Lopez in the 90th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. Otto Lopez has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (84% of the time), but he is penciled in 5th in the batting order in this game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Otto Lopez hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.6% — 96th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Otto Lopez will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Seiya Suzuki ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Seiya Suzuki hits many of his flyballs to center field (42.6% — 100th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's game. Seiya Suzuki's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, rising from 16.3% to 19.9%.

Jonah Bride is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Jonah Bride will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. By putting up a 1.91 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Jonah Bride has demonstrated strong plate discipline, placing in the 85th percentile.

The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Kyle Stowers will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Javier Assad in today's game. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Kyle Stowers has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Kyle Stowers hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.9% — 91st percentile) and will have a big advantage facing MLB's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Kyle Stowers will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

When assessing his overall offensive talent, Dansby Swanson ranks in the 86th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Dansby Swanson hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.3% — 94th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting towards the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. In the last two weeks' worth of games, Dansby Swanson has significantly improved the launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls: 23.7° compared to his seasonal mark of 14.9°. Dansby Swanson has been unlucky this year, compiling a .285 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .327 — a .042 gap.

Connor Norby's BABIP talent is projected in the 92nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Connor Norby is projected to bat 1st in the batting order today, which would be an upgrade from his 71% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Connor Norby will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the past week, Connor Norby's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.7-mph over the course of the season to 99.8-mph lately.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Jake Burger ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Jake Burger is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup today. The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Jake Burger will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats. Jake Burger has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 92-mph to 94.3-mph in the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Among all major league parks, LoanDepot Park's CF dimensions are the 5th-shallowest. Miguel Amaya has made notable gains with his Barrel% recently, bettering his 4.6% seasonal rate to 18.2% in the past week. Miguel Amaya has seen a significant gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 91.5-mph average over the last 7 days to his seasonal 88.1-mph EV. Miguel Amaya's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved of late, increasing from 14.3% on the season to 27.3% over the past week.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Christian Bethancourt hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.4% — 95th percentile) and is fortunate to face MLB's 6th-shallowest CF fences in today's matchup. Christian Bethancourt's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last season to this one, increasing from 15.2% to 22.5%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. There has been a significant improvement in Patrick Wisdom's launch angle from last season's 21.5° to 28.4° this year. Patrick Wisdom's 18.5% Barrel% (an advanced metric to assess power) grades out in the 100th percentile since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael Busch in the 75th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill. Michael Busch is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this game. The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Hitting from the opposite that Adam Oller throws from, Michael Busch will have an advantage in today's game. Michael Busch will probably have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Miami Marlins only has 1 same-handed RP.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Cody Bellinger in the 82nd percentile as it relates to his batting average skill. Cody Bellinger is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Cody Bellinger will have the handedness advantage over Adam Oller in today's game. The Miami Marlins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Cody Bellinger can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill. The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Pete Crow-Armstrong will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Adam Oller today. The Miami Marlins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Pete Crow-Armstrong can likely count on never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Over the last 14 days, Pete Crow-Armstrong has improved his Barrel% substantially, increasing it from his seasonal rate of 6.5% to 13%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects LoanDepot Park as the 3rd-best park in MLB for right-handed BABIP. Among all major league parks, LoanDepot Park's CF dimensions are the 5th-shallowest. Nick Fortes will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats. Nick Fortes has been unlucky this year, putting up a .238 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .271 — a .033 gap.

The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the plate, Vidal Brujan will get to bat from his good side against Javier Assad in today's game. Vidal Brujan will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jesus Sanchez in the 84th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Jesus Sanchez is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this game. The #3 park in Major League Baseball for boosting BABIP to LHB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is LoanDepot Park. Hitting from the opposite that Javier Assad throws from, Jesus Sanchez will have an edge today. The Chicago Cubs have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jesus Sanchez can likely count on never facing a bullpen mismatch all game.