Minnesota @ Tampa Bay props

The #5 stadium in MLB for suppressing batting average to right-handed hitters, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Tropicana Field. As far as temperature and humidity go, the 7th-most favorable hitting weather on the schedule is expected for this matchup. Batting from the same side that Simeon Woods Richard throws from, Yandy Diaz will have a tough matchup today. Last season, Yandy Diaz had a launch angle of 4.9° on his highest exit velocity balls, but this year he experienced a significant decline to just 0.6°. Yandy Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined of late, falling from 39% on the season to 11.1% over the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Junior Caminero in the 92nd percentile when estimating his batting average skill. Junior Caminero is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Tropicana Field has the 3rd-shallowest left field dimensions among all major league parks. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins. Junior Caminero will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Christopher Morel ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Christopher Morel pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (38% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins. Christopher Morel will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Christopher Morel's launch angle recently (27.5° over the last two weeks) is considerably better than his 14.7° seasonal figure.

Dylan Carlson is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this matchup. The 5th-shallowest RF dimensions in MLB are found in Tropicana Field. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins. Dylan Carlson will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which should boost all of his stats. Dylan Carlson has been hot in recent games, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.1-mph to 92.3-mph in the last two weeks' worth of games.

Austin Martin's batting average skill is projected to be in the 78th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.282) implies that Austin Martin has had some very poor luck this year with his .246 actual batting average. As it relates to plate discipline, Austin Martin's talent is quite strong, posting a 2.07 K/BB rate this year while grading out in in the 80th percentile.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Royce Lewis ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Royce Lewis is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Royce Lewis pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.3% — 96th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Compared to his seasonal angle of 16.3°, Royce Lewis has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (10.3°) in the past 14 days. Compared to last season, Royce Lewis has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for home runs, increasing his percentage of balls hit between 23° and 34° from 12.3% to 20.5% this season.

Willi Castro's BABIP talent is projected in the 80th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Willi Castro has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (52% of the time), but he is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in today's game. Willi Castro pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 79th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 5th-shallowest RF fences today. Willi Castro has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 94.6-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal figure of 90.8-mph. Willi Castro's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last year to this one, rising from 41.9% to 47.7%.

Brooks Lee pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.7% — 79th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. As it relates to his wOBA and overall offense, Brooks Lee has suffered from bad luck this year. His .279 rate falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .303.

When it comes to his BABIP skill, Edouard Julien is projected as the 13th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jeffrey Springs will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Edouard Julien today. Edouard Julien has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (40.1%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them in the direction of baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. By putting up a .348 BABIP since the start of last season, Edouard Julien is ranked in the 97th percentile.

Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Taylor Walls will hold that advantage in today's game. Over the last 7 days, Taylor Walls's 33.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 14.2%. Despite posting a .241 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Taylor Walls has experienced some negative variance given the .040 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .281. When it comes to plate discipline, Taylor Walls's ability is quite strong, sporting a 1.93 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 84th percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Simeon Woods Richard throws from, Ben Rortvedt will have an edge in today's game. Ben Rortvedt has a good chance to have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP. Ben Rortvedt has a 76th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.8%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins. Ben Rortvedt will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The 5th-shallowest RF dimensions in MLB are found in Tropicana Field. Hitting from the same side that Jeffrey Springs throws from, Max Kepler will be in a tough position in today's matchup.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Brandon Lowe ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brandon Lowe is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in today's game. Brandon Lowe will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Simeon Woods Richard in today's game. Brandon Lowe may have an edge against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins has just 1 same-handed RP. Out of all the teams on the slate today, the 6th-weakest outfield defense is that of the Minnesota Twins.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Miranda in the 85th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Jose Miranda is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Jose Miranda pulls a lot of his flyballs (36.7% — 93rd percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Jose Miranda has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 89.4-mph to 95.1-mph over the last week. Over the last week, Jose Miranda's 66.7% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 42.8%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Trevor Larnach in the 85th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Trevor Larnach is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order today. The 5th-shallowest RF dimensions in MLB are found in Tropicana Field. Batting from the same side that Jeffrey Springs throws from, Trevor Larnach faces a tough challenge in today's matchup. Trevor Larnach has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 92.2-mph average to last season's 90.1-mph average.

Carlos Santana pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (38.3% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Carlos Santana's launch angle this year (15.7°) is considerably better than his 12.5° mark last year. Carlos Santana's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, increasing from 38.1% on the season to 54.5% over the past 7 days. In the last week's worth of games, Carlos Santana's maximum exit velocity (a favorable proxy for recent form and raw power) has been 108.7-mph, which qualifies as one of the hardest-hit balls in the majors. In terms of plate discipline, Carlos Santana's ability is quite strong, sporting a 1.69 K/BB rate this year while checking in at in the 88th percentile.

Tropicana Field has the 3rd-shallowest left field dimensions among all major league parks. Christian Vazquez's launch angle this year (16.7°) is significantly better than his 9.6° mark last season. Christian Vazquez's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better in recent games, increasing from 18.1% on the season to 30% in the last two weeks. Christian Vazquez has experienced some negative variance in regards to his batting average this year; his .229 BA is a fair amount lower than his .243 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt Wallner in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Matt Wallner is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Jeffrey Springs will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Matt Wallner today. Matt Wallner pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.9% — 91st percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. The Barrel% of Matt Wallner has significantly improved, with an increase from 18.8% last year to 24.7% this season.