Minnesota @ Tampa Bay Picks & Props

As it relates to his BABIP ability, Edouard Julien is projected as the 13th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Edouard Julien has a 97th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (40.1%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them out towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Trevor Larnach ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). The 5th-shallowest right field fences among all major league stadiums are found in Tropicana Field. Trevor Larnach has seen a big increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 92.2-mph average to last season's 90.1-mph figure. When it comes to his batting average, Trevor Larnach has suffered from bad luck this year. His .254 BA falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .269. Trevor Larnach has put up a .354 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) this year, ranking in the 90th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt Wallner in the 81st percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Matt Wallner is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Matt Wallner pulls many of his flyballs (35.4% — 89th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 5th-shallowest RF fences today. Matt Wallner has made substantial improvements with his Barrel%, bettering his 18.8% rate last season to 23.8% this season. Matt Wallner has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 99.9-mph average to last season's 97.1-mph mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Tropicana Field as the 5th-worst venue in Major League Baseball for righty batting average. The Tropicana Field roof is expected to be closed today, making weather conditions in this contest -5° colder than the average outdoor game on the slate — favorable for pitching. Ronny Henriquez will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Yandy Diaz in today's game. Yandy Diaz's average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls this season (0.7°) is quite a bit worse than his 4.9° angle last season. Yandy Diaz's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has dropped off of late, falling from 38.8% on the season to 9.1% in the past week.

Brooks Lee pulls many of his flyballs (33.3% — 75th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today.

Junior Caminero's batting average talent is projected to be in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Junior Caminero is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in today's game. The 3rd-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums are found in Tropicana Field. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today. Junior Caminero will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Christopher Morel in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability. Christopher Morel pulls many of his flyballs (38% — 96th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the weakest among all the teams today. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Christopher Morel will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Over the last 7 days, Christopher Morel's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.5-mph over the course of the season to 97.9-mph lately.

Carlos Santana is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this game. As a switch-hitter who is best from the 0 side of the plate, Carlos Santana will get to bat from his better side against Cole Sulser in today's game. Carlos Santana 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 baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Carlos Santana's launch angle this year (15.5°) is considerably higher than his 12.5° figure last year. In the past week, Carlos Santana's 63.6% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 38.2%.

The 5th-shallowest right field fences among all major league stadiums are found in Tropicana Field. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Dylan Carlson will hold that advantage today. Dylan Carlson has seen a big increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 92.9-mph average over the last two weeks to his seasonal 87.3-mph average. Dylan Carlson's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (21.5°) is a significant increase over his 15° angle last season.

Batting from the opposite that Cole Sulser throws from, Ryan Jeffers will have an advantage today. Ryan Jeffers pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.3% — 88th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Ryan Jeffers's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better recently, increasing from 39.1% on the season to 66.7% in the last week's worth of games. Ryan Jeffers has posted a .341 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, placing in the 80th percentile.

The 3rd-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums are found in Tropicana Field. Christian Vazquez will have the handedness advantage against Cole Sulser today. Christian Vazquez's ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last year to this one, going from 15% to 18.1%. In the last 14 days, Christian Vazquez's 35.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 18.1%. As it relates to his batting average, Christian Vazquez has had bad variance on his side this year. His .226 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .242.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Royce Lewis in the 91st percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Royce Lewis is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in this matchup. Royce Lewis will hold the platoon advantage over Cole Sulser today. Royce Lewis pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.7% — 97th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Royce Lewis's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has improved from last season to this one, increasing from 12.3% to 21.4%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willi Castro in the 79th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. Willi Castro has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (52% of the time), but he is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Willi Castro pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.6% — 79th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Willi Castro has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 96.6-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal average of 90.9-mph. Willi Castro's launch angle in recent games (9.3° over the past week) is a considerable dropoff from his 13° seasonal mark.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brandon Lowe in the 91st percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Brandon Lowe is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card in today's game. Brandon Lowe will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ronny Henriquez in today's game. Brandon Lowe is apt to have an advantage against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today.

Jose Caballero pulls many of his flyballs (40.1% — 98th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today. Jose Caballero will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Compared to his seasonal average of 14.8°, Jose Caballero has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 37.7° angle over the past 7 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Austin Martin in the 79th percentile when estimating his batting average talent. Austin Martin will have the handedness advantage against Tyler Alexander today. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.280) implies that Austin Martin has had bad variance on his side this year with his .249 actual batting average. Austin Martin has shown strong plate discipline this year, grading out in the 80th percentile with a 2.07 K/BB rate.

Kyle Farmer is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 96% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this season. The 3rd-shallowest left field fences among all major league stadiums are found in Tropicana Field. Hitting from the opposite that Tyler Alexander throws from, Kyle Farmer will have an advantage in today's game. Kyle Farmer's launch angle this year (17.1°) is a considerable increase over his 13° mark last season. Kyle Farmer has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his batting average this year; his .190 figure is considerably lower than his .224 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Hitting from the opposite that Ronny Henriquez throws from, Ben Rortvedt will have an edge in today's game. Ben Rortvedt will probably have an advantage against every reliever for the game's entirety, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP. Ben Rortvedt has a 77th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34%) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's game. The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats across the board, and Ben Rortvedt will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

The Minnesota Twins outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest among all the teams today. Taylor Walls will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Taylor Walls has been unlucky this year, notching a .237 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .281 — a .044 gap. With a 1.92 K/BB rate this year, Taylor Walls has demonstrated good plate discipline, checking in at the 84th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Miranda in the 85th percentile when it comes to his batting average talent. Jose Miranda is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this game. Batting from the opposite that Cole Sulser throws from, Jose Miranda will have an edge in today's matchup. Jose Miranda pulls many of his flyballs (36.7% — 93rd percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Jose Miranda's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased from last season to this one, rising from 8.5% to 12.7%.

Josh Lowe has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.