Kansas City @ Washington Picks & Props

The #1 stadium in the league for suppressing base hits to RHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park. The weather forecast predicts the 2nd-most suitable pitching conditions of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Bobby Witt Jr. will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today. Bobby Witt Jr.'s average exit velocity has fallen off recently; his 92.8-mph seasonal figure has lowered to 90.6-mph over the last week. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Bobby Witt Jr.'s true offensive ability to be a .380, suggesting that he has been very fortunate this year given the .031 discrepancy between that mark and his actual .411 wOBA.

The #1 stadium in the league for suppressing base hits to RHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park. The weather forecast predicts the 2nd-most suitable pitching conditions of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Salvador Perez will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today. Salvador Perez has struggled with his Barrel% recently; his 12.5% seasonal rate has dropped off to 0% over the last 7 days. Over the past week, Salvador Perez's 5.9% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 18.2%.

Nationals Park has the 5th-shallowest right field dimensions in the majors.

The #1 stadium in the league for suppressing base hits to RHB, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Nationals Park. The weather forecast predicts the 2nd-most suitable pitching conditions of all games on the slate, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Tommy Pham will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today's matchup. Tommy Pham's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has dropped off recently, going from 45% on the season to 8.3% in the last week.

Keibert Ruiz is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this matchup. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Keibert Ruiz will hold that advantage in today's game. Keibert Ruiz's launch angle this season (20.1°) is quite a bit better than his 15.1° figure last year. Despite posting a .266 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Keibert Ruiz has been unlucky given the .023 disparity between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .289.

When assessing his BABIP skill, James Wood is projected as the 5th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). James Wood is projected to hit 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. Nationals Park has the 5th-shallowest right field dimensions in the majors. Home field advantage generally improves hitter metrics across the board, and James Wood will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Over the last 14 days, James Wood has improved his Barrel% substantially, increasing it from his seasonal rate of 11% to 17.6%.

Dylan Crews is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in today's game. Hitting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Dylan Crews will have an advantage in today's game. Dylan Crews will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. In the past 7 days, Dylan Crews's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 95.2-mph over the course of the season to 98.7-mph lately. Dylan Crews has experienced some negative variance in regards to his wOBA this year; his .262 figure is quite a bit lower than his .337 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Luis Garcia in the 95th percentile when assessing his batting average talent. Nationals Park has the 5th-shallowest right field dimensions in the majors. Luis Garcia will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to improve all of his stats. Luis Garcia has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 93.7-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 89-mph figure. There has been a significant improvement in Luis Garcia's launch angle from last year's 4.5° to 8.4° this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Tena in the 97th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent. Jose Tena is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Nationals Park has the 5th-shallowest right field dimensions in the majors. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Jose Tena will hold that advantage today. Jose Tena has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 99.2-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal EV of 96-mph.

Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Nasim Nunez will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Ranking in the 94th percentile for Sprint Speed at 29.27 ft/sec this year, Nasim Nunez is very fast.

Jacob Young's BABIP skill is projected in the 90th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Hitting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Jacob Young will have an advantage in today's matchup. Jacob Young has a 100th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (44.5%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 10th-shallowest RF fences today. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Jacob Young will hold that advantage in today's game. In the last two weeks, Jacob Young's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 85-mph over the course of the season to 87.3-mph lately.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 90th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Maikel Garcia will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Mitchell Parker today. Maikel Garcia has a 96th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (39.5%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.277) provides evidence that Maikel Garcia has suffered from bad luck this year with his .237 actual batting average.

Juan Yepez is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in today's game. Juan Yepez will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cole Ragans in today's matchup. Juan Yepez will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Juan Yepez has made big gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 5.8% seasonal rate to 12.5% in the last two weeks' worth of games. Juan Yepez has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 89.7-mph average over the past 7 days to his seasonal average of 87-mph.

Hitting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Trey Lipscomb will have the upper hand today. Trey Lipscomb has an 82nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.9%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Trey Lipscomb will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which should improve all of his stats. Trey Lipscomb has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .202 BA is considerably lower than his .225 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Freddy Fermin is projected to hit 5th in the lineup today, which would be an upgrade from his 83% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Hitting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, Freddy Fermin will have an advantage in today's game. Grading out in the 81st percentile, Freddy Fermin has put up a .318 BABIP this year.

Paul DeJong will have the handedness advantage over Mitchell Parker in today's game. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest out of all the teams in action today. Paul DeJong has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 93.8-mph average to last year's 90.4-mph figure. Paul DeJong's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (21.1°) is quite a bit higher than his 15.5° mark last year.

Yuli Gurriel is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in today's game, which would be an upgrade from his 83% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year. Batting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, Yuli Gurriel will have an edge today. Compared to last season, Yuli Gurriel 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 37.6% to 62.1% this season. As it relates to plate discipline, Yuli Gurriel's ability is quite strong, posting a 1.74 K/BB rate since the start of last season while checking in at in the 88th percentile.

Hunter Renfroe will hold the platoon advantage against Mitchell Parker today. Hunter Renfroe has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity recently; just compare his 94.8-mph average in the past week to his seasonal 88.5-mph figure.

Robbie Grossman is penciled in 4th on the lineup card today. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the dish, Robbie Grossman will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side against Mitchell Parker today. The Washington Nationals outfield defense profiles as the 3rd-weakest out of all the teams in action today. Robbie Grossman has displayed impressive plate discipline this year, placing in the 93rd percentile with a 1.54 K/BB rate.

Hitting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, Garrett Hampson will have an edge today. Garrett Hampson has an 82nd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.9%) and has the good fortune of hitting them out towards MLB's 10th-shallowest RF fences today. Ranking in the 99th percentile for Sprint Speed at 29.89 ft/sec this year, Garrett Hampson is remarkably quick.

Andres Chaparro is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup. Andres Chaparro will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cole Ragans in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats across the board, and Andres Chaparro will hold that advantage in today's matchup. A consistent launch angle is a measure of good hitting, and Andres Chaparro has been very consistent with his of late, compiling a 35.6° launch angle standard deviation in the past 14 days.