Athletics @ Texas props

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Wilson as the 12th-best hitter in the majors as it relates to his batting average ability. Jacob Wilson is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 78% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. Hitters such as Jacob Wilson with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Jacob deGrom who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Jacob Wilson has seen a significant improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 89.4-mph average in the past week's worth of games to his seasonal average of 84.7-mph.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Tyler Soderstrom ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Tyler Soderstrom is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Tyler Soderstrom will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jacob deGrom in today's game. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Tyler Soderstrom's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, going from 41.6% to 51.3%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Jung in the 89th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability. Batting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Josh Jung will have an edge in today's game. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally improves batter stats across the board, and Josh Jung will hold that advantage in today's game. Josh Jung has made sizeable strides with his Barrel%, upping his 9.9% rate last season to 15.6% this season.

Gio Urshela's batting average ability is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Compared to last year, Gio Urshela 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 16.8% to 23.2% this season. Over the past two weeks, Gio Urshela's 30.8% rate of hitting balls at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 23.2%. Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.271) suggests that Gio Urshela has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his .246 actual batting average.

The Athletics have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Josh Smith stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Josh Smith will hold that advantage in today's game. Josh Smith has seen a big increase in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 93.8-mph average to last season's 90-mph mark. Placing in the 86th percentile, Josh Smith has put up a .322 BABIP since the start of last season.

Jonah Heim is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year. As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the dish, Jonah Heim will get to bat from his better side against Jacob Lopez in this game. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Jonah Heim will hold that advantage today. Jonah Heim has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 94.8-mph average to last year's 88.5-mph average.

Wyatt Langford projects as the 13th-best batter in the majors, per the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Wyatt Langford is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup today. Wyatt Langford will have the handedness advantage over Jacob Lopez in today's matchup. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Wyatt Langford will hold that advantage in today's game.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Brent Rooker ranks in the 97th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Brent Rooker is projected to bat 2nd in the batting order today. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Brent Rooker has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 92.2-mph to 94.4-mph over the last two weeks. Brent Rooker's launch angle in recent games (22.5° over the last two weeks) is significantly better than his 15.9° seasonal angle.

Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. In the last 14 days, Luis Urias has posted a 25.5° launch angle, lifting the ball well and indicating strong home run potential. Using Statcast metrics, Luis Urias grades out in the 79th percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .326. Luis Urias has recorded a .339 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, checking in at the 86th percentile.

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Adolis Garcia ranks in the 82nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Adolis Garcia will have the handedness advantage over Jacob Lopez today. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally improves batter metrics across the board, and Adolis Garcia will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Adolis Garcia has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 93.4-mph average to last year's 91-mph EV.

JJ Bleday is projected to hit 5th in the batting order in today's game. Batting from the opposite that Jacob deGrom throws from, JJ Bleday will have an advantage in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Compared to his seasonal average of 18.2°, JJ Bleday has significantly improved his launch angle of late, posting a 27.8° angle in the last 14 days. JJ Bleday has exhibited impressive plate discipline since the start of last season, checking in at the 85th percentile with a 1.78 K/BB rate.

Nicholas Kurtz will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jacob deGrom in today's matchup. Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Nicholas Kurtz has hit one of the hardest balls in baseball in the past week's worth of games — 112.2-mph — which is a good measure of recent form and raw power.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Marcus Semien ranks in the 85th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Marcus Semien is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. Marcus Semien will have the handedness advantage against Jacob Lopez in today's matchup. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Marcus Semien will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jake Burger in the 91st percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Jake Burger will hold the platoon advantage against Jacob Lopez in today's matchup. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Jake Burger will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats. Jake Burger has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 14.3% seasonal rate to 25% in the last week.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Shea Langeliers ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Among all the teams in action today, the 5th-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Texas Rangers. Shea Langeliers has made big gains with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 11% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the past two weeks. Over the last two weeks, Shea Langeliers's exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 94.7-mph over the course of the season to 97.4-mph in recent games. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Shea Langeliers has experienced some negative variance this year. His .309 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .362.

Leody Taveras has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.

Joc Pederson has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Lawrence Butler has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.