Athletics @ Texas Picks & Props

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Joc Pederson ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Joc Pederson is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order today. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage typically bolsters hitter metrics in all categories, and Joc Pederson will hold that advantage in today's game. Joc Pederson has made substantial improvements with his Barrel% in recent games, improving his 8.2% seasonal rate to 16.7% in the last 7 days.

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. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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%.

Josh Smith has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this season (57% of the time), but he is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this game. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-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.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lawrence Butler in the 85th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Lawrence Butler is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this matchup. Lawrence Butler will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jacob deGrom in today's game. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. Lawrence Butler has made substantial strides with his Barrel% lately, improving his 11.5% seasonal rate to 18.2% over the past week.

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 75% 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. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

Gio Urshela's batting average ability is projected to be in the 88th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

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 1st 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 4th-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.

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 4th-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.

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 4th-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.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Shea Langeliers ranks in the 88th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Shea Langeliers is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Leody Taveras will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Leody Taveras has seen a big increase in his exit velocity of late; just compare his 91.1-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 87.4-mph average. Leody Taveras's launch angle this year (24.1°) is considerably higher than his 14.1° angle last season. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.245) provides evidence that Leody Taveras has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his .228 actual batting average.

The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Max Schuemann has had some very poor luck since the start of last season. His .281 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .294. Max Schuemann ranks in the 95th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (20.1% rate since the start of last season). Max Schuemann has been very good at hitting the ball to all fields (a core skill for batting average), grading out in the 84th percentile in THE BAT X's Spray Score since the start of last season.

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. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

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. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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. The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

Kevin Pillar is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this game. Kevin Pillar will have the handedness advantage against Jacob Lopez today. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Kevin Pillar will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Kevin Pillar has seen a substantial increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 86.7-mph average to last season's 84.6-mph mark.

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 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Marcus Semien will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Jonah Heim is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 95% 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 4th-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.

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 4th-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.

The Texas Rangers infield defense projects as the 7th-weakest out of all the teams in action today. 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.

Kyle Higashioka has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (94% of the time), but he is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this game. Kyle Higashioka will hold the platoon advantage against Jacob Lopez in today's matchup. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Kyle Higashioka is an extreme flyball batter and faces the weak outfield defense of Sacramento (#1-worst of all teams on the slate). Kyle Higashioka will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

Batting from the opposite that Jacob Lopez throws from, Nick Ahmed will have an advantage in today's game. The Athletics outfield defense grades out as the 4th-weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter stats in all categories, and Nick Ahmed will hold that advantage in today's matchup.