Todays Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for Chicago at Kansas City Matchup Today

Adam Frazier has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (67% of the time), but he is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in this matchup.

Kauffman Stadium sits at the 4th-highest altitude in the majors. High elevation tends to lead to more offense.

The weather forecast calls for temperatures in this game to reach the highest level on the slate at 89°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).

Adam Frazier will have the handedness advantage against Kyle Hendricks in today’s matchup.

Adam Frazier is likely to have the upper hand against every reliever for the duration of the game, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Drew Waters in the 94th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Kauffman Stadium as the 2nd-best stadium in Major League Baseball for run-scoring.

Kauffman Stadium has the 9th-shortest fence height (on average) in MLB.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael Busch in the 80th percentile as it relates to his home run ability.

Michael Busch is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in today’s game.

Considering Brady Singer’s large platoon split, Mike Tauchman will have a big advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in today’s matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average (.240) provides evidence that Miguel Amaya has experienced some negative variance this year with his .223 actual batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 89th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill.

Vinnie Pasquantino is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup.

Batting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have an edge in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 85th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent.

Given Brady Singer’s large platoon split, Pete Crow-Armstrong will have a gigantic advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in today’s game.

Batting from the opposite that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Kyle Isbel will have the upper hand in today’s game.

Kyle Isbel is apt to have an edge against every reliever for the game’s entirety, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP.

Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics across the board, and Kyle Isbel will hold that advantage today.

Michael Massey is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today’s game.

Michael Massey will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kyle Hendricks in today’s game.

Michael Massey is likely to have an edge against every reliever throughout the game, since the bullpen of the Chicago Cubs has just 1 same-handed RP.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 85th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability.

In the last two weeks, Dansby Swanson’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 95.6-mph over the course of the season to 98.2-mph recently.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Dansby Swanson’s true offensive ability to be a .325, implying that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .047 gap between that mark and his actual .278 wOBA.

As a switch-hitter who performs better from the 0 side of the plate, Drew Waters will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his strong side against Kyle Hendricks in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Drew Waters will hold that advantage today.

Nico Hoerner is penciled in 1st on the lineup card today.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Seiya Suzuki ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Seiya Suzuki is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in this game.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Ian Happ ranks in the 89th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Ian Happ is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in this matchup.

Brady Singer has averaged 93.2 adjusted pitches per GS this year, placing in the 81st percentile.

The Chicago Cubs have 3 batters in their projected offense today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Christopher Morel).

Home field advantage generally bolsters pitcher metrics across the board, and Brady Singer will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

In his previous outing, Brady Singer was rolling and accumulated 7 strikeouts.

Brady Singer’s sinker utilization has fallen by 12% from last year to this one (51.1% to 39.1%) .

As it relates to plate discipline, Nico Hoerner’s ability is quite strong, putting up a 1.34 K/BB rate this year while placing in in the 96th percentile.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been hot of late, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.2-mph to 91-mph over the last week.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .234 figure is a fair amount lower than his .291 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Given Brady Singer’s large platoon split, Michael Busch will have a big advantage batting from the opposite side of the dish in today’s game.

Kauffman Stadium projects as the #1 stadium in MLB for walks, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Kyle Hendricks will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Kyle Hendricks’s 87.2-mph fastball velocity this year grades out in the 0th percentile out of all starters.

Mike Tauchman’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better from last year to this one, rising from 16.1% to 22.2%.

As a switch-hitter who is stronger from the 0 side of the plate, Ian Happ will get to bat from his strong side against a pitcher with a large platoon split (Brady Singer) in today’s matchup.

When assessing his batting average talent, Bobby Witt Jr. is projected as the 6th-best batter in baseball by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Bobby Witt Jr. is projected to hit 2nd on the lineup card in this matchup.

Bobby Witt Jr. will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which ought to boost all of his stats.

Maikel Garcia will hold the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats.

In the last two weeks’ worth of games, Maikel Garcia’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 90.2-mph over the course of the season to 96.1-mph of late.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, Salvador Perez ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Salvador Perez is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this matchup.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Salvador Perez will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Mike Tauchman has been unlucky in regards to his wOBA this year; his .314 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .334 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 97th percentile when it comes to his batting average skill.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average (.285) suggests that Nico Hoerner has suffered from bad luck this year with his .257 actual batting average.

When assessing his home run ability, Salvador Perez ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Seiya Suzuki has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity on flyballs of late; just compare his 96.2-mph average over the past two weeks to his seasonal mark of 94.1-mph.

It may be best to expect improved performance for the Chicago Cubs offense going forward, given that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) views them as the 5th-unluckiest offense in the league this year.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Bobby Witt Jr. ranks as the 13th-best hitter in the league.

Michael Busch has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity in recent games; just compare his 94-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal 89.3-mph mark.

Friday player match stat slumps with Cubs vs Royals Matchup

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Adam Frazier in the 22nd percentile when estimating his BABIP ability.

32% of the time that Adam Frazier has started against a righty on the mound this year, he has been lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Kauffman Stadium has the 2nd-most fair ground among all major league parks — generally bad for HRs.

Adam Frazier’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 87.2-mph mark last season has lowered to 85.2-mph.

Adam Frazier’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined recently; his 85.2-mph seasonal EV has lowered to 80-mph over the past 7 days.

Drew Waters is projected to hit 7th in the lineup in this matchup.

Drew Waters pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.1% — 81st percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards the league’s deepest RF fences in today’s game.

Drew Waters’s footspeed has dropped off this year. His 28.69 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 28.12 ft/sec now.

Ranked in the 16th percentile, Drew Waters’s average exit velocity of 86.9 mph ranks among the lowest in Major League Baseball since the start of last season.

Placing in the 16th percentile, Drew Waters has put up a .283 wOBA (widely regarded as the top indicator of overall offense) since the start of last season.

Michael Busch has been pinch hit for 11% of the time when starting against a right-handed starter this year.

The Kansas City Royals outfield defense grades out as the 2nd-strongest among every team on the slate today.

Playing on the road generally lowers batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Michael Busch in today’s game.

Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average (.225) implies that Michael Busch has had some very good luck this year with his .265 actual batting average.

Mike Tauchman has primarily hit in the top-half of the lineup this year (66% of the time), but he is penciled in 6th in the batting order in this game.

This year, Mike Tauchman has been pinch hit for in 10% of his appearances when starting against right-handed pitcher.

Mike Tauchman has a 98th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (41%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the game’s 4th-deepest LF fences in today’s matchup.

Mike Tauchman will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today’s matchup.

Maikel Garcia has primarily hit in the top-half of the batting order this year (89% of the time), but he is projected to hit 8th in the batting order in this game.

Hitting from the same side that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Maikel Garcia meets a tough challenge today.

Maikel Garcia has a 95th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.6%) but may find it hard to clear baseball’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Maikel Garcia’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this year; his 92.7-mph mark last season has decreased to 90.2-mph.

Compared to his seasonal figure of 7°, Maikel Garcia has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-1.3°) over the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Miguel Amaya in the 24th percentile when assessing his batting average talent.

Miguel Amaya is projected to bat 8th in the batting order in this game.

This year, Miguel Amaya has been lifted for a pinch-hitter in 21% of his appearances when starting against northpaw.

Brady Singer will hold the platoon advantage over Miguel Amaya in today’s matchup… and it’s a particular mismatch considering Singer’s large platoon split.

Vinnie Pasquantino pulls many of his flyballs (36.3% — 92nd percentile) but may find it hard to clear the league’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Vinnie Pasquantino has been cold lately, with his seasonal exit velocity of 91-mph dropping to 86.8-mph in the past two weeks’ worth of games.

In notching a .258 BABIP this year, Vinnie Pasquantino is ranked in the 16th percentile.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is penciled in 9th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Playing on the road generally lowers batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Pete Crow-Armstrong in today’s game.

Over the past 7 days, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 5.9% down to 0%.

Kyle Isbel is projected to bat 9th in the batting order in this matchup.

When starting against a northpaw this year, Kyle Isbel has been pinch hit for 15% of the time.

Kyle Isbel’s exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off of late; his 91.1-mph seasonal average has dropped to 85.9-mph in the last 14 days.

Kyle Isbel’s average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls this season (3.3°) is quite a bit worse than his 7° figure last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kyle Isbel in the 25th percentile when it comes to his BABIP talent.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael Massey in the 20th percentile as it relates to his BABIP skill.

Michael Massey pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.7% — 97th percentile) and will be challenged by the game’s deepest RF fences today.

Michael Massey has had some very good luck with his batting average this year; his .267 rate is inflated compared to his .244 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

By putting up a 7.89 K/BB rate this year, Michael Massey has displayed weak plate discipline, grading out in the 12th percentile.

Dansby Swanson is penciled in 7th in the batting order in today’s game.

Brady Singer will have the handedness advantage over Dansby Swanson in today’s matchup… and it’s an over-sized mismatch considering Singer’s large platoon split.

Dansby Swanson hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.7% — 88th percentile) and will be challenged by MLB’s 4th-deepest CF fences today.

Playing on the road generally diminishes hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Dansby Swanson today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 2nd percentile when it comes to his home run skill.

Brady Singer will have the handedness advantage against Nico Hoerner in today’s game… and it’s an even bigger mismatch considering Singer’s large platoon split.

Nico Hoerner has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.8%) and will be challenged by the game’s deepest RF fences today.

Nico Hoerner will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today’s matchup.

Brady Singer will have the handedness advantage against Seiya Suzuki in today’s matchup… and it’s a particular mismatch considering Singer’s large platoon split.

Seiya Suzuki hits many of his flyballs to center field (42.2% — 100th percentile) and will be challenged by MLB’s 4th-deepest CF fences today.

Seiya Suzuki will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team in today’s game.

Seiya Suzuki’s launch angle in recent games (-18° in the last week) is a significant dropoff from his 16° seasonal angle.

Seiya Suzuki has had positive variance on his side thus far when it comes to with his wOBA this year; his .345 mark is significantly inflated relative to his .316 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Ian Happ has a 75th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (33.6%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s 4th-deepest LF fences today.

Playing on the road generally lessens hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Ian Happ in today’s matchup.

Salvador Perez, the Royals’s expected catcher today, projects as a weak pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

The leading projection system (THE BAT) profiles Kauffman Stadium as the worst venue in MLB for strikeouts.

Out of all starters, Brady Singer’s fastball velocity of 91.5 mph ranks in the 21st percentile this year.

Michael Massey’s launch angle this season (13.6°) is a considerable dropoff from his 19.6° figure last season.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected HR per 600 plate appearances (23.6) suggests that Michael Massey has been lucky this year with his 27.6 actual HR/600.

Nico Hoerner’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined lately; his 88.6-mph seasonal mark has dropped off to 84.1-mph in the past two weeks.

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has declined recently, going from 14.4% on the season to 0% in the past week’s worth of games.

In the past 14 days, Michael Busch’s average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (5.7°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 17.7°.

Michael Busch has been lucky this year, putting up a .348 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .311 — a .037 disparity.

Kauffman Stadium has the deepest right field dimensions among all parks.

Kyle Hendricks has used his four-seamer 7.9% less often this season (12.4%) than he did last year (20.3%).

Kyle Hendricks has been unlucky this year, putting up a 6.69 ERA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT) estimating his true talent level to be 4.48 — a 2.21 difference.

As a team, Kansas City Royals bats have done poorly as it relates to hitting balls in the launch angle span that tends to result the most in base hits (between -4° and 26°), rating 2nd-worst in the majors.

When assessing his home run skill, Adam Frazier ranks in the 4th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Mike Tauchman’s launch angle recently (-7° in the last week) is considerably lower than his 15.4° seasonal figure.

Dansby Swanson has negatively regressed with his Barrel% lately; his 8.8% seasonal rate has fallen off to 0% over the last 7 days.

Kyle Hendricks will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bobby Witt Jr. in today’s matchup.

Today, Bobby Witt Jr. is at a disadvantage facing the league’s deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 36.5% rate (90th percentile).

Bobby Witt Jr. has been lucky this year, notching a .410 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .370 — a .040 difference.

Batting from the same side that Kyle Hendricks throws from, Salvador Perez will not have the upper hand today.

Salvador Perez pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.3% — 92nd percentile) and will have to hit them out towards baseball’s 4th-deepest LF fences today.

When it comes to his batting average, Salvador Perez has been very fortunate this year. His .278 mark has been a fair amount higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .260.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 12th percentile when it comes to his home run skill.

Drew Waters has displayed poor plate discipline since the start of last season, placing in the 17th percentile with a 4.08 K/BB rate.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Kyle Hendricks in the 14th percentile as it relates to his strikeout talent.

Recording 14.1 outs per outing this year on average, Kyle Hendricks checks in at the 9th percentile.

Brady Singer turned in a great performance in his last outing and gave up 0 ER.

Miguel Amaya will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today’s game.