Todays Series Game 2 Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for Chicago at Kansas City Series Game 2 Matchup Today

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 88th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability.

Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to bat 3rd on the lineup card in today’s game.

The #2 park in the game for boosting offensive stats, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Kauffman Stadium.

Kauffman Stadium has the 9th-shortest average fence height among all parks.

Kauffman Stadium sits at the 4th-highest elevation among all major league parks. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to higher offensive output.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dansby Swanson in the 85th percentile when estimating his overall offensive skill.

In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather forecast projects for the most favorable hitting conditions on the schedule today.

The wind projects to be blowing out to LF at 11.4-mph in this game, the 3rd-most-favorable of the day for hitters.

Batting from the opposite that Shota Imanaga throws from, Nick Loftin will have an edge in today’s game.

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

The leading projection system (THE BAT) forecasts Shota Imanaga in the 88th percentile when estimating his strikeout talent.

Tallying 92.3 adjusted pitches per start this year on average, Shota Imanaga falls in the 78th percentile.

Considering that flyball batters are less effective against flyball pitchers, Shota Imanaga (42.1% GB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT) is well-situated today with 3 FB hitters in the opposing club’s projected lineup.

In his previous GS, Shota Imanaga turned in a great performance and accumulated 10 strikeouts.

Out of all starting pitchers, Shota Imanaga’s fastball spin rate of 2436 rpm is in the 85th percentile this year.

As it relates to his home run talent, Michael Busch ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Michael Busch is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this matchup.

Nico Hoerner is projected to hit 1st in the lineup in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Ian Happ in the 89th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent.

Ian Happ is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 81st percentile when estimating his overall offensive ability.

Salvador Perez is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this matchup.

Kauffman Stadium ranks as the #2 stadium in the league for RHB batting average, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

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

Hunter Renfroe has primarily hit in the back-half of the batting order this year (86% of the time), but he is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bobby Witt Jr. as the 6th-best hitter in Major League Baseball when assessing his batting average ability.

Bobby Witt Jr. is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today.

Garrett Hampson is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 94% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the lineup this year.

Dairon Blanco will hold the platoon advantage against Shota Imanaga in today’s matchup.

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

Home field advantage typically improves hitter stats in all categories, and Nick Loftin will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Hitting from the opposite that Seth Lugo throws from, Pete Crow-Armstrong will have an edge today.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been hot recently, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.2-mph to 92.3-mph over the past two weeks.

Nico Hoerner’s batting average ability is projected to be in the 97th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Garrett Hampson in the 87th percentile when assessing his BABIP ability.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Seiya Suzuki in the 96th percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill.

Seiya Suzuki is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup.

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

Mike Tauchman is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in today’s game.

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

When it comes to his home run ability, Hunter Renfroe ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Kauffman Stadium projects as the #2 venue in baseball for left-handed batting average, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Seth Lugo in the 76th percentile when it comes to his strikeout talent.

Throwing 95.6 adjusted pitches per start this year on average, Seth Lugo places him the 91st percentile.

Seth Lugo will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats across the board.

Seth Lugo’s fastball spin rate has risen 105 rpm this year (2372 rpm) over where it was last year (2267 rpm).

Seth Lugo has been unlucky in regards to his strikeouts this year, notching an 8.07 K/9 despite the leading projection system (THE BAT) estimating his true talent level to be 8.81 — a 0.74 K/9 disparity.

Maikel Garcia will hold the platoon advantage over Shota Imanaga today.

Saturday Series Game 2 player match stat slumps with Cubs vs Royals Matchup

Hitting from the same side that Shota Imanaga throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have a disadvantage in today’s game.

Vinnie Pasquantino pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.6% — 93rd percentile) but may find it hard to clear MLB’s deepest RF fences today.

Vinnie Pasquantino has been cold in recent games, with his seasonal exit velocity of 90.9-mph dropping to 86.3-mph in the past two weeks’ worth of games.

Placing in the 18th percentile, Vinnie Pasquantino sits with a .258 BABIP this year.

Dansby Swanson is projected to bat 6th in the lineup in this matchup.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Kauffman Stadium as the 5th-worst ballpark in baseball for RHB home runs.

Seth Lugo will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Dansby Swanson in today’s game.

Dansby Swanson hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 90th percentile) but may find it hard to clear MLB’s 4th-deepest CF fences in today’s game.

Playing on the road generally reduces batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Dansby Swanson in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nick Loftin in the 11th percentile when estimating his home run talent.

Nick Loftin is projected to hit 8th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Kauffman Stadium has the 2nd-largest outfield in the league — generally bad for HRs.

Based on Statcast metrics, Nick Loftin ranks in the 16th percentile for power via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances this year at 6.200.

This year, Nick Loftin’s 3.5% Barrel%, an advanced stat for measuring power, places him in the 24th percentile among his peers.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Dairon Blanco in the 18th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill.

Dairon Blanco is penciled in 9th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Dairon Blanco hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (40.3% — 99th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 4th-deepest CF fences today.

Dairon Blanco’s quickness has declined this season. His 30.38 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 29.58 ft/sec now.

Dairon Blanco’s 86.6-mph average exit velocity ranks among the worst in MLB since the start of last season: 25th percentile.

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

Among all major league parks, Kauffman Stadium’s right field dimensions are the deepest.

The Kansas City Royals outfield defense profiles as the 2nd-strongest out of all the teams on the slate today.

Pete Crow-Armstrong will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today’s game.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has struggled with his Barrel% lately; his 5.9% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the past 7 days.

It is anticipated that we will see a Huge Hitters Umpire (Adrian Johnson) calling pitches in today’s game.

The #1 ballpark in Major League Baseball for suppressing strikeouts, per the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Kauffman Stadium.

Michael Busch has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 11% of the time when starting against a northpaw this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Kauffman Stadium as the 5th-worst ballpark in the league for LHB home runs.

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

In the past two weeks’ worth of games, Michael Busch’s average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls (4.1°) has significantly dropped compared to his seasonal mark of 18.1°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Nico Hoerner in the 2nd percentile as it relates to his home run ability.

Hitting from the same side that Seth Lugo throws from, Nico Hoerner will be in a tough position in today’s game.

Nico Hoerner has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38%) but may find it hard to clear the league’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Playing on the road typically lessens hitter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Nico Hoerner in today’s game.

Playing on the road typically lessens hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Ian Happ today.

Salvador Perez pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (36.4% — 93rd percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences today.

Typically, batters like Salvador Perez who hit a lot of groundballs are generally less successful when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of groundballs such as Shota Imanaga.

As it relates to his batting average, Salvador Perez has been lucky this year. His .278 BA has been inflated compared to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .256.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Shota Imanaga in the 82nd percentile when it comes to his overall pitching skills.

Shota Imanaga is an extreme flyball pitcher (42.1% FB% according to the leading projection system, THE BAT) and should be aided by pitching in the #27 HR venue in MLB in today’s game.

Shota Imanaga performed well in his last start and allowed 1 ER.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Hunter Renfroe in the 2nd percentile when estimating his BABIP talent.

In today’s matchup, Hunter Renfroe is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 40% rate (98th percentile).

Hunter Renfroe’s average exit velocity has fallen off in recent games; his 88.1-mph seasonal mark has dropped off to 85.5-mph over the last 7 days.

Over the last two weeks, Hunter Renfroe’s 0% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 11.8%.

Hunter Renfroe’s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has declined from last season to this one, decreasing from 38.8% to 33.5%.

Bobby Witt Jr. has a 90th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.5%) and will be challenged by MLB’s deepest RF fences in today’s game.

Typically, hitters like Bobby Witt Jr. who hit a lot of flyballs are generally less successful when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Shota Imanaga.

Despite posting a .410 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Bobby Witt Jr. has been lucky given the .041 discrepancy between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .369.

When it comes to his home run ability, Garrett Hampson ranks in the 17th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Today, Garrett Hampson is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 39.1% rate (93rd percentile).

Garrett Hampson has put up a .290 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, placing in the 19th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Garrett Hampson has paced 6.4 Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances since the start of last season, placing in the 7th percentile for power according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

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

Miguel Amaya is penciled in 8th on the lineup card in this game.

When starting against a northpaw this year, Miguel Amaya has been pinch hit for 21% of the time.

Hitting from the same side that Seth Lugo throws from, Miguel Amaya encounters a tough challenge today.

Over the past two weeks, Nico Hoerner’s exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off from his seasonal EV of 88.6 mph to 84.2 mph.

As it relates to his batting average, Garrett Hampson has been very fortunate this year. His .255 rate has been a good deal higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .221.

Since the start of last season, Garrett Hampson’s 4.5% Barrel%, a reliable standard for measuring power, places him in the 17th percentile among his peers.

Garrett Hampson’s 85.7-mph average exit velocity is one of the worst in the league since the start of last season: 6th percentile.

Seth Lugo will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Seiya Suzuki today.

Seiya Suzuki hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (42.3% — 100th percentile) and will have to hit them out towards the league’s 4th-deepest CF fences in today’s game.

Playing on the road generally weakens hitter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Seiya Suzuki in today’s matchup.

Compared to his seasonal angle of 16°, Seiya Suzuki has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-2.5°) in the last two weeks.

Maikel Garcia has primarily hit in the top-half of the batting order this season (89% of the time), but he is projected to hit 7th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Maikel Garcia has a 95th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (38.7%) but may find it hard to clear the league’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

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

Compared to his seasonal mark of 6.9°, Maikel Garcia has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-0.9°) in the past 14 days.

Using Statcast metrics, Maikel Garcia is in the 13th percentile for power via the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances this year at 9.200.

Mike Tauchman has been pulled from the game early 10% of the time when starting against a northpaw this year.

In today’s matchup, Mike Tauchman is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 40.8% rate (98th percentile).

Mike Tauchman will be at a disadvantage playing away from home today.

In the last 7 days, Mike Tauchman’s 25% rate of hitting balls at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 45.5%.

Hunter Renfroe has been very fortunate when it comes to with his wOBA this year; his .308 mark is considerably higher than his .293 Expected wOBA, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

This year, Nick Loftin’s flyball exit velocity (an advanced metric to assess power) ranks in the 7th percentile at 85.7 mph.

Nick Loftin has done a weak job optimizing his launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls. His 6.7° figure is among the lowest in baseball this year (17th percentile).

Mike Tauchman’s launch angle in recent games (2.4° in the last week’s worth of games) is significantly worse than his 15.2° seasonal mark.

Projected catcher Salvador Perez projects as a weak pitch framer, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

As it relates to his home run talent, Maikel Garcia ranks in the 12th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Maikel Garcia has compiled a .269 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) this year, checking in at the 12th percentile.