Todays Game 2 Matchup Details

Player match stat positives for Cleveland at Minnesota Game 2 Matchup Today

Max Kepler is penciled in 5th in the batting order today.

The #6 park in MLB for boosting offensive stats, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.

Batting from the opposite that Alex Cobb throws from, Max Kepler will have an edge in today’s game.

Max Kepler will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats.

In the past week’s worth of games, Max Kepler’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 89.3-mph over the course of the season to 100.3-mph lately.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Andres Gimenez in the 88th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability.

Hitting from the opposite that Louie Varland throws from, Andres Gimenez will have an edge in today’s matchup.

Andres Gimenez has a good chance to have an edge against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP.

Out of every team in action today, the 2nd-weakest outfield defense belongs to the Minnesota Twins.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Willi Castro in the 79th percentile as it relates to his BABIP talent.

Willi Castro has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (58% of the time), but he is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in today’s game.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics across the board, and Willi Castro will hold that advantage today.

Willi Castro’s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last season to this one, rising from 41.9% to 49.3%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Trevor Larnach in the 83rd percentile when assessing his overall offensive skill.

Trevor Larnach is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today’s game.

Trevor Larnach will have the handedness advantage against Alex Cobb in today’s game.

Trevor Larnach will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to boost all of his stats.

Compared to his seasonal average of 13.4°, Trevor Larnach has significantly improved his launch angle recently, posting a 21.6° figure in the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Lane Thomas in the 79th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill.

Lane Thomas is projected to bat 2nd in the lineup in today’s game.

Built 840 feet above sea level, Target Field has the 5th-highest elevation in Major League Baseball, which often leads to more offense.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Josh Naylor ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Josh Naylor is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this matchup.

Josh Naylor will hold the platoon advantage against Louie Varland in today’s game.

Josh Naylor is apt to have an edge against every reliever from start to finish, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP.

Batting from the opposite that Louie Varland throws from, Daniel Schneemann will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

Daniel Schneemann may have an advantage against every reliever for the whole game, since the bullpen of the Minnesota Twins only has 1 same-handed RP.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) ranks Matt Wallner as the league’s 11th-best home run batter.

Batting from the opposite that Alex Cobb throws from, Matt Wallner will have the upper hand in today’s game.

Extreme groundball batters like Matt Wallner tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Alex Cobb.

Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Matt Wallner will hold that advantage today.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter metrics in all categories, and Christian Vazquez will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

Christian Vazquez has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 88.8-mph to 93.9-mph over the last 7 days.

Christian Vazquez’s launch angle this season (17.5°) is considerably higher than his 9.6° figure last year.

Christian Vazquez’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased of late, rising from 17.9% on the season to 33.3% in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Ramirez in the 97th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive skill.

Jose Ramirez is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in today’s game.

Jose Ramirez is an extreme flyball hitter and faces the weak outfield defense of Minnesota (#2-worst of the day).

David Fry is penciled in 5th on the lineup card in this matchup.

David Fry has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs in recent games; just compare his 95.8-mph average in the past 7 days to his seasonal EV of 90.8-mph.

David Fry’s launch angle in recent games (7.5° in the past week) is significantly worse than his 17.6° seasonal mark.

David Fry’s 17.4° launch angle (a reliable standard to assess a hitter’s ability to lift the ball for power) is one of the steepest in baseball: 85th percentile.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Matt Wallner in the 80th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability.

Steven Kwan’s batting average talent is projected to be in the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Steven Kwan is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in today’s game.

Batting from the opposite that Louie Varland throws from, Steven Kwan will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Steven Kwan can likely count on never facing a bullpen mismatch all game.

Josh Naylor has seen a big improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 94.6-mph average to last year’s 91.3-mph average.

There has been a significant improvement in Austin Hedges’s launch angle from last year’s 15.7° to 21.5° this season.

Austin Hedges’s footspeed has gotten better this season. His 24.47 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 25.29 ft/sec now.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Royce Lewis in the 94th percentile as it relates to his home run talent.

Royce Lewis is projected to bat 4th in the batting order today.

Home field advantage typically boosts hitter stats across the board, and Royce Lewis will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Byron Buxton projects as the 10th-best home run batter in the league, via the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Byron Buxton is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in today’s game.

Extreme flyball batters like Byron Buxton tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Alex Cobb.

Christian Vazquez, the Twins’s expected catcher in today’s matchup, profiles as a good pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Louie Varland will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats across the board.

Cleveland Guardians hitters as a unit place 29th- in Major League Baseball for power this year when judging by their 6% Barrel%.

When assessing his overall offensive skill, Max Kepler ranks in the 77th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Matt Wallner has made notable strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 18.8% rate last season to 33.3% this year.

Royce Lewis has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 96.5-mph average to last year’s 93.6-mph figure.

Jose Ramirez has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 9.5% seasonal rate to 15.9% in the last two weeks’ worth of games.

In the past 14 days, Jose Ramirez’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 91.3-mph over the course of the season to 95.4-mph of late.

Jose Ramirez’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has gotten better recently, going from 17.2% on the season to 25% over the last two weeks.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT)’s evaluation, Alex Cobb’s overall pitching skill grades out in the 79th percentile out of all starters in Major League Baseball right now.

The Minnesota Twins have been the 3rd-luckiest offense in the majors this year, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), and are likely to perform worse going forward, Bo Naylor, the Guardians’s expected catcher today, grades out as a good pitch framer according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), Austin Hedges (the Guardians’s expected catcher in today’s game) profiles as an elite pitch framer.

The Minnesota Twins as a group place 10th- overall in the majors this year as far as the maximum exit velocity of all of the balls their [HITTER}s have hit.

Steven Kwan has seen a big gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this season; just compare his 87.6-mph average to last year’s 85.3-mph average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Royce Lewis in the 93rd percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent.

Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Byron Buxton will hold that advantage in today’s matchup.

When estimating his overall offensive ability, Byron Buxton ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Over the last 7 days, Willi Castro’s 26.3% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) shows big improvement over his seasonal rate of 17%.

By putting up a .349 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) this year, Willi Castro grades out in the 86th percentile for offensive skills.

Friday Game 2 player match stat slumps with Guardians vs Twins Matchup

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Max Kepler in the 15th percentile when estimating his BABIP skill.

Among all major league stadiums, Target Field’s centerfield fences are the 10th-deepest.

The league’s 5th-highest average fence height can be found at Target Field.

The Cleveland Guardians infield defense grades out as the 3rd-best out of all the teams playing today.

Max Kepler’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 93.4-mph EV last season has dropped off to 89.3-mph.

Andres Gimenez is projected to hit 6th in the batting order today.

Andres Gimenez’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off of late; his 88.2-mph seasonal figure has fallen to 84.5-mph over the last two weeks.

Willi Castro’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off of late; his 90.3-mph seasonal mark has fallen to 83.8-mph over the last two weeks.

Grading out in the 17th percentile for power, Willi Castro has paced 10.1 HRs per 600 plate appearances this year.

42% of the time that Trevor Larnach has started against a right-handed starter this year, he has been replaced by a pinch-hitter.

The #9 venue in the league for suppressing home runs to left-handed batters, via the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.

Trevor Larnach’s exit velocity on flyballs has decreased this year; his 97-mph EV last season has fallen to 92.9-mph.

The #9 stadium in MLB for suppressing home runs to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field.

Hitting from the same side that Louie Varland throws from, Lane Thomas has a tough challenge today.

Lane Thomas pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.8% — 79th percentile) but may find it hard to clear baseball’s 11th-deepest LF 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 ought to be the case for Lane Thomas in today’s game.

Josh Naylor will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team today.

In the last week, Josh Naylor’s 26.3% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 41.8%.

Sporting a .243 BABIP this year, Josh Naylor has performed in the 8th percentile.

Daniel Schneemann is penciled in 8th in the lineup in today’s game.

When starting against a right-handed pitcher this year, Daniel Schneemann has been pulled from the game early 35% of the time.

In today’s game, Daniel Schneemann is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 10th-deepest CF center field fences given that he hits his flyballs towards center field at a 38% rate (76th percentile).

Playing on the road typically diminishes batter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Daniel Schneemann today.

Matt Wallner is projected to hit 7th on the lineup card in this matchup.

Matt Wallner has been pinch hit for 30% of the time when starting against a right-handed pitcher this year.

When estimating his home run skill, Andres Gimenez ranks in the 20th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

As it relates to his overall offensive talent, Christian Vazquez ranks in the 12th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Christian Vazquez is penciled in 9th in the lineup in this matchup.

Alex Cobb will hold the platoon advantage over Christian Vazquez in today’s game.

Playing on the road typically weakens hitter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Jose Ramirez in today’s game.

Louie Varland will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against David Fry today.

In today’s matchup, David Fry is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 11th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 35.6% rate (90th percentile).

David Fry will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today.

Utilizing Statcast data, Matt Wallner ranks in the 15th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .219.

Playing on the road typically reduces batter stats in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Steven Kwan in today’s matchup.

Over the last two weeks, Josh Naylor’s 10.7% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 16%.

When estimating his overall offensive talent, Austin Hedges ranks in the 0th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Austin Hedges is projected to bat 9th in the batting order in this matchup.

Austin Hedges has been pinch hit for 62% of the time when starting against a right-handed pitcher this year.

Louie Varland will hold the platoon advantage over Austin Hedges today.

Alex Cobb will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Royce Lewis in today’s matchup.

In today’s matchup, Royce Lewis is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 11th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 37.4% rate (95th percentile).

Alex Cobb will hold the platoon advantage against Byron Buxton in today’s matchup.

Byron Buxton pulls a lot of his flyballs (42.5% — 100th percentile) but may find it hard to clear baseball’s 11th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.

Over the past two weeks, David Fry’s 26.9% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 40.2%.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Steven Kwan in the 2nd percentile when assessing his home run skill.

Based on Statcast data, Steven Kwan is in the 6th percentile for power per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected Home Runs per 600 plate appearances this year at 6.500.

Over the last week, Lane Thomas’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 6.9% down to 0%.

Lane Thomas’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off this season; his 94.8-mph average last season has decreased to 89.3-mph.

Trevor Larnach’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off lately; his 92.9-mph seasonal EV has decreased to 85.7-mph over the past two weeks.

Austin Hedges pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.3% — 88th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s 11th-deepest LF fences today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Target Field as the 6th-best park in MLB for BABIP.

Over the last 14 days, Max Kepler’s 4.2% rate of hitting balls at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 14.8%.

Despite technically being the “starter” in today’s matchup, Alex Cobb may not go more than a couple framess consider he will function as more of an opener.

Given that groundball batters have a significant advantage over flyball pitchers, Alex Cobb and his 53.6% underlying GB% (via the leading projection system, THE BAT) will be in a hard spot in this matchup squaring off against 0 opposing GB bats.

Alex Cobb will be at a disadvantage playing on the visting team today.

Minnesota’s 14.7° launch angle (an advanced standard to evaluate the ability to lift the ball for power) is among the most flyball-inducing in Major League Baseball this year: #3 overall.

Andres Gimenez’s launch angle this year (9.6°) is significantly lower than his 12.9° figure last season.

Willi Castro’s 87.2-mph average exit velocity is among the worst in the majors this year: 21st percentile.