Series Game 2 Matchup Details

Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals
Series Game 2
Wednesday, July 3rd
2024-07-03 20:10:00 EST Game Start Time / First Pitch

MLB Player match stats positives for Tampa Bay at Kansas City Series Game 2 Matchup

When estimating his home run skill, Hunter Renfroe ranks in the 83rd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

In MLB, Kauffman Stadium has the 10th-lowest average fence height.

Built 886 feet above sea level, Kauffman Stadium has the 4th-highest elevation among all major league parks, which often leads to more offense.

Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats across the board, and Hunter Renfroe will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Hunter Renfroe has made big gains with his Barrel% recently, improving his 7.7% seasonal rate to 14.3% over the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects MJ Melendez in the 87th percentile when estimating his home run talent.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Kauffman Stadium as the 3rd-best field in the majors for run-scoring.

Hitting from the opposite that Ryan Pepiot throws from, MJ Melendez will have the upper hand in today’s matchup.

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Vinnie Pasquantino ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in this game.

Michael Massey is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card in this matchup.

Michael Massey will hold the platoon advantage over Ryan Pepiot in today’s game.

Home field advantage typically bolsters batter metrics across the board, and Michael Massey will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Ben Rortvedt will have the handedness advantage against Michael Wacha today.

With a .271 batting average this year, Ben Rortvedt is ranked in the 76th percentile.

Richie Palacios will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (.320) provides evidence that Richie Palacios has experienced some negative variance this year with his .301 actual wOBA.

When estimating his strikeout talent, the leading projection system (THE BAT) places Michael Wacha in the 78th percentile among all starters in the game.

Throwing 91.6 adjusted pitches per GS this year on average, Michael Wacha checks in at the 76th percentile.

The Tampa Bay Rays have 3 batters in their projected offense today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (according to the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Josh Lowe, Ben Rortvedt, Jose Siri).

It is anticipated that we will see a Pitchers Umpire (Jeremy Riggs) behind the plate in this game.

Michael Wacha will hold the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats across the board.

As it relates to his home run skill, Jose Siri ranks in the 92nd percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

In the past week, Jose Siri’s Barrel% has experienced a surge, jumping from his seasonal rate of 15.7% up to 28.6%.

Posting a 1.94 K/BB rate this year, Richie Palacios has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, grading out in the 78th percentile.

Isaac Paredes is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today.

Isaac Paredes’s launch angle lately (33.3° in the past 14 days) is considerably better than his 23.6° seasonal figure.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brandon Lowe in the 92nd percentile when assessing his home run skill.

Brandon Lowe is projected to hit 2nd in the lineup in this game.

Brandon Lowe will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha today.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Yandy Diaz as the 9th-best batter in the game as it relates to his batting average talent.

Yandy Diaz is projected to bat 1st in the batting order in this game.

Maikel Garcia is projected to hit 1st on the lineup card in this game.

Extreme flyball hitters like Maikel Garcia generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Ryan Pepiot.

Home field advantage generally improves batter stats in all categories, and Maikel Garcia will hold that advantage in today’s game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Ryan Pepiot in the 85th percentile when it comes to his overall pitching abilities.

Ryan Pepiot is an extreme flyball pitcher (39.9% FB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT) and should be aided by pitching in the #26 HR venue among all major league stadiums in this matchup.

Because flyball pitchers have a substantial edge over flyball batters, Ryan Pepiot and his 39.9% underlying FB% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT) finds himself in a strong spot in this outing matching up with 2 opposing FB batters.

Kyle Isbel will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Ryan Pepiot in today’s matchup.

Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics in all categories, and Kyle Isbel will hold that advantage in today’s game.

Kyle Isbel’s ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased lately, rising from 39.8% on the season to 57.1% in the last two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jose Siri in the 88th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill.

Kauffman Stadium profiles as the #2 venue in the majors for RHB batting average, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Over the past 7 days, Jose Siri’s exit velocity on flyballs has seen a big rise, from 96.7-mph over the course of the season to 102.4-mph lately.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, Brandon Lowe ranks in the 91st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Kauffman Stadium as the 2nd-best park in the league for left-handed batting average.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Bobby Witt Jr. as the 7th-best batter in the league when assessing his batting average ability.

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

Kansas City’s 89.5-mph average exit velocity this year ranks among the best in the league: #5 overall.

Despite posting a .313 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Yandy Diaz has had bad variance on his side given the .032 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .345.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 92nd percentile as it relates to his home run ability.

Salvador Perez is projected to hit 4th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Last year, Isaac Paredes had an average launch angle of 18° on his hardest-contacted balls, while this season it has significantly increased to 23.4°.

As it relates to his overall offensive skill, Randy Arozarena ranks in the 95th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Randy Arozarena is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today.

Randy Arozarena has made substantial strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 8.5% seasonal rate to 15.4% over the past two weeks.

Kyle Isbel’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has increased in recent games, rising from 10.6% on the season to 14.3% over the last 14 days.

Josh Lowe is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today’s game.

Josh Lowe will hold the platoon advantage over Michael Wacha today.

Josh Lowe has made big strides with his Barrel% lately, bettering his 15.8% seasonal rate to 24% in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Josh Lowe in the 92nd percentile when estimating his BABIP ability.

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

MJ Melendez will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today’s matchup, which should improve all of his stats.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) projects Ryan Pepiot in the 91st percentile when it comes to his strikeout talent.

In his last GS, Ryan Pepiot was firing on all cylinders and notched 8 strikeouts.

Placing in the 76th percentile, Ryan Pepiot posted a 12.4% Swinging Strike% this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 83rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability.

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

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Isaac Paredes ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

MJ Melendez has seen a substantial gain in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 94-mph average in the last two weeks to his seasonal 91-mph mark.

Hitting from the opposite that Ryan Pepiot throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have an advantage today.

Hunter Renfroe’s launch angle this season (18.9°) is quite a bit better than his 14.9° mark last year.

Bobby Witt Jr. will hold the home field advantage in today’s game, which figures to bolster all of his stats.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Bobby Witt Jr. ranks as the 14th-best hitter in Major League Baseball.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Yandy Diaz ranks in the 96th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Yandy Diaz’s average launch angle on his hardest-hit balls of late (5.6° over the past 14 days) is considerably better than his -0.6° seasonal angle.

Wednesday Series Game 2 player match stat slumps with Rays vs Royals Matchup

Hunter Renfroe is penciled in 6th in the batting order in today’s game.

Kauffman Stadium grades out as the #24 stadium in Major League Baseball for RHB home runs, via the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Ryan Pepiot will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Renfroe in today’s game.

Hunter Renfroe pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (40.2% — 98th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 4th-deepest LF fences in today’s matchup.

MJ Melendez is penciled in 7th in the lineup in this matchup.

This year, MJ Melendez has been replaced by a pinch-hitter in 18% of his appearances when starting against righty on the mound.

MJ Melendez pulls many of his flyballs (34.4% — 83rd percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Over the past 7 days, MJ Melendez’s Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 9.8% down to 0%.

Compared to his seasonal figure of 14°, MJ Melendez has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (0.3°) over the past 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Walls in the 7th percentile when it comes to his batting average ability.

Taylor Walls is projected to hit 9th in the batting order in this game.

This year, Taylor Walls has been replaced by a pinch-hitter in 11% of his appearances when starting against northpaw.

Kauffman Stadium has the deepest RF fences among all major league stadiums.

As a switch-hitter who is weaker from the 0 side of the dish, Taylor Walls will be less advantaged while batting from his worse side against Michael Wacha in this game.

In today’s game, Vinnie Pasquantino is at a disadvantage facing the league’s deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 35.6% rate (90th percentile).

Vinnie Pasquantino has struggled with his Barrel% in recent games; his 7.5% seasonal rate has dropped to 0% in the last 14 days.

Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded a .246 BABIP this year, grading out in the 12th percentile.

Kauffman Stadium grades out as the #24 field in Major League Baseball for left-handed home runs, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

Michael Massey pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (38.1% — 96th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s deepest RF fences in today’s game.

Typically, hitters like Michael Massey who hit a lot of flyballs usually hit worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Ryan Pepiot.

Michael Massey’s launch angle this year (15°) is significantly worse than his 19.6° angle last year.

Based on Statcast data, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s version of Expected wOBA (.290) implies that Michael Massey has experienced some positive variance this year with his .348 actual wOBA.

Ben Rortvedt’s batting average skill is projected to be in the 9th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Ben Rortvedt is projected to bat 8th on the lineup card in today’s game.

This year, Ben Rortvedt has been replaced by a pinch-hitter in 18% of his appearances when starting against righty on the mound.

In today’s game, Ben Rortvedt is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 33.8% rate (76th percentile).

Ben Rortvedt will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today.

When it comes to his home run ability, Richie Palacios ranks in the 16th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Richie Palacios is penciled in 6th in the lineup in today’s game.

Richie Palacios pulls many of his flyballs (35.2% — 88th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Richie Palacios will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today’s game.

Richie Palacios’s exit velocity on flyballs has fallen off this season; his 92.2-mph EV last year has decreased to 90.2-mph.

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

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Kauffman Stadium as the 2nd-worst ballpark in the game for strikeouts.

Out of all SPs, Michael Wacha’s fastball spin rate of 2125 rpm is in the 19th percentile this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Michael Massey in the 24th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill.

Michael Massey has been very bad at hitting the ball to all fields (a crucial talent for batting average), placing in the 0th percentile in THE BAT X’s Spray Score since the start of last season.

Jose Siri is projected to hit 7th in the lineup in this matchup.

Michael Wacha will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Jose Siri in today’s game.

Today, Jose Siri is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 36% rate (92nd percentile).

Playing on the road generally diminishes batter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which ought to be the case for Jose Siri in today’s matchup.

Jose Siri has displayed bad plate discipline this year, ranking in the 14th percentile with a 4.23 K/BB rate.

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

Sporting a .210 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) based on Statcast data) this year , Hunter Renfroe is positioned in the 9th percentile.

Isaac Paredes’s BABIP talent is projected in the 2nd percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

Hitting from the same side that Michael Wacha throws from, Isaac Paredes meets a tough challenge in today’s matchup.

Isaac Paredes pulls many of his flyballs (46.1% — 100th percentile) and will be challenged by MLB’s 4th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.

Isaac Paredes will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Isaac Paredes’s average exit velocity has fallen off this season; his 86.9-mph mark last year has decreased to 84.9-mph.

21% of the time that Brandon Lowe has started against a northpaw this year, he has been lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Brandon Lowe hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (39.2% — 95th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards baseball’s 4th-deepest CF fences in today’s game.

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

Brandon Lowe has experienced some positive variance in regards to his home runs since the start of last season; his 28.2 HR per 600 plate appearances rate is considerably higher than his 26.2 Expected HR/600, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Michael Wacha will hold the platoon advantage against Yandy Diaz in today’s game.

Today, Yandy Diaz is at a disadvantage facing the league’s deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the opposite field at a 41.6% rate (98th percentile).

Yandy Diaz will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today’s matchup.

Yandy Diaz’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined in recent games; his 91.6-mph seasonal average has fallen off to 85.7-mph over the last week.

Last season, Yandy Diaz had a launch angle of 4.9° on his highest exit velocity balls, but this year he experienced a significant decline to just -0.6°.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Maikel Garcia in the 16th percentile as it relates to his home run ability.

Hitting from the same side that Ryan Pepiot throws from, Maikel Garcia will have a tough matchup today.

Maikel Garcia has a 93rd percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (37.6%) and will be challenged by the game’s deepest RF fences in today’s matchup.

Maikel Garcia’s exit velocity on flyballs has decreased this season; his 92.7-mph figure last year has dropped off to 90.5-mph.

The leading projection system (THE BAT) ranks Kauffman Stadium as the best venue in the league for walks.

Ryan Pepiot will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player today.

Ryan Pepiot has put up a .253 BABIP this year, a sign that he has been one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball on balls in play and regression likely forthcoming.

Ryan Pepiot’s 19th percentile Walk% (9.1% this year) demonstrates his weak control skills.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Kyle Isbel in the 24th percentile when assessing his BABIP talent.

Kyle Isbel is projected to hit 9th on the lineup card in this matchup.

Kyle Isbel has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 13% of the time when starting against a righty on the mound this year.

Kyle Isbel’s exit velocity on flyballs has dropped off recently; his 91.6-mph seasonal average has fallen off to 88.8-mph over the past 14 days.

Brandon Lowe has notched a .273 BABIP since the start of last season, checking in at the 21st percentile.

Ryan Pepiot will have the handedness advantage over Bobby Witt Jr. in today’s matchup.

Bobby Witt Jr. has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.9%) and will be challenged by the league’s deepest RF fences in today’s game.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s launch angle recently (2.8° in the past week) is significantly lower than his 14.2° seasonal angle.

Ryan Pepiot will have the handedness advantage over Salvador Perez today.

In today’s matchup, Salvador Perez is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest LF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 36.8% rate (94th percentile).

Typically, hitters like Salvador Perez who hit a lot of flyballs tend to perform worse when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Ryan Pepiot.

In the last two weeks’ worth of games, Salvador Perez’s 33.3% rate of hitting balls at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has taken a nosedive compared to his seasonal rate of 42.5%.

Michael Wacha will have the handedness advantage against Randy Arozarena in today’s game.

Randy Arozarena hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (38.4% — 84th percentile) and will be challenged by MLB’s 4th-deepest CF fences today.

Playing on the road generally reduces hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Randy Arozarena in today’s matchup.

In notching a .237 BABIP this year, Randy Arozarena has performed in the 9th percentile.

This year, Josh Lowe has been pinch hit for in 17% of his appearances when starting against righty hurler.

Today, Josh Lowe 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 (94th percentile).

Playing on the road generally diminishes batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which figures to be the case for Josh Lowe today.

Over the last two weeks, Maikel Garcia’s exit velocity on flyballs has lowered from his seasonal figure of 90.5 mph to 88.5 mph.

Compared to his seasonal mark of 7.6°, Maikel Garcia has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (0.6°) in the past two weeks.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Taylor Walls in the 22nd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent.

Given the 0.57 disparity between Ryan Pepiot’s 10.42 K/9 and his 9.85 estimated true talent K/9 (via the leading projection system, THE BAT), it’s safe to say he’s been one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball this year in terms of strikeouts and ought to see worse results in future games.

Salvador Perez has had positive variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average this year; his .281 rate is significantly inflated relative to his .255 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)’s interpretation of Statcast data.

Richie Palacios’s ability to hit the ball at a HR-optimizing launch angle (between 23° and 34°) has declined of late, decreasing from 12.8% on the season to 4% in the past 14 days.

MJ Melendez’s BABIP talent is projected in the 25th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X).

When assessing his overall offensive ability, Ben Rortvedt ranks in the 21st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X).

Salvador Perez’s launch angle lately (9.6° in the last week) is quite a bit lower than his 18° seasonal angle.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT)’s estimation, Michael Wacha’s overall pitching talent grades out in the 79th percentile among all SPs in the game right now.

In his previous outing, Michael Wacha was in good form and gave up 1 ER.

Randy Arozarena’s average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls of late (2.9° in the past 14 days) is quite a bit lower than his 11° seasonal figure.