MLB projections data: Jac Caglianone and young sluggers surge in August

The MLB season is hitting its home stretch as rosters shuffle, division races get down to the wire and teams get eliminated from playoff contention.

MLB betting gains an added level of uncertainty with more new faces on the mound and in lineups, leading to an even greater reliance on powerful MLB predictions data to guide MLB bettors through the narratives, just like you'll find in Dimers Pro.

One major storyline in August for this paying attention is the league's "youth movement" as a handful of highly-touted players, all 24 years old or younger, have slugged their way to the top of the MLB batting charts, most notable Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals.

Even with their teams likely watching the October action from home, these young hitters are making a case that the future for their respective franchises is already here.

Jac Caglianone, Royals

Caglianone has been nothing short of electric in August, hitting .382 with 5 home runs, 20 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. The power-speed combination from the 23-year-old has been a revelation for a Royals lineup looking for building blocks after another disappointing season.

Caglianone's hot streak lines up with a favorable matchup today against Spencer Arrighetti, who projects for the fourth-most earned runs allowed among starters via Dimers' pitcher projections at 2.54 ER, along with a projected 4.62 hits allowed in our Royals vs. Blue Jays prediction.

For anyone tracking value on the prop board, that combination points squarely in Caglianone's favor.

Though the Dimers model doesn't identify any outright value on Caglianone who gets a 13.3% HR probability, 56.4% for at least one hit and 28.2% to get an RBI from the Dimers MLB Projections Hub, however, there is a number of edges in the Dimers App for those looking to fade the opposition, with Caglianone projected as one of our top contributors for Kansas City tonight.

Some of our model's value on Spencer Arrighetti from the Dimers App.

Carson Benge, Mets

23-year-old Carson Benge has quietly put together one of the most complete months of any young hitter in baseball behind a .354 average with 5 home runs, 12 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and 6 walks, hist most complete month of the season and a profile that shows both power and plate discipline that's rare for a player this early in his career.

The test gets as tough as it gets tonight against Jacob Misiorowski, who projects for the second-fewest earned runs among today's starters at just 3.40, along with a stingy 5.28 strikeouts and only 3.40 hits allowed, and our projections for Benge mirror that test, at just a 6.2% probabiltiy for a HR and under 50% to pick up a hit.

Our Brewers vs. Mets prediction doesn't find an edge against Misiorowski at the individual player-prop level, but Dimers does see an advantage for the Mets on the game-line side, suggesting New York's lineup as a whole can still find a way to compete even against a dominant arm.

It's worth noting Benge has hit righthanders better this season, but Misiorowski has feasted on lefties, allowing just a .117 batting average.

Our best edges in Mets vs. Brewers.

Jordan Walker, Cardinals

Walker rounds out the trio at .303 with 5 home runs, 18 RBI, 4 stolen bases, and 6 walks in August.

After winning this year's Home Run Derby, Walker has continued to build on that moment, developing into one of the more well-rounded young power threats in the league at just 24 years old. He's the fifth-youngest player to ever win the Home Run Derby.

Today's Cardinals starting pitcher is still listed as TBD, so Dimers' matchup-specific data isn't yet available, but Walker's underlying month-long production speaks for itself, and he should be a player that bettors should look to leverage for some value.

The Cardinals are a longshot, but sit 6 games out of the NL Wild Card, so Walker may look to carry his team over the final weeks.

The kids are alright

Though yet to be eliminated, none of these three teams, the Royals, Mets, or Cardinals, are likely playoff bound as August winds down, made evident by Dimers' MLB futures predictions, as they all have less than 1% chance of winning their division.

But freed from the pressure of a pennant race, players like Caglianone, Benge, and Walker are getting everyday reps and using them to answer real questions about their long-term roles.

If August is any indication, all three franchises may be looking at cornerstone pieces already in the big leagues, and bettors are likely to be hunting for value on these future stars for years to come.