02-08-2009, 01:47 AM
<!--quoteo(post=16684:date=Feb 7 2009, 08:59 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Feb 7 2009, 08:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->"Clutch," in regards to hitting, is a mostly a myth. Although today is not really a day to defend A-Rod, I'm going to use him in regards to the "clutch" argument, since he seems to pretty much <i>personify</i> a "totally UN-clutch guy," a choker.
So, let's check those darn ol' statistics to se if that's even true.
In his first 7 playoff series (to give you a comparison, the Cubs have played a grand total of exactly 7 playoff series since 1945) here are A-Rod's numbers:
.330/.384/.583
That's an OPS of 967. Go check out A-Rod's <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->career<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> regular-season OPS. It's EXACTLY <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->967<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->.
And that includes the historic Yankee collapse series against the Red Sox in '04. And it's not a tiny sample either...26 games, 7 series, over a 10-year period.
If you extrapolated those numbers over an entire 162-game season, it'd look like this:
211 hits, 37 HR, 100 RBI, .330 Avg. , 106 runs scored. And that's against superior competition...playoff pitching staffs. Hardly call that guy a choker, would you?
So yeah, after that, he sucked for a couple series, and the Yankee press made a big deal about it, but come on...how can a guy be <b><!--coloro:#2E8B57--><!--/coloro-->TOTALLY clutch<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--></b> for ten years, and then suddenly be the poster boy for un-clutch. It's absurd.
One final note: even <i>including</i> <!--coloro:#0000FF--><!--/coloro-->A-Rod<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->'s recent poor playoffs, his lifetime post-season <!--coloro:#0000FF--><!--/coloro-->OPS: 844<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->.
Compare that to the "King of Clutch," Mr. November, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Derek Jeter<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->'s lifetime post-season <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->OPS: 846<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Clutch is not a myth at all. To me clutch is being at least the same hitter you would be in a game where it's 12-3 in the 6th inning in April as you are in October. The Cubs hitters looked like nothing like how they did in the regular season. It wasn't just a few bad breaks here and there, they turned into completely different hitters.
As for A-Rod, he hasn't produced well in the playoffs as a Yankee, and ask any, I mean any Yankee fan that follows the team closely about it and they'll have the same complaints about him in big situations. It's tough dealing with the media scrutiny there, no doubt, and it's clearly affected him. We have the same problem. With the Cubs being in a big market, one of the most popular teams in sports, and not having a title in over a century, it's a ridiculous amount of pressure to deal with. It's hard finding guys that can handle it. I think Bradley's one of those guys.
So, let's check those darn ol' statistics to se if that's even true.
In his first 7 playoff series (to give you a comparison, the Cubs have played a grand total of exactly 7 playoff series since 1945) here are A-Rod's numbers:
.330/.384/.583
That's an OPS of 967. Go check out A-Rod's <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->career<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> regular-season OPS. It's EXACTLY <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->967<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->.
And that includes the historic Yankee collapse series against the Red Sox in '04. And it's not a tiny sample either...26 games, 7 series, over a 10-year period.
If you extrapolated those numbers over an entire 162-game season, it'd look like this:
211 hits, 37 HR, 100 RBI, .330 Avg. , 106 runs scored. And that's against superior competition...playoff pitching staffs. Hardly call that guy a choker, would you?
So yeah, after that, he sucked for a couple series, and the Yankee press made a big deal about it, but come on...how can a guy be <b><!--coloro:#2E8B57--><!--/coloro-->TOTALLY clutch<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--></b> for ten years, and then suddenly be the poster boy for un-clutch. It's absurd.
One final note: even <i>including</i> <!--coloro:#0000FF--><!--/coloro-->A-Rod<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->'s recent poor playoffs, his lifetime post-season <!--coloro:#0000FF--><!--/coloro-->OPS: 844<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->.
Compare that to the "King of Clutch," Mr. November, <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->Derek Jeter<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc-->'s lifetime post-season <!--coloro:#FF0000--><!--/coloro-->OPS: 846<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Clutch is not a myth at all. To me clutch is being at least the same hitter you would be in a game where it's 12-3 in the 6th inning in April as you are in October. The Cubs hitters looked like nothing like how they did in the regular season. It wasn't just a few bad breaks here and there, they turned into completely different hitters.
As for A-Rod, he hasn't produced well in the playoffs as a Yankee, and ask any, I mean any Yankee fan that follows the team closely about it and they'll have the same complaints about him in big situations. It's tough dealing with the media scrutiny there, no doubt, and it's clearly affected him. We have the same problem. With the Cubs being in a big market, one of the most popular teams in sports, and not having a title in over a century, it's a ridiculous amount of pressure to deal with. It's hard finding guys that can handle it. I think Bradley's one of those guys.
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