Billy Beane: The Movie!

[PcB]

<!--quoteo(post=17364:date=Feb 11 2009, 02:14 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Feb 11 2009, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=17361:date=Feb 11 2009, 02:03 PM:name=hPOD)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hPOD @ Feb 11 2009, 02:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=17360:date=Feb 11 2009, 01:58 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Feb 11 2009, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=17357:date=Feb 11 2009, 01:46 PM:name=hPOD)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hPOD @ Feb 11 2009, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=17199:date=Feb 10 2009, 08:26 PM:name=PcB)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PcB @ Feb 10 2009, 08:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->There's no such thing as "clutch" There are better hitters in the playoffs, but those guys tend to be the better hitters in the regular season as well.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Tell that to A-Rod. He's great in the regular season but never seems all that great in the playoffs.
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.279/.361/.483 in the postseason isn't too shabby. Sure, it isn't .306/.389/.578 (his career numbers). But you're also facing the best teams' very best pitchers in the postseason. It makes sense that there's a drop in numbers.
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Wow, I have to admit I didn't bother checking his playoff numbers, and that shows they aren't as bad as I thought, but everytime I've watched him in the playoffs he's seemed as "unclutch" as it's gets. My opinion of him is rather low at the moment, so that may have attributed to this as my example.
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I think part of it is that A-Rod, like a lot of power hitters, strikes out a lot. When you strike out in key situations -- especially in the playoffs -- I think it tends to get magnified in peoples' heads. A lot of people thought Sosa wasn't clutch -- and I think it was because of the strikeouts. When you swing and miss, it seems like a bigger failure than if you ground out or fly out.

To add to the sample size argument -- Sosa was ridiculous in the 2003 series against the Marlins. He went .308/.455/.577. Those are Hall of Fame numbers. But he was .188/.409/.250 just one series before that against the Braves in the NLDS. So was he a choker against the Braves and then suddenly clutch against the Marlins?

It's so hard to measure playoff performance because a batter gets 500+ ABs in the regular season and then anywhere from 15-50 in the postseason (depending how far your team advances).
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I fucking love Butcher.