Most Clutch Player

[WATERY]

The irony is that Alex Rodriguez is universally hammered for being some sort of fragile-minded pansy who poops himself in pressure-packed situations.

And yeah, I rethought my opinion of the award. The award honors a player who was "clutch" in the given season, and in a given season, players do outperform others in the clutch, so all it's rewarding is good clutch performance in one season. It's not saying that Alex Rodriguez is a player that has the ability to hit better in the clutch - just that he hit the best in the clutch this season (but given that it is a fan-voted award, it's going to certainly be prone to not necessarily honoring the best clutch player in the given season).



And A-Rod was actually clutch basically all season, not just at the end. And he never bettered himself as a player. He's been an absolutely amazing player for over a decade. A string of numbers above and beyond his overall numbers (Such as a 1.193 OPS in 94 at bats in September) does not mean he's become a better player. It just means he had a string of 94 at bats where he performed more outstanding than his overall numbers, just like a .782 OPS in May doesn't mean he forgot how to play baseball and became a worse player.

A-rod was better in the clutch this year. Am I allowed to have that opinion?

[boomboom]

Well, I'd say that for this award, it's simply, who performed best when the game was on the line, who gave their team the lead the most, who tied the game up for their team, and other key hits, etc. Of course, that's how I would evaluate the players if I voted for the award...but given that the vote is open to any fan, and the majority of fans are just casual fans, I'd say "clutch" means whichever player had the most highlight reel moments

Clutch moments yes, clutch situations do not exist.

[HoustonGM]

A-rod was better in the clutch this year. Am I allowed to have that opinion?

What do you mean? Better in the clutch this year compared to other players...himself in the past..?

Clutch moments yes, clutch situations do not exist.

What do you mean? How can a clutch moment exist without a clutch situation? Aren't clutch moments times when a player came through in a clutch situation?

[WATERY]

Better than he had been. Only time he seemed to press was chasing 500 home runs.

[HoustonGM]

Yes, his numbers in clutch situations were better than they've ever been before.

And the only reason anybody (you're not the only one, far from it) ever said that he was "pressing" when he was chasing 500 home runs was because he had 8 straight games between home run 499 and 500, and went hitless for 21 at bats after home run 499. There was likely no connection between that. Players go through cold streaks at random times. It just happens. Then, people feel the need to find an excuse for it when it just happens to coincide with something else. *shrug*

[Coach Owens]

JJ should have won! (Not really though!

[boomboom]

because you can't really say what is exactly a pressure situation. Or what is pressure...how can you accurately define what a clutch moment is?

A good example is 1988 world series game 1.

[boomboom]

JJ should have won! (Not really though!

I thought JJ was outstanding this year, but the way the Mariners used him didn't really help him. It doesn't take much to close a game, they could have used there Relief ace in the 6, 7, 8 innings.

[HoustonGM]

because you can't really say what is exactly a pressure situation. Or what is pressure...how can you accurately define what a clutch moment is?

A good example is 1988 world series game 1.

In this case, "clutch" does not necessarily mean "high pressure." An RBI hit in a tie game in the 8th inning is a "clutch hit" even though it really might not be that "high pressure." You know?

[HoustonGM]

I thought JJ was outstanding this year, but the way the Mariners used him didn't really help him. It doesn't take much to close a game, they could have used there Relief ace in the 6, 7, 8 innings.

Welcome to the world of every single major league baseball team.

[boomboom]

Welcome to the world of every single major league baseball team.

haha! If they actually had people who know a little more about in-game stategies, some teams would win more...

What the problem is that people only use there experience, Mike Hargrove..instead they are more of a coach then a manager.

Baseball needs more in-game Managers.

[ohms_law]

That's probably true, in a very general sense.

[Coach Owens]

Maybe the Mariners should hire Bill James!

[ohms_law]

He's already working for the Red Sox.

[Coach Owens]

SHHHHH! They don't have to know that!