Comments on: The clutchness of A-Rod http://umpbump.com/press/2008/09/02/the-clutchness-of-a-rod/ In-your-face baseball commentary Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:44:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sarah Green http://umpbump.com/press/2008/09/02/the-clutchness-of-a-rod/comment-page-1/#comment-56618 Sarah Green Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:35:09 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/?p=2798#comment-56618 The issue, Paul, is that every pitcher has been told from childhood to come inside against A-Rod. So if they're not intentionally walking him, they end up plunking him. Another thing to think about when evaluating the ever-subjective sense of a hitter's "clutchness" is when in the season those big hits are coming. Last year, remember, Alex hit some huge bombs in April. Whoop de freakin' do---it was April. But he was ice cold in October, and he's had only one homer in the past three years of Yankee ALDS defeats. A-Rod's career batting average in September and October is .286, compared with an overall career BA of 306. In fact, statistically speaking, September/October are A-Rod's worst months, while April is one of his best. That's not going to feed a perception of clutchness. That's going to feed a perception of selfishness and lamenesss. (Odd footnote: if you look at his <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=rodrial01&year=00#dates-month" rel="nofollow">career month splits</a>, the only month even better than April is August. How infuriating for Yankee fans when A-Rod tantalizingly catches fire in August, only to fizzle in September. Such a tease!) The issue, Paul, is that every pitcher has been told from childhood to come inside against A-Rod. So if they’re not intentionally walking him, they end up plunking him.

Another thing to think about when evaluating the ever-subjective sense of a hitter’s “clutchness” is when in the season those big hits are coming. Last year, remember, Alex hit some huge bombs in April. Whoop de freakin’ do—it was April. But he was ice cold in October, and he’s had only one homer in the past three years of Yankee ALDS defeats.

A-Rod’s career batting average in September and October is .286, compared with an overall career BA of 306. In fact, statistically speaking, September/October are A-Rod’s worst months, while April is one of his best. That’s not going to feed a perception of clutchness. That’s going to feed a perception of selfishness and lamenesss.

(Odd footnote: if you look at his career month splits, the only month even better than April is August. How infuriating for Yankee fans when A-Rod tantalizingly catches fire in August, only to fizzle in September. Such a tease!)

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]]> By: Lyndsay http://umpbump.com/press/2008/09/02/the-clutchness-of-a-rod/comment-page-1/#comment-56617 Lyndsay Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:56:48 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/?p=2798#comment-56617 I think the boat shoes are the real problem here. watching the Yankees self-destruct and turn on eachother should be officially our 5th professional sport. I think the boat shoes are the real problem here.

watching the Yankees self-destruct and turn on eachother should be officially our 5th professional sport.

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]]> By: Paul Moro http://umpbump.com/press/2008/09/02/the-clutchness-of-a-rod/comment-page-1/#comment-56616 Paul Moro Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:38:46 +0000 http://umpbump.com/press/?p=2798#comment-56616 There's actually a mildly amusing explanation regarding the OBP disparity in RISP and overall numbers for A-Rod. Between 2005-2008, A-Rod came to the plate 2603 times and was hit by the pitch 58 times. That's once every 44.88 plate appearances. But with RISP, A-Rod got plunked 27 times in 870 PAs. That's once every 32.22 PAs, which is a pretty big difference. So this can go either way in terms of justification of A-Rod. Are pitchers unnerved pitching to him with RISP and lose control? Or is A-Rod afraid of failing in those situations and leans into inside pitches to let himself off the hook? Depends on whether or not you like the guy. There’s actually a mildly amusing explanation regarding the OBP disparity in RISP and overall numbers for A-Rod. Between 2005-2008, A-Rod came to the plate 2603 times and was hit by the pitch 58 times. That’s once every 44.88 plate appearances. But with RISP, A-Rod got plunked 27 times in 870 PAs. That’s once every 32.22 PAs, which is a pretty big difference.

So this can go either way in terms of justification of A-Rod. Are pitchers unnerved pitching to him with RISP and lose control? Or is A-Rod afraid of failing in those situations and leans into inside pitches to let himself off the hook? Depends on whether or not you like the guy.

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