31:. This usually refers to getting a hit (particularly a home run) when the player's team is trailing late in a game and needs to score to tie or take the lead, especially if there are already two outs in the inning and/or the batter already has two strikes. That said, a clutch hit can occur at any point in the game if the circumstances are similarly high-stakes. Establishing a reputation as a clutch hitter is desirable for a player. Although clutch hits are recorded no differently than any other hit for statistical purposes, the notion that a player is more likely to produce clutch hits compared to other players can be advantageous in contract negotiations (especially in the modern
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75:, James framed the question of clutch hitting this way: "How is it that a player who possesses the reflexes and the batting stroke and the knowledge and the experience to be a .262 hitter in other circumstances magically becomes a .300 hitter when the game is on the line? How does that happen? What is the process? What are the effects? Until we can answer those questions, I see little point in talking about clutch ability."
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97:. Since Cramer published his results, others have similarly searched for evidence that clutch hitting is a skill, but these studies have only tended to confirm Cramer's findings: the notion that certain players are consistently able to raise their level of play in high-stakes situations is an illusion.
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This is not to say that it is impossible for a player's psychological handling of high-pressure situations to impact (positively or negatively) their performance, i.e. confidence in one's clutch hitting ability begetting clutch hits or a lack of confidence begetting "choking." However, there is scant
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Also, there may occasionally be a confusion between correlation and causation in the case of clutch hits. For example, if a batter who is otherwise struggling is suddenly able to get a hit with the bases loaded, it may be that the bases became loaded due to bad pitching, and so the batter's hitting
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Jeter, for one, provides an example of the discrepancy between the perception and reality of clutch hitting. Though widely considered a clutch hitter (and so nicknamed "Mr. November"), Jeter's career batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage (BA/OBP/SLG) are .317/.388/.462, while
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Most studies on the subject compare performances across seasons in categories of statistics considered "clutch" (getting a hit with runners in scoring position, getting a hit late in a close game, etc.). If clutch hitting were an identifiable skill, one would expect that players considered "clutch"
112:'s perceived struggles in clutch situations over his career as anecdotal evidence that even some otherwise great statistical hitters like Rodriguez (a three-time AL MVP) become different players with a different playing ability in the clutch (in the case of Rodriguez, for the worse).
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the same statistics over Jeter's career postseason play (when the stakes are higher) are .309/.377/.469, so either slightly worse or not meaningfully better. Similarly, Jeter first earned the moniker "Mr. November" after a walk-off home run to win Game 4 of the
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The question of whether clutch hitting is a genuine skill possessed by certain players, or if a player is actually no more likely to produce a hit in a clutch situation than at any other point in the game, is frequently debated.
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between players' performances over multiple years would be high. But Cramer's study found that clutch hitting statistics between seasons for the same ostensibly clutch player varied widely; in fact, the
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statistical evidence that this is widespread or that certain players are inherently more adept at clutch hitting in the long term relative to their normal hitting ability.
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criticized analysts who deny that clutch hitting is a skill, saying: "You can take those stat guys and throw them out the window." Other proponents cite
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Despite this, the idea of clutch hitters persists across baseball, from casual fans to managers to the players themselves. In an interview with
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166:. "Is David Ortiz a Clutch Hitter?" in Jonah Keri, Ed.,
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173:Verducci, Tom. "Does Clutch Hitting Truly Exist?"
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153:Richard D. Cramer, "Do Clutch Hitters Exist?,"
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207:2020-09-12
132:References
49:Bill James
551:Offensive
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363:Setup man
39:Criticism
35:system).
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160:(1977).
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396:Power
182:Notes
23:is a
261:ISBN
155:SABR
55:and
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