Is there clutch? Or is it the reverse?

Links (13)

On "Clutch"
Published 4/24/2007 by Charlie <info@buccosdugout.com> at Bucs Dugout: Front Page Posts
... I disagree with much of the Post-Gazette's long new article about "clutch," but it's nonetheless pretty illuminating. The article begins with an explanation of the position, held by many sabermetric types, that "clutch hitting" is a skill that's so minor that it easily gets buried under other factors, like the skills of the players involved and natural variation in performance. It's a pretty fair description of the position that many take, except that I don't know any baseball fan who has seriously argued that Michael Jordan or John Elway weren't clutch.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' Sustained Awfulness Makes More Sense...
Published 4/24/2007 by Memphis Bengal at Sports Frog
... ...when you read a quotes like the following:

Clutch Belief
Published 4/24/2007 by StatsGuru at Baseball Musings
... Dejan Kovacevic, one of the new breed of sabermetric sports writers, examines players and coaches beliefs in clutch hitting . He offers a good contrast between the statistical research, and what the players think pro and con. It strikes me that all the people in favor of the idea offer just anecdotal evidence. Of those who feel otherwise, Pirates pitching coach Jim Colborn said, "Dead wrong. There is an element in certain people that allows them to focus at their peak and get into a zone when the situation is more important." He cited, from his playing days, Joe Rudi, a career .264 hitter who had a reputation of elevating his level every postseason for the Athletics, at least as measured by the intangibles of timely hits and key defensive plays. "Believe me: For all the great players in that lineup, Joe Rudi was not the one you wanted to face. He just had a knack." I like Jason Bay's explanation: "It's not so much a mat

Post-Gazette: Kovacevic: Is there clutch? Or is it the reverse?
Published 4/24/2007 at BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog
... Post-Gazette: Kovacevic: Is there clutch? Or is it the reverse? And put a release fork in Tracy There is no bigger proponent of clutch in the Pirates clubhouse than the man in charge. When his team wins, Jim Tracy invariably points to big hits that were delivered. When the team loses, he points to the lack of same. Even after the Pirates were blanked on three measly hits in their home opener April 9, Tracy lamented, We had chances. Tracy s view is reflected in how he forms his lineup, bucking the modern thinking that the highest on-base percentage players should be stacked at the top. Instead, he favors the more traditional approach of getting the runner on, moving him along and getting a big hit. Isn t that what makes teams good? Tracy said when asked about his value of clutch. It s what separates you from the pack, your ability to take the big at-bat. You don t expect somebody to hit 1.000 with runners in scoring positi

Clutch
Published 4/24/2007 by Rowdy at Honest Wagner
... Dejan Kovacevic studies clutch.

Quick Morning Roundup
Published 4/24/2007 by mondesishouse at Mondesishouse.com
... --Paul Maholm takes his 6.19 ERA to the mound tonight against Houston, when he faces off against Woody Williams and his 6.55 ERA. Not exactly Clemens against Pedro, but it's as good a pitching matchup as you'll find in Pittsburgh on a Tuesday in April. Unless you go watch a

Bunt Singles: April 24 edition
Published 4/24/2007 by Kurt at Mack Avenue Tigers
... Also via Baseball Musings, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks into players and coaches belief in clutchiness.

Clutchiness
Published 4/24/2007 by Rowdy at Honest Wagner
... In response to Dejan Kovacevic's clutch study,

Clutch...Again
Published 4/24/2007 by Dan Agonistes at Dan Agonistes
... An interesting article by Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on clutch hitting that basically hits on the variety of viewpoints on the subject. Your truly is quoted on the sabermetric perspective - a view that I've

My Triumphant Return
Published 4/24/2007 by Rory at Home of the Bleacher Blogger
... So Dejan's off-day piece examines the Pirates personal opinions on clutch, and how that affects strategy. Dejan has expressed a belief in the clutch before, but keeps a neutral opinion here. Charlie

I know I'm Going to Make Fun of Someone
Published 4/25/2007 by Ken Tremendous at FIRE JOE MORGAN
... I just don't know who yet. Let's find out, as we look at this article from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Dejan Kovacevic.

Fire Joe Morgan Takes Jim Tracy Behind The Shed
Published 4/25/2007 by Andy Smith at Bugs & Cranks
... Their post stems from an article written by the Post-Gazette’s Dejan Kovacevik, concerning the issue of clutch hits, particularly pertaining to the Pirates. Refreshingly, and somewhat surprisingly both of the Pirates best hitters are somewhat dubious about the ability for athletes to raise their game in certain situations.

Wrapping Up the Rest
Published 1/4/2008 by Class Act at Between the Lines
... By the way, check out this article, which was linked to by an ESPN user in the discussion section of that Neyer blog entry; it perfectly illustrates the futility of the "fear factor" argument. ...