Joe Mauer is Clutch

[Seth Stohs]

For me, the definition of "clutch" is that a player is as good or better in high leverage situations as they are in regular-leverage situations. 

 

For most of Mauer's career, he's been a great hitter, period, and his numbers in high-leverage situations basically were the same as low-leverage situations. That speaks to his cool and calm approach, in my opinion.

 

In recent years, his overall offensive numbers have gone down. However, his production in clutch or high-leverage situations has remained very good.

 

Bleacher Report did some of the math and found that Mauer is one of the most clutch hitters in baseball this year.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2729135-mlb-metrics-101-the-most-clutch-players-of-baseball

 

[bizaff]

I recently read "Smart Baseball", "The Book", and "Moneyball", and I buy into the idea that clutch is an illusion.  I'll have to look when I have the book in my hands again, but I believe they did a comparison of high leverage situations vs regular situations and people performed pretty much at their average stats over a long sample.

 

I don't think clutch is a looking forward type thing, but it can tell you when people have been "clutch".  When they examined someone who had a great clutch season, other seasons they've had were nothing out of the ordinary.  I read that as simple statistical variance - SOMEONE is going to have a clutch season, but it can't really be used to project as it doesn't carry forward.

 

That being said, I'm a Mauer fan - he's a good hitter.. not as good as he used to be, but I'm glad he's on the team.

[Loosey]

I think he is good in high leverage situations due to the fact he seems to never get too high or too low when things are going good/bad.  He seems to just have a very even-keeled personality.  (I do not know him so this is based on me seeing him in public situations -TV, at the ballpark,etc) So when he gets up to bat in high leverage situations his mind-set is likely similar to what it is in his first at-bat of the game.  Perhaps he focuses more, but he doesn't appear to get excitable like younger guys might in similar situations and try to do too much.

[CampQ]

One hypothesis I have is that with runners on base, especially in scoring position, infields can't play the extreme shifts they can play with the bases empty so all the sharp grounders and low line drives up the middle and to pull side find holes the shift was designed to fill. I am sure there is more to it than that and if I were less lazy I'd look up Joe's career splits with RISP by year. I doubt it's as simple as the infield shift but who knows?

[Platoon]

I am in the "there isn't a clutch" camp. There aren't really clutch players, if that was the case you could just will yourself to higher levels regularly. But there is the unclutch player. Either due to nerves, or the attempt to do more than you can, you don't do anything.

[Mr. Brooks]

I am in the "there isn't a clutch" camp. There aren't really clutch players, if that was the case you could just will yourself to higher levels regularly. But there is the unclutch player. Either due to nerves, or the attempt to do more than you can, you don't do anything.

Clutch is maintaining your performance even when the pressure is higher, IMO.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Mauer hits slightly better with RISP than normal, so I would agree that he is clutch.

 

Also, he is hitting .296, good for 13th place in the AL. There are only 7 players hitting over 300 in the AL this year, and there are six players only .005 or less ahead of Mauer. He could possibly finish in the Top 10 this year, with an outside chance at Top 5.

[jimmer]

In the AL, he is 13th in BA, 4th in OBP, and a great fielding 1B.

[Doomtints]

I once saw Mauer break up a no-hitter late in the game with a casual, unexciting line drive up the middle.

 

That's Mauer in a nutshell. Clutch? Sure, why not. Exciting baseball star? Perhaps "dependable" is a better term.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think the term clutch needs to be compared in context to all hitters in MLB.  The first question I have is what is the delta between a hitters' overall line in those situations compared the league (and there's an SSS issue here for the player, so I'd prefer something a bit more than a 1 year sample). If the league consistently posts the same numbers in high level situations vs. low level situations, then once enough samples are obtained, you can determine that.  

 

My gut feel, however, says that hitters as a whole will be better in high leverage situations as pitchers have less to work with. No open bases (or perhaps just one in a tight game) starts limiting options due to their risk.

[Tomj14]

Isn't Mauer the Boggs of this generation? He doesn't change his approach depending on the situation.

So most of his stats look real good with guys on or in scoring position; his RBI look low because he isn't a power guy and guys "seem" not to score as much from second on his hits (line drives to left) or don't get driven in by a walk.

Not saying it is bad, just my observation.

 

[jharaldson]

I think there are a couple of ways of looking at this topic.  The first is that not getting out when there are runners in scoring position.  By that metric many of the posts above are correct in his clutch ability.  

 

Another way of looking at this isn't an absence of bad things (outs), but instead the presence of good things (runs).  I like RBI percentage for this because it measures what percent of runners on base do you drive in when you have the opportunity.  For 2017 Joe is ranked 120 out of 340 in the category:

 

http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/RBIPCT.py?StartDate=01%2F01%2F2017&EndDate=08%2F27%2F2017&SortField=1.0*%28OnRBI.RBI-OnRBI.HRs%29%2FOnRBI.RunnersOn&SortDir=desc&MinPA=100

 

I usually don't remember the clutch walk but i do remember the clutch walkoff hit.

 

[theBOMisthebomb]

Until Joe does something relevant in the postseason I will have a hard time seeing him as clutch. Yes, it is unfair and not relevant statistically.. some guys such as Kirby Puckett, made clutch (maybe more importantly memorable) plays in the postseason that seem to tag the with the reputation as clutch. My hope is that Joe gets some chances here in the next few years to make some memorable "clutch" plays in the postseason and that glow stays with him come Hall of Fame voting time. Then, add a Gold Glove or two at 1st base and possibly the ultimate prize of a World Series ring and maybe our hometown hero will get into the HOF. It is a positive that his statistical "clutch" numbers look better recently.

[Doomtints]

Mauer was good in the playoffs in 2009, his MVP season.

[mickeymental]

 

Mauer was good in the playoffs in 2009, his MVP season.

and that's irrespective of the phil cuzzi non-double ...

[Doomtints]

 

and that's irrespective of the phil cuzzi non-double ...

 

And also, to be fair, he wasn't "clutch" in the playoffs that year ... his production didn't amount to much as far as scoring runs or driving in runs....

[mickeymental]

 

And also, to be fair, he wasn't "clutch" in the playoffs that year ... his production didn't amount to much as far as scoring runs or driving in runs....

i'd say down one game to none and leading off the 11th inning of a postseason game with a non-double, then following it with a single, is at least a little bit clutch ...