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Originally Posted by kutulu
I don't want to sound like a Sammy fan. I'm not at all. I do have two issues with your post jubu:
First of all, what exactly do you mean by giving himself up at the plate. Are you talking about the sac fly or the bunt? We can debate the overall futility of bunting if you want in a seperate thread but I'm pretty sure you don't mean that you'd like to see Sammy lay down a bunt every now and then because that's just silly. As far as sac flys go, it's a worthless statistic where a player is rewarded with failure. The sample size over the course of one year is meaningless. If it fits the situation, great give up a run for an out but it isn't a common occurance (example: Sosa had only 19AB in 2004 with a man on 3rd, less than two out).
As to him not being a clutch player, there is no such thing as a "clutch player". It's a myth perpetuated by those who want to prop up less talented players. There's all sorts of split stats people use to evaulate the 'clutchness' of a player and they are all crap. The sample sizes are small and you need several years of data in order to get the equivalent of a full season of AB's in those situations. By that time, most players' numbers in those situations converge to career averages. There are outliers of course, but they are not common.
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I was not suggesting that Sammy bunt. Although that would be something to see. I bet he hasn’t even attempted one in at least 10 years. I was thinking more timely hitting. What I mean by that is hits near the end of the game. Hits with runners in scoring position. Hits with two outs. Making contact instead of striking out. Instead, Sammy has to swing for the fences. If there was a situation where the Cub’s only needed one run with a runner in scoring position, Sammy would be up at the plate trying to hit it out. How many times does he strike out in key situations? Sammy is not the person I want up to bat when the game is on the line. I also think there are intangibles that make a player clutch. Statistically speaking there are other players that are a lot better than Jeter. But why is it that he always seems to be in the right place at the right time? In baseball it’s about understanding the situation and putting yourself in the best possible position to succeed. Sammy just isn’t that type of player.