OK, one by one. Regarding Bonds - he's clearly, clearly, clearly the best hitter since Williams. I mean, your list has some greats, but Pete Rose? Paul Molitor? Manny? Puh-leese. Every measure of offensive performance - EQA, RARP, Win Shares, VORP, whatever, says he's the best since Williams. It, well, it really isn't in question.
Yeah, Mora really is 4 years older than ARod. It's weird how some players seem so old - I know Beltre seems like he's been around forever, gotta be older than 26, right?
As for
clutch:
Quote:
Again, it is necessary to look at what actually happens, and what would
happen if there were no clutch ability at all or if clutch hitting was a
significant ability. Even if a .250 hitter were just a pair of coins
which got a hit when they were both heads, some .250 hitters would hit
.400 during one season in the late innings of close games (a 3% chance
in 80 AB), so the existence of such numbers doesn't prove anything. But
if there is an ability, players who hit well in the clutch in the past
will continue to do so. This can be tested, and has been; there is only
very weak evidence of an ability, and it is clear that whatever ability
there is does not mean much in baseball terms. There may be .267
hitters who are actually as valuable as .268 hitters because of their
good clutch numbers, but if you replace .268 with .275, you have a
conclusion which is inconsistent with what actually happens.
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Just Google "no clutch baseball" for a zillion other articles proving that clutch hitting doesn't exist in baseball, including ones that do the boring math.
Lastly, I don't say that clutch doesn't exist in other sports. I don't really know, it might. I'm just talking baseball, though.