With The Game on The Line, What Brewer Would You Want Batting?

[danzig6767]

Prince

 

He hits for average, for power, and generally doesn't swing at garbage

[Time for a Miller]

I filled out the survey, but let me say I do not believe in Cluthyness. When you define a situation as clutch you're bound to get a smaller sample size. Some players are going to be slightly above or below there normal averages. I think this is a product of luck and has nothing to do with a players personality (i.e. clutchyness). Therefore I would want Prince up to bat since I think he is our best overall hitter.

[BrewCrewForever]

Prince, with Ryan and Kendall close seconds. I just think Kendall seems like a guy who takes pitches doesn't swing at bad pitches and can go the other way with the ball.

[LUKE232323]

Corey Hart. Guy is clutch and usually makes solid contact.

[lukevan]

As for clutchiness... In the major leagues, every player knows how to hit and that they want to hit every time they're at the plate. If they are "trying harder" in clutch situations, why can't they "try" that hard every AB? Or if you feel that it's some in-born quality, why doesn't that quality transmit to every AB?

I do believe that some are better in pressure situations than others, but at the Major League level I have a hard time believing that the best players in the world a) "wilt" psychologically under the pressure (though there are rare exceptions) or b) are not the same hitters in non-RISP situations. I think some players may have slight edges in clutchiness, but you might as well just put your best hitters in the most crucial situations. It's not like Gwynn becomes better than Corey Hart in close and late situations, Gwynn may outperform himself in other situations but Hart is still the better hitter.

[tristarscoop]

I think I'm on the Corey Hart bandwagon. He seems to have the patience that I don't see in Prince or Ryan. I feel like Prince is always swinging for the fences, when that's not always what we need. He puts the pressure of the whole team on himself and I think that effects how he hits in clutch situations. Braun's swagger tends to help him stay away from that, though, as well.

[rluzinski]

My problem is that it depends a lot on the situation. If its a man on third two outs, tie game and a single will win it, then Fielder and Gwynn are pretty even. If its no outs, no one on tie game, Fielder and Braun are pretty even.

 

For your first example, a single will win it but an out will end it, which is why I would much prefer Prince. As for yours second example, While their production was similiar last year, I'd still prefer Prince over Braun, since I feel that his production is much more established.

 

In the end though, the survey's instructions are vague enough to justify more than a few interpretations. And when it comes to the clutchiness over overall skill debate, some fans might ignore clutchiness altogether, some might use is as a tiebreaker (probably my preference), some might think it's a strong enough force to propel Counsell over Prince.

[RightFieldCoder]

I went with Prince and Braun as great. Hart, Hall, and Weeks and above average. Our bench players were all rated low.

 

If its a man on third two outs, tie game and a single will win it, then Fielder and Gwynn are pretty even.

Since Fielder has a better chance at getting a single (25 points higher in career minor league batting average), I don't think they are pretty even.

If you asked me who the most clutch player one is on the Brewers I'd go with whoever has the best batting average with RISP over a large sample size. I'm not sure who that is because I dont' have the data in front of me.

2007 stats:

Rottion .500

Hart .339

Mench .329

Braun .328

Gwynn .310

Dillon .300

Hardy .293

Hall .273

Fielder .271

Jenkins .264

Estrada .239

Counsell .233

Graffanino .217

Miller .204

Weeks .178

Gross .170

Nix .000

Rivera .000

[Patrick425]

Tango is a huge fan of the "wisdom of the crowds" theory, though. He has shown that as a group, fans can value defensive skills of individual players pretty well

My sample size of 1 goes against this. At spring training this year, I was sitting next to a Brewer fan who lived in AZ. Alcides Escobar was playing SS. She was talking about him and how he also played in the Fall League in AZ. Baseball prospectus states that his glove is "Major League ready", so I said to her, "I hear he's a pretty good fielder". She responded, "Not at all, I'm nervous every time the ball is hit this way." So, either BP got some faulty scouting reports or the "wisdom of this particular fan" is pretty acute.

 

Anyways, my clutch pick on the Brewers would be C. Hart and defintley not Fielder. I've seen Prince swing at some pretty bad pitches when he's ahead in the count in clutch situations.

[PlayerHader]

Braun fo' sho.

[TooLiveBrew]

He seems to have the patience that I don't see in Prince or Ryan.

 

Prince's patience at the plate is better than both Braun & Hart to this point.

 

I've seen Prince swing at some pretty bad pitches when he's ahead in the count in clutch situations.

It's kind of funny that you used that woman as an example, and then basically did the same thing yourself.

[Patrick425]

It's kind of funny that you used that woman as an example, and then basically did the same thing yourself.

Not really the same. Escobar has been referred to as an excellent fielder by ML scouts. I have never really heard any "expert" refer to Prince as a great clutch hitter.

[TooLiveBrew]

Any way you slice it up he is, though - don't wait for an expert or 'expert' to tell you! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

.933 OPS w/ RISP 2005 & 1.044 Close & Late @ Nashville in 2005

 

.848 OPS w/RISP & .877 Close & Late for his MLB career (check here for a more detailed breakdown of his "Clutch" stats)

 

2007: RISP - .968, C&L - 1.062

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Do these same rules apply in Basketball? I'd take Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, or Chris Paul with the game on the line in the NBA.

[rluzinski]

At spring training this year, I was sitting next to a Brewer fan who lived in AZ. Alcides Escobar was playing SS. She was talking about him and how he also played in the Fall League in AZ. Baseball prospectus states that his glove is "Major League ready", so I said to her, "I hear he's a pretty good fielder". She responded, "Not at all, I'm nervous every time the ball is hit this way." So, either BP got some faulty scouting reports or the "wisdom of this particular fan" is pretty acute.

 

There are always going to be outliers but as the theory goes, they should cancel themselves out with a large enoughs sample size.

 

Come on people, make sure you fill this out. It should be fun to see what Brewers the fans select but if it's only 10 fans, it's not so fun.

[T B0NE 10]

give me ryan braun and ill have no regrets

[Gopher74]

I know I'm probably in the Minority, but I'd have to say Tony Gwynn Jr. This guy battled all those emotions against one of the best closers in the decade with a nasty curve, down two strikes, two outs in the 9th and just raked a triple to give the Brewers their first winning season in 15 years?!!?!?!? That was a lot on his shoulders against a really close friend and mentor to say the least.

Nasty change, not curve. Hoffman's change is his best pitch, not his curve. I don't even think he throws a curve much.

 

All the same, I need more than one AB in order to call someone clutch, or the guy I want up in a big spot.

 

[ILuvDaBush]

First, there was an article literally chronicling that at-bat on ESPN.com, and it was said that all Hoffman threw to Jr. Gwynny were changeups, which would make sense because outside of Matt Wise, the HOFer has the best changeup in baseball (Johan and Cole throw much superior FB's and thus I cannot rate their changeups higher...and they're lefties). As for the real topic....maybe I'm in the minority here but I'll take Yo, yo.

[TooLiveBrew]

You can choose from Prince, Braun, Corey, Rickie, JJ, Billy, Cameron, Gross, and you take... a pitcher?

[jason21nl]

maybe I'm in the minority here but I'll take Yo, yo.

 

or maybe you're the only one. How could you honestly pick Yo over all the other position players?

[TooLiveBrew]

Rluz (or anyone for that matter), just curious if you know when Tangotiger is going to get to the defense fan-balloting.

 

Here are the 2007 results. It'd be nice if this year we can help get the Brewers' total vote count up more in the neighborhood of what the Red Sox fans did.

[DrWood]

generally, I'd take Fielder, but with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and the bases loaded, I'd definitely take Weeks, and tell him to take a HBP for the team!

[razzzorsharp]

I think Joe Dillion would be a guy that woud give you a good atbat.

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

Is this thread going to be brought up throughout the whole season? I am interested to see the results.

[rluzinski]

I'd guess that when the polls close on April 2nd, the results will be posted for all to see.