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No Clutch or No Luck
2004-06-16 09:46
by Jon Weisman

Shlomo Shizgal asks in an e-mail:

Do you have any ideas to explain the following combination of Dodger team stats, relative to the other NL teams?

Batting Average - 2nd overall
On Base Percentage - 7th overall
Slugging Percentage - 6th overall

Runs Scored - 14th overall

The answer seems simple enough: the Dodgers have not had much clutch hitting. Which may be no more than bad luck.

By definition, clutch hitting (or the act of hitting when runners are on base) exists. However, I'm a convert to the belief that 99 to 100 percent of ballplayers do not have a specific talent for it. I don't believe that clutch-hitting stats among individuals are consistent from year to year.

Shizgal's stats might indicate that the Dodgers have greater potential to improve their scoring ability than previously believed. On the other hand, it is possible that in this given year, 2004, most Dodgers do and will continue to collectively choke up with runners on base. (Juan Encarnacion could be, as they say, the exception that proves the rule.)

How about we call this a dialogue before I emphatically draw a conclusion here. Gentlemen, start your comments.

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