A Thought

by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 12, 2009 12:01 AM PDT in Miscellaneous

As many are well aware, Alex Rodriguez has long been considered a playoff choker, what with his .856 OPS and 17 RBI overall and .808 OPS and 9 RBI as a Yankee coming into this series.

Alex proceeded to blow up against Minnesota, hitting a pair of big dingers while knocking in six runs in three games. Depending on where you look, the theme of the series has been either redemption or maturation, where Alex either proved to the skeptics that he can hit in the clutch, or he just recently learned to hit in the clutch.

These themes were foisted upon us due to his performance over 12 trips to the plate, 9.6% of his career sample as a Yankee and 6.6% of his career sample overall. I don't have to tell you that 12 trips to the plate don't tell you much of anything, especially when they're part of a much larger body of data. Nick Punto took 12 trips to the plate in this ALDS and reached base seven times.

The people who think Alex's performance in the division series demonstrates a significant improvement in his ability to hit under pressure in the playoffs are getting two things wrong.

Tweet Comment 41 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

GO ALEX!

I was screaming in happiness when he hit his homer tonight. I felt dirty, but it felt so right.

by Teej on Oct 12, 2009 12:09 AM PDT reply actions

Maybe he only hits well against the Twins

by Poochie on Oct 12, 2009 12:11 AM PDT reply actions

Let's see him do it against the Red Sox or it doesn't count

Oh wait he can’t this year because the Red Sox suck.

by Gihyou on Oct 12, 2009 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions

Maybe Nick Punto is just super clutch

by seattlebruin on Oct 12, 2009 12:17 AM PDT reply actions

Maybe A-Rod wasn't making out with himself in the mirror

but was instead switching places with Bizzarro A-Rod – a man that performs well in the playoffs and isn’t an anal douche muncher.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Oct 12, 2009 12:21 AM PDT reply actions

Ty Cobbs was also one of the greatest of all time and no one liked Cobb either.

If only A-Rod had played for some other team, I could have rooted for him more. That said, I hope he goes great in the post season. I also hope I never see the Yankees win the World Series again.

by mark sobba on Oct 12, 2009 1:26 AM PDT reply actions

People have accused A-Rod of being a douche

Ty Cobb STABBED A MAN and beat a heckler WHO HAD NO HANDS.

Some people say A-Rod has an ego and Ty Cobb was an enormous racist. How are these similar to you?

by Fez on Oct 12, 2009 2:28 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

A-Rod has been stabbing Kate Hudson since May?

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Oct 12, 2009 2:45 AM PDT up reply actions

A-Rod stabbed himself regularly when he was with the Rangers.

Then he subjected himself to having sex with zombie Madonna.

It’s a toss-up.

by Wilder. on Oct 12, 2009 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions

I love postseason baseball but holy crap the overanalysis of every single thing that happens can get annoying

Especially if Joe Buck is the one speaking it.

by OlSalty on Oct 12, 2009 3:03 AM PDT reply actions

I watch postseason baseball with the volume off and music going.

It’s much more enjoyable.

by Kaorikaze on Oct 12, 2009 3:07 AM PDT up reply actions

I loved the "so far in the postseason" analysis during games 2 and 3

by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 12, 2009 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions

I can't wait for the Ken Burns retrospective of the COL/PHI series tonight

Nice Guys Finish Third - My semantics are a waste of time.

by pdb on Oct 12, 2009 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

This guy has been getting it done all series long.

CougCenter

by Craig Powers on Oct 12, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions

I was a big fan of Buck Martinez talking about how Todd Helton was hitless in the postseason this year.

It was the second inning of Game 2.

by abender20 on Oct 12, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions

More than anything else, postseason baseball breeds idiot fans.

Of this, I am confident.

by Matthew on Oct 12, 2009 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions

Lots of people who don't watch a single one of the 2,430 regular season games watch the playoffs because they're playoffs

and then try to be baseball fans for three weeks.

Nice Guys Finish Third - My semantics are a waste of time.

by pdb on Oct 12, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions

Lots of people who don't watch a single one of the 2,430 regular season games watch the playoffs because they're playoffs

and then try to be baseball fans the rest of the year, too.

by Aaron Campeau on Oct 12, 2009 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions

Cowherd made the remark the other day that at last the games meant something, and he only watched games that meant something.

There is a reason the radio gets turned off really fast some mornings.

by msb on Oct 12, 2009 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Cowherd is aggressively stupid and proudly ignorant of many things

by Gihyou on Oct 12, 2009 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions

You rang?

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 12, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Alex tried singlehandedly to push the Mariners to the World Series in 2000

He was smoking the ball in the do or die game 6 of the ALCS (4 for5) and finished the series with an OPS of 1.253. But since it was for the Mariners instead of the Yankees, the national media created a new narrative regarding ARod and the post season.

by Mr.Phelps on Oct 12, 2009 12:45 PM PDT reply actions

I think its funny.

Asking people their opinion on A-Rid is also a pretty easy to tell who is an idiot

by Matthew on Oct 12, 2009 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions

I've been using that question as a test like that for a few years now

and it’s pretty near foolproof.

Nice Guys Finish Third - My semantics are a waste of time.

by pdb on Oct 12, 2009 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions

But then I found this and now I can use this as evidence to try to convert the casuals

It’s everyone’s favorite game – Player A/Player B!

Nice Guys Finish Third - My semantics are a waste of time.

by pdb on Oct 12, 2009 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions

I recall hearing that Reggie Jackson's nickname was originally ironic

because he sucked so bad in the playoffs.

by Matthew on Oct 12, 2009 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow, so fasting for blood tests makes me type like Robert

Maybe this has been his problem all along.

by Matthew on Oct 12, 2009 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I thought it was an attempt at a clever nickname?

by Dewey N on Oct 12, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Ditto.

“Because he’s ridden himself of the not-clutch meme? Because the Mariners and Rangers got rid of him? Um.”

by katal on Oct 12, 2009 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Wrote about this exact topic at fangraphs today.

This just angers me so much. I’d be ecstatic to have A-Rod on my team, playoffs or not.

---
Beyond The Boxscore
twitter

by Jack Moore on Oct 12, 2009 3:10 PM PDT reply actions

Arod

As a Mariner fan I grow weary of the negativism directed his way- How many of you jokers would turn down 275 million smackers? Yeah right, you’’re all full of ****. As they say, this is a business, and that offer was out of this world, probably never seen again. While Arod was here, he was fabulous with the young fans, as well as a producer on the field. I was sad to see him leave, but it drives me crazy to see him dissed while Griffey is sainted despite the fact that he left the team in a bad way with a no trade clause that limited our ability to get value for him. I love Kenny, but that was business for him as well.

by gitanoloco on Oct 12, 2009 5:00 PM PDT reply actions

Griffey at least made his intentions public.

A-Rod lead the FO on like he was going to re-sign.

It’s not the money, it’s his attitude and arrogance that pisses me off. His open letter to Boeing moving its headquarters away from Seattle was the nail in the coffin.

by Wilder. on Oct 12, 2009 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions