Robbie Cano and Clutchiness

Ah, hitting in the clutch.  What is it about this concept that polarizes people so much? For a few years in YankeeLand, the poster boy for unclutchiness was Alex Rodriguez. Despite receiving the MVP award in 2005 and 2007, ARod was consistent labeled as soft and unclutchy because of his spotty performances in the postseason.  Then, in 2009 he was accused and later admitted to having used steroids which surely should have led to his most unclutchy season of all time. Of course, that didn't happen and ARod had a stellar postseason that silenced even the loudest of his many critics. As is often the case, the hyperbolic explanations came in spades for Mr. Rodriguez's performance both in the regular season and postseason. "The monkey is off his back." "He has no place to go but up." "He's finally forced to be humble and accept himself and his teammates." "Kate Hudson is the best thing that ever happened to him." All of this was quite amusing. If you believe in the concept of clutch hitting then you believe that it is an actual skill, one that defines a player's ability to perform at their best under pressure. Certainly, some people handle pressure better than others.  We see that in every day life. The thing is, when I feel pressure in my life, my success isn't affected by someone throwing a ball to me who is also under pressure. The truth is, clutch hitting often falls under the category of good/bad timing and small sample size. Try this: if you had to pick who you believe is the most clutch Yankee of the last twenty years, who would you pick? My guess would probably be Derek Jeter, at least based on what the media says, Mr. November, the flip, etc etc etc. Let's look at Jeter's basic career numbers:

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Career	9889	.317	.388	.459	.847

Okay.  Now let's look at Jeter's numbers with men on base:

Split	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
RISP	2457	.309	.404	.431	.834
None	5713	.317	.381	.475	.856
Men On	4176	.318	.397	.436	.833
1--	1719	.329	.387	.442	.829
-2-	903	.280	.400	.421	.822
3	263	.338	.397	.446	.843
12-	575	.288	.386	.410	.796
1-3	242	.381	.436	.505	.941
-23	239	.318	.427	.419	.846
123	235	.353	.409	.436	.845

There are two instances where Jeter's clutch numbers are better than his career average: with runners on first and third and when there are no runners on base.  How is it that Derek Jeter is so much better with runners on first and third than he is with runners on second and third or with the bases loaded? What is it about that situation that makes it easier for Derek Jeter to hit? Nothing, really. It's more of a fluke than anything else.  All of the numbers above hover around Jeter's career averages.  Nothing really shows any ability to perform better in the clutch, even though we all remember key moments that make us think he has this ability to turn it on at crunch time. If you dig, you'll find some players that hit a bit better in the clutch. You'll also find some that hit worse. But in general, these numbers tend to even out or come relatively close to the norm. What should we make, then, of the second Most Criticized Unclutch Yankee Hitter Robinson Cano, or as he is sometimes referred, Robinson Can-Not? Cano's numbers in the clutch have always been underwhelming. Here's his career stats:

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Career	3113	.308	.341	.484	.825

Now here's his numbers each season with runners in scoring position:

	PA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2005	136	.210	.241	.363	.604
2006	159	.306	.335	.500	.835
2007	205	.290	.333	.441	.774
2008	170	.263	.294	.359	.653
2009	198	.207	.242	.332	.574
2010	22	.333	.364	.611	.975
Totals	890	.257	.293	.403	.695

2009 was just atrocious for Cano with runners in scoring position. This season (with the small sample size caveat), Cano has fared much better batting fifth. Does Cano deserve the label of unclutch since he has underperformed for so long with RISP? Can numbers that bad be considered a fluke when he has hit a .901 OPS with no runners on base? It's probably unfair to assume that Cano will perform at these levels for his entire career.  He's entering his age 27 season, which means he should be getting ready for a few peak seasons.  If ever there was a time where Robbie can shake the unclutchy moniker, this should be it. At the same time, one has to look at the differential between his batting average and on base percentage and wonder how much of his unclutchiness comes from pitchers using his lack of patience against him.  Cano's OBP has always been dependent on his batting average and one would think that a pitcher is trying to get Cano out in every at-bat, not just when there are runners on. That four year decline from 2006 through 2009 makes you wonder if opposing pitchers have found a few weaknesses that Cano poorly tries to compensate. We'll know better soon enough.  Used to be that Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez weren't clutch.  It only takes a few memorable moments for the hyperbole to go away and reality to set it.