Reading the 'Clutch Meter' for the 2014 MLB Postseason's Biggest Stars
The MLB postseason is where a player's abilities in the clutch really come to the forefront and when a team's high-priced stars are asked to earn their hefty contracts.
Judging a player's performance in the clutch is certainly not an exact science, but the following two situations are when the pressure is really on.
- RISP: Plate appearances with runner(s) in scoring position
- Late/Close: Plate appearances in the seventh inning or later when hitting team is either tied, leading by one or with tying run on-deck
With those stats in mind, we've decided to take a mid-postseason look at how some of the star players suiting up in this year's playoffs have performed.
Players were given a clutch rating from 1-5, with 1 being the least clutch and 5 being the most, based on their overall performance and in particular their performance in the above situations.
Included are the top 16 players taking part in the Division Series Round, with player rankings based on the top 500 players for 2015 article from B/R's Zachary Rymer in his MLB 500 series.
Why 16 players, you ask? A fair question.
It turned out that was how far we had to go to get a representative from all eight teams, with Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles coming in at No. 53 overall in the rankings and first among his teammates.
To clarify, this is not meant to simply be a list of the top performers this postseason, so you won't see Nelson Cruz, Matt Carpenter, Doug Fister or John Lackey on the following list.
Instead, it is a look at how the players considered to be the best in the game have fared under the bright lights of October.
CF Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles (No. 53 Overall)
1 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 2-for-11, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 0-for-4
Late/Close: 0-for-1
Postseason Summary
Nelson Cruz has been the stud for the Orioles so far this October, going 6-for-12 with two home runs and five RBI in the team's three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers in their ALDS matchup.
As good as the slugger has been in his first season in Baltimore, it's center fielder Adam Jones who remains the best all-around player on the team and the face of the franchise.
Jones hit .281/.311/.469 with 29 home runs and 96 RBI during the regular season, which, coupled with his plus defense, was good for a career-best 4.9 WAR overall.
The Orioles had plenty of other guys step up in their dismantling of Detroit, so the struggles of Jones didn't wind up hurting them, but 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position doesn't cut it for a team's No. 3 hitter in October.
Clutch Rating
Jones hit .320 during the regular season with runners in scoring position, so he's proven himself to be a clutch hitter. He needs to make the most of his chances against the Royals in the ALCS, though, as Cruz is not always going to bail him out.
C Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (No. 52 Overall)
2 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 3-for-12, 1 2B, 2 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 1-for-2, 1 K
Late/Close: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 R
Postseason Summary
Viewed by most as the best all-around catcher in the game heading into 2014, Yadier Molina wound up missing significant time with a thumb injury that required surgery, limiting him to just 110 regular-season games.
As a result, his offensive numbers were down, as he hit .282/.333/.386 for an OPS that was 117 points lower than a year ago, and he never really got in a groove offensively.
He's done alright for himself here in October, tallying one of the seventh-inning hits off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 and doubling in front of the Kolten Wong home run in Game 3.
Molina has more postseason experience than most with 298 at-bats and 83 career playoff games under his belt, and he should continue to be as solid as they get throughout this year's postseason run.
Clutch Rating
Molina has just three hits in the series so far, but two of them came in huge situations. As always, he is a leader out there on the field, and he did a nice job working with Lance Lynn in particular as he battled out of trouble on a number of occasions in Game 2.
RF Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 47 Overall)
3 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 3-for-12, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 1-for-6, 1 RBI, 4 K
Late/Close: 0-for-1, 1 K
Postseason Summary
Yasiel Puig turned in a monster first half of the regular season, but he slumped badly in the second half, to the point that he was dropped in the lineup for a couple of weeks at the beginning of September.
He returned to his No. 2 spot on Sept. 13 and closed out the year hitting .339/.409/.559 over his final 15 games, as he finally looked to be gaining some momentum heading into the postseason.
Instead, he has looked lost at the plate for the most part, striking out in seven straight at-bats between Games 2 and 3.
He snapped that streak with a triple in the sixth inning on Monday and ended up scoring what would be the Dodgers' only run, but that was not enough to save him from being benched for Game 4.
Manager Don Mattingly opted to go with the left-handed hitting Andre Ethier in place of Puig, moving Carl Crawford up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, as the team looks to put their best lineup out there facing elimination.
"This is, really, nothing more than feeling like this gives us a better chance to win today. It's not anything bad with Yasiel," Mattingly told reporters (via ESPN) after announcing his lineup.
Clutch Rating
Between the strikeouts and the stranded runners in scoring position, seeing Puig benched is far from a shock. That said, elite players don't get benched in October, and this just goes to show that Puig still has some work to do before he becomes a bona fide star in this league.
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1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (No. 39 Overall)
4 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 4-for-11, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: N/A
Late/Close: N/A
Postseason Summary
After winning back-to-back AL MVP awards, Miguel Cabrera had a down season of sorts, though what constitutes a down season for him would be a career year for most.
He wound up hitting .313/.371/.524 with 25 home runs and 109 RBI, adding an AL-best 52 doubles, and he entered the postseason on fire thanks to a huge final month.
Cabrera hit .379/.409/.709 with 10 doubles and eight home runs in September, helping the Tigers pull out the AL Central title over the Kansas City Royals. After being hobbled by a groin injury earlier in the year, he was healthy and poised for a huge October.
Instead, the Tigers' playoff run was over before it started, as they were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. Cabrera had solid numbers over those three games, but his teammates didn't get the job done in front of him, as Ian Kinsler (1-for-12, 1 BB) and Torii Hunter (2-for-10, 2 BB) both struggled.
Clutch Rating
The fact that Cabrera had zero at-bats with runners in scoring position can be pointed to as one of the reasons the Tigers were swept. He was one of the hottest hitters in baseball coming into October, and he had a nice series personally, but his teammates simply didn't put him in any clutch situations.
SP Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 34 Overall)
5 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, ND, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 0-for-7, 1 BB, 5 K
Postseason Summary
The importance of a big start for Zack Greinke in Game 2 of the NLDS can't be overstated, as the Dodgers simply would have been buried if the Cardinals had lit up both of their aces over the first two games of the series.
For as much recognition as Clayton Kershaw receives, and rightfully so, Greinke has been awfully good in his own right since coming to LA. This season, he was 17-8 with a 2.71 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 202.1 innings.
The right-hander was nothing short of dominant in his seven innings of work on Saturday, working around just two hits allowed.
He was also 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, nothing new for the reigning Silver Slugger winner and one of the best hitting pitchers in the game.
J.P. Howell wound up costing him the win when he allowed the game-tying home run in the eighth, but Matt Kemp hit a big fly of his own that proved to be the difference, and the Dodgers salvaged the victory.
Clutch Rating
Greinke was lights out on the mound in his seven innings of work, and he helped his own cause at the plate, departing with a 2-0 lead. There's not much else he could have done to set the Dodgers up for a win in Game 2, but instead the bullpen and Matt Kemp wound up being the story.
SP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (No. 29 Overall)
6 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, L, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 2-for-9, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Postseason Summary
The Nationals entered the postseason with five starters worthy of a postseason rotation spot, and three potential Game 1 starters, a luxury not afforded by many teams when the playoffs roll around.
They opted to go with Stephen Strasburg for the Game 1 start, as he was set to make his postseason debut after being shut down on an innings limit last time the Nationals reached the playoffs in 2012.
He made it just five innings, getting the hook after allowing back-to-back singles to open the sixth inning, but he actually pitched better than his stat line looks.
All eight of his hits allowed were singles, and the Giants really weren't squaring him up. He threw just 89 pitches, and he probably would have had a chance to work out of trouble in that sixth inning if it were the regular season.
Clutch Rating
Strasburg threw the ball fairly well for it being the first postseason start of his career; Jake Peavy was simply better on the other side. Those two could be in for a series-deciding rematch if the Nationals can pull out a win in Game 4.
SP Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants (No. 28 Overall)
7 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
2 GS, W, L, 16.0 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 16 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 1-for-9, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Postseason Summary
By all accounts it was another terrific season for Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, as he finished the year 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA and set new career highs with 219 strikeouts and 217.1 innings of work.
He was an easy choice to take the ball in the team's Wild Card Round matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he came through with a dominant start, allowing just four hits while striking out 10 in a complete-game shutout.
After the Giants won the first two games of their NLDS series in Washington, Bumgarner took the ball in Game 3 with a chance to clinch the series. He traded zeros with Doug Fister through six innings before finally running into trouble in the seventh.
Ian Desmond led off the inning with a single, and Bryce Harper followed with a walk, setting Wilson Ramos up for a sacrifice situation. Bumgarner fielded the bunt, but opted to fire it to third in an attempt to cut down the lead runner instead of taking the out at first.
The ball skipped out into left field and both runners wound up scoring, and an Asdrubal Cabrera single then plated Ramos. Just like that, what had been another gem of a start turned into a 3-0 deficit, and the Giants wound up losing 4-1.
Clutch Rating
One play was all it took to drop Bumgarner from a 5/5 down to a 3/5, as his decision to throw to third on Monday wound up costing the Giants the game. With the Cabrera single, maybe those runs score anyway, but either way those are the kind of mental errors that there is simply no room for in October.
SP Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals (No. 27 Overall)
8 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, ND, 4.1 IP, 11 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 4-for-11, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Postseason Summary
For the most part, Adam Wainwright has been really good during his postseason career, dating back to the Cardinals' run to the World Series in 2006 when he was pitching out of the bullpen as their closer.
He's laid some eggs along the way though, including Game 1 of the World Series last year, when he allowed five runs in the first two innings and was lifted after five.
The right-hander pitched so well down the stretch—going 4-0 with a 0.55 ERA over his final four starts of the regular season—that he looked poised for another big October.
Instead, Game 1 wound up being his worst postseason start to date, and a game that was billed as one of the best postseason pitcher's duels in recent memory became a 10-9 slugfest. The offense came through in the end, bailing out its ace and keeping his rough outing to a no-decision, but it wasn't pretty.
Clutch Rating
Wainwright had been out-dueled by Clayton Kershaw in every sense of the word when he was pulled with one out in the fifth inning. Props to the bullpen arms for keeping it close in that game. They weren't lights out, but they did enough to give the offense time to get back in it.
LF Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals (No. 25 Overall)
9 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
4 G, 3-for-15, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 3 SB
Clutch Stats
RISP: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 BB
Late/Close: 0-for-4, 3 BB
Postseason Summary
The Royals are one of those teams where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and while they have proved to be a dangerous team here in October, they are lacking in star power.
Alex Gordon is probably the closest thing they have to a "face of the franchise" type of player, and the former No. 2 overall pick back in 2005 has quietly turned himself into one of the game's best left fielders over the past few seasons.
His 6.6 WAR this season was good for seventh in the AL, as he hit .266/.351/.432 with 19 home runs and 74 RBI while again playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in left field.
The 30-year-old has not necessarily come through with a huge hit yet, as Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer have delivered the dramatic home runs. But he is 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position, so he's made the most of his opportunities.
Clutch Rating
Gordon doesn't have that signature moment yet this postseason that some of his teammates have, but he has done his part.
SP Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals (No. 21 Overall)
10 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, ND, 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 0-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 K
Postseason Summary
Jordan Zimmermann ended the regular season on the highest of highs, firing a no-hitter at the Miami Marlins in Game 162, and that was just an exclamation point on what was an all-around phenomenal second half.
Including that gem, Zimmermann ended the season with a string of 12 straight quality starts, going 8-0 with a 1.87 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP over that span.
He kept rolling in Game 2 of the NLDS, allowing just three hits over 8.2 shutout innings, when he issued his first walk of the game to Joe Panik on pitch No. 100 of the game.
Manager Matt Williams opted to go to closer Drew Storen after that, and he promptly coughed up the lead after allowing back-to-back hits to Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, spoiling what would have been another Zimmermann win.
Clutch Rating
You can't throw the ball much better than Zimmermann did in Game 2, and the decision to go to the bullpen after that walk is one that will be second-guessed for a long time.
SP David Price, Detroit Tigers (No. 20 Overall)
11 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, L, 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 0-for-1, 1 K
Postseason Summary
The Tigers traded for David Price at the end of July, and he made 11 starts with the team prior to his start in Game 3 of the NLDS, but it was that postseason appearance that would determine whether the blockbuster deal to acquire him was truly a win for the franchise.
Price led baseball in innings pitched (248.1) and strikeouts (271) during the regular season, and he's one of the game's elite arms. But he entered October at 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA in his postseason career.
Facing elimination, he gave the Tigers what was undoubtedly his best playoff start to date, as a two-run home run by Nelson Cruz in the sixth inning was the only damage he allowed over eight innings of five-hit ball.
The trio of Bud Norris (6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER), Andrew Miller (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER) and Zach Britton (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER) were better, though, and Price was saddled with the tough-luck loss.
Clutch Rating
Price did everything he could to pick up the win in Game 3, and eight innings pitched with two earned runs allowed is going to be good enough to pick up a win more often than not. However, you can't give him a 5/5 either, as he was the losing pitcher in an elimination game.
3B Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals (No. 18 Overall)
12 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 7-for-15, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 1-for-3, 1 RBI
Late/Close: 2-for-5, 1 BB, 1 K
Postseason Summary
Outside of Anthony Rendon, the rest of the Nationals' lineup has hit just .133 (15-for-113) through the first three games of their NLDS matchup with the San Francisco Giants.
The 24-year-old is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he hit .287/.351/.473 with 39 doubles, 21 home runs and 17 stolen bases. That was good for a 6.5 WAR, as the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 draft emerged as the Nationals' best player this year.
Hitting out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup, he has not seen many chances with runners in scoring position, but he did come through with an RBI single for the team's lone run in Game 2.
If the Nationals hope to pull off the comeback and win three straight to close out the series, Rendon will need to continue to be a driving force at the top of the lineup.
Clutch Rating
Rendon has been the lone standout in the Nationals' lineup through the first three games of the series, and with solid numbers in clutch time in his first playoff appearance, he earns a 4/5 clutch rating despite the team being down 2-1 in the series.
SP Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers (No. 13 Overall)
13 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, L, 7.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 2-for-5, 2 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Postseason Summary
Max Scherzer followed up his 2013 AL Cy Young performance with another terrific season, going 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 220.1 innings of work.
He was dynamite in the playoffs a year ago, going 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in three starts and one big relief appearance, and that made him an easy choice to take the ball in Game 1 of the team's ALDS series against the Baltimore Orioles.
Things got off to a rocky start, as he allowed a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz in the first inning and an RBI single to Nick Markakis in the second, but he settled in to retire 13 straight batters after that.
J.J. Hardy took him deep to open the seventh inning, but he again rebounded to strike out the side, and the Tigers were still very much in the game, down 4-2 after seven innings.
A one-out double by Alejandro De Aza finally chased Scherzer in the eighth, and the Orioles exploded for eight runs from there against a terrible Tigers bullpen.
Clutch Rating
It wasn't a dominant start from Scherzer, and he was burned by the long ball twice, but he gave his team seven solid innings and pitched better than his stat line shows.
C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (No. 11 Overall)
14 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
4 G, 7-for-19, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Late/Close: 2-for-5, 1 BB
Postseason Summary
After a so-so first half of the season, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey caught fire after the All-Star break, hitting .354/.403/.575 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 62 games.
Thanks in part to his hot hitting, the Giants were able to right the ship after some midseason struggles, pushing the Dodgers for NL West supremacy before settling for a wild-card berth.
He's been among the Giants' most productive hitters so far this October, and his two-out single off Nationals closer Drew Storen in Game 2 kept things going to set up the game-tying double from Pablo Sandoval.
Add in two hits with runners in scoring position and the unenviable task of catching all 18 innings of the Game 2 marathon, and Posey has done everything the Giants could possibly ask of him to this point.
Clutch Rating
Just 27 years old and in his sixth big league season, Posey is already a seasoned October veteran, and it has shown so far this postseason.
CF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (No. 3 Overall)
15 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
3 G, 1-for-12, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 0-for-1, 1 BB, 1 K
Late/Close: 0-for-2, 1 BB
Postseason Summary
All signs point to Mike Trout finally taking home AL MVP honors this season, after finishing second in the voting to Miguel Cabrera the past two years.
His strikeouts were up and his average was down this year, put he still posted a .939 OPS while leading the AL in RBI (111), runs scored (115), total bases (338) and WAR (7.9) during his age-23 season.
That helped lead the Los Angeles Angels to the best record in baseball, and it set Trout up for his first taste of postseason baseball, as he looked to lead the Angels on a lengthy postseason run.
Instead, the Angels were handed a quick exit by the Kansas City Royals when they were swept in three games, and a solo home run in the first inning of Game 3 was the only hit that Trout managed in his first playoff series.
"Sometimes you hear the crowd going, you want to do so much, and you get out of your approach sometimes," Trout told Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. "You try to do a little too much, and that's when you get in trouble. It's something you have to work on."
Clutch Rating
One would hope that Trout will get plenty more chances at October before his career is over, because his first taste was not good.
SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 1 Overall)
16 of 16
Basic Postseason Stats
1 GS, L, 6.2 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Clutch Stats
RISP: 4-for-6, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Postseason Summary
Despite a phenomenal regular season in which he went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 239 strikeouts in 198.1 innings of work, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw entered the postseason with a chip on his shoulder.
With his team facing elimination in Game 6 of the NLCS last year, Kershaw allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs in four innings of work as the Dodgers were eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals to end their playoff run.
His postseason woes looked to be behind him through the first six innings of his Game 1 start this year, as he had allowed just two hits and two earned runs while striking out eight, and the Dodgers held a 6-2 lead.
The wheels fell off in the seventh, though, as he allowed four straight singles to lead off the inning and six hits total in the inning. Matt Carpenter capped off the rally with a two-out, three-run double to give the Cardinals the lead and chase Kershaw.
Clutch Rating
Much like Peyton Manning in the NFL, the stigma of coming up short in the postseason is one that could stick with Kershaw unless he can throw a gem his next time out to extend the series.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and accurate through Monday, Oct. 6.
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