30 MLB Hitters You Would Least Like to Face in Pressure Moments

The game is on the line. Your team is within striking distance, down by just a run or two. Who do you want at the plate in these key situations?

Well, I studied hours and hours of game films to answer this question for you...OK, no I didn't, I just crunched a bunch of numbers and evaluated how some of the game's best performed in pressure situations.

Alright, you got me, I didn't do that, either.

What I did do was visit some of the best baseball sites on the Internet to look at some stats and brush up on sabermetrics. It would have been too easy to just rank the best hitters based on their batting averages, homers or RBI, after all.

Instead, the best evaluators I found were to look at the players' "clutch" statistics, and then even more importantly, their "Win Probability Added" (WPA) statistics.

The WPA statistic calculates the win-expectancy with a specific player at bat on a play-by-play basis.

So in other words, it helps us take a look at which players were able to "step up" and get the job done more often than not.

With that said, here is my list of the top 30 players (based solely on this year's contributions) that I would least like to face with the game on the line.

Although I based this solely on the sabermetric statistic for "Win Probability Added," feel free to add in your list, or players you feel deserve to be here below in the comments.

30) Robinson Cano: New York Yankees

Robinson Cano comes in at No. 30 using the WPA statistic with a 2.21.

Cano has a .307/.351/.533 batting line with 23 home runs and 101 RBI in 136 games so far this season. Not a bad encore to his 2010 season in which he finished third in the MVP voting.

More impressively, though, Cano is batting .321/.355/.635 with seven homers and 79 RBI with runners in scoring position.

His batting average is .308 in late close games, .352 in tie games and .340 when the Yankees are within one run of their opponent.

29) Carlos Quentin: Chicago White Sox

Carlos Quentin's .255/.341/.501 batting line, 24 homers and 77 RBI earned him a 2.31 WPA rating.

Quentin's batting average improves when he bats with runners in scoring position.

With RISP, Quentin's batting line jumps to .295/.349/.563.

In late and close games he is batting .297 with three homers and .283 with eight homers in tie games. 10 of his homers have come when the White Sox are trailing in the game, helping them fight their way back into such games.

28) Johnny Damon: Tampa Bay Rays

Johnny Damon is having a nice first season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

His .260/.314/.417 batting line is not overly impressive, but he has added 14 homers (six higher than last season's total) and 61 RBI (10 higher than last season).

Damon has been at his best in games in which the Rays are within one or two runs of the lead.

In games in which the Rays are trailing by a single run he is batting .287 with seven homers and 34 RBI.

For his efforts in clutch situations, Damon earned a 2.34 WPA rating.

27) Paul Konerko: Chicago White Sox

Paul Konerko also earned a 2.34 WPA rating so far this season.

His overall stats are better than Damon's, though, with a .318/.403/.547 batting line, 28 homers and 92 RBI.

Where Konerko loses some points, and this may be a bit unfair, is his production when the team is ahead versus behind in the game.

Konerko is batting .331 with 12 homers when the White Sox have the lead in a game, and .291 with 10 homers when the Sox are behind.

Konerko is still managing a .286 batting average with runners in scoring position, though. While it's a significant drop from his .318 overall batting average, it is still significantly better than most of the league.

26) Troy Tulowitzki: Colorado Rockies

Troy Tulowitzki is putting together another season that should earn him MVP votes.

He is batting .305/.375/.548 with 28 homers and 97 RBI so far through 134 games.

In clutch situations, though, Tulowitzki has managed to escalate his game even further.

With runners in scoring position and two outs, he is batting .361. He is batting .311 with 19 homers when the score is within one run.

Tulowitzki's WPA rating for the year is 2.41.

25) Aramis Ramirez: Chicago Cubs

Aramis Ramirez has earned a 2.44 WPA rating this season.

For the season as a whole, he is batting .307/.354/.513 with 24 homers and 83 RBI.

His batting average drops to .278 when he comes to the plate with runners in scoring position, but he has hit nine of his homers in these situations, accounting for 59 of his RBI.

He is batting .313 in late and close games and .317 in tie games. His batting average in games in which the Cubs trail is .312, and he has hit 10 of his homers to help bring the Cubs back into games.

24) Dustin Pedroia: Boston Red Sox

Dustin Pedroia, the former MVP (2008), comes in at 24th in this ranking with a 2.45 WPA rating.

Pedroia is batting .309/.396/.476 with 18 homers and 77 RBI for the Red Sox this season.

Wouldn't you know it? Pedroia's batting average increases to .315 with runners in scoring position and stays there when you add two outs into the equation—not bad consistency from Boston's second baseman.

In fact, Pedroia stays pretty consistent all the way across the board. He is batting .316 in late and close games, .305 in tie games, .314 when the Red Sox are ahead in the game and .307 when they trail.

58 of his 77 RBI have come with runners in scoring position.

Would you have guessed that you'd rather have Pedroia at the plate with the game on the line than David Ortiz (who would of ranked 33rd)?

23) Alex Avila: Detroit Tigers

Alex Avila has put together an impressive season for a young catcher, good enough to earn him a 2.59 WPA rating with the game on the line.

Avila is batting .296/.389/.515 with 17 homers and 66 RBI in 2011.

He is batting .280 with runners in scoring position with 44 RBI.

Although he has been more productive when the Tigers are ahead in the game (.321 average with eight homers and 32 RBI), he has also helped them in come-from-behind situations (.280 average with seven homers and 20 RBI). He's added in a pair of homers and 14 RBI in tie games.

22) Hunter Pence: Philadelphia Phillies

There's certainly a reason Hunter Pence was one of the most sought after bats at the trade deadline.

His .311/.366/.488 batting line, with 18 homers and 79 RBI, is made slightly better by his .313 average with runners in scoring position.

Pence further escalates his game in late and close situations by batting .317, though, and turns it up even further to a .342 average in tie games.

He's certainly a guy you would trust with the bat in his hands and the game on the line, and he earned his 2.64 WPA rating, good for No. 22 for the season ranking.

21) Michael Morse: Washington Nationals

Michael Morse, "The Beast," is having a beast of a season for the Washington Nationals.

The first baseman/outfielder is currently batting .313/.368/.549 with 24 homers and 79 RBI in 125 games.

His batting average jumps to .330 when he comes to the plate with runners in scoring position, though, and stays above .300 when you add two outs into the equation.

When batting in tie games, he has been on fire, batting .356 with 12 homers and 27 RBI.

Morse may not be a household name, but he is currently the 21st best hitter in the majors with the game on the line with a 2.73 WPA rating.

20) Alex Gordon: Kansas City Royals

The Royals' patience and faith in Alex Gordon has certainly paid off this season as he has posted stats worthy of the No. 20 ranking with a 2.74 WPA rating.

Gordon is batting a career best .304/.377/.505 with 20 homers and 75 RBI (all career highs).

He's connected for 10 of his homers with the run differential being only a single run and added five homers in tie game situations.

His .303 average and 10 homers when the Royals are trailing have helped keep them in games and take the lead at times this season.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2005 draft is finally starting to put it all together.

19) Michael Young: Texas Rangers

Considering all the drama that surrounded Michael Young and his trade request in the preseason, it is nice to see him having such a great 2011 season.

Young is currently batting .336/.376/.486 with 11 homers and 90 RBI for the Texas Rangers.

Young has been very good with runners in scoring position, batting an amazingly high .377 with 73 RBI!

In late and close games he is batting .367.

Young's exploits in close games have earned him a 2.77 WPA rating, good enough for No. 19 on this list.

18) Justin Upton: Arizona Diamondbacks

Justin Upton has been one of the key contributors for the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011.

Upton is batting .295/.376/.536 with 24 homers, a league-high 37 doubles and 81 RBI.

He is batting .354 with runners in scoring position and two outs, though, and .338 with 10 homers in tie games.

It'll be interesting to see how the 24-year-old reacts to the increased pressure of performing in the postseason, but for now he has earned his 2.79 WPA rating.

17) Adrian Gonzalez: Boston Red Sox

Considering that Adrian Gonzalez leads the majors in batting average (.342) and hits (188), I would have expected him to rank at least in the top five.

Add into the consideration the 23 homers he has sent out of ballparks around the league along with his 103 RBI and you have the makings of an MVP candidate.

Believe it or not, where Gonzalez loses points is with runners in scoring position. This is a bit of a hard argument for me to make since he is still batting .331 in such situations, but it does represent a drop from his overall batting average, suggesting he performs better when he is not in clutch situations.

His average drops further with RISP in two-out situations (.302) as well as in late and close game scenarios (.307).

He is batting just .288 when the Red Sox are behind in the game.

Perhaps you'd prefer Gonzalez as one of the guys to help get you ahead, but you'd certainly still take him with the game on the line.

I understand the stat rating, but I still think I'd have personally put him higher if I weren't just ranking it where they fall.

His WPA rating is currently 2.86.

16) Curtis Granderson: New York Yankees

Curtis Granderson is another MVP candidate that finds himself in the middle of this ranking (although that still represents the cream of the crop in comparison to all major leaguers).

Granderson is batting .271/.375/.576 with 38 homers, a league-high 107 RBI and also a league-high 125 runs scored.

Unfortunately, only nine of his 38 homers have come with runners in scoring position and only 17 with runners on (21 solo shots).

His batting average with runners in scoring position is not much to brag about either at .243.

Aside from his overall great production numbers, where Granderson does win some points is his production in tie games. He has hit 13 homers with the score all knotted up even.

Based largely on his overall production and his ability to change a game with one swing of the bat, Granderson earns a 2.89 WPA rating, good enough for No. 16.

15) Carlos Beltran: San Francisco Giants

I know some San Francisco Giants fans who may disagree with this ranking, but prior to his trade to SF, there was a reason Carlos Beltran was the most sought after bat prior to the trade deadline.

His combined totals between the New York Mets and Giants are a .295/.385/.510 batting line with 17 homers and 73 RBI.

With runners in scoring position this season, he is batting .317 and .307 with runners on base.

With his team trailing, Beltran has boosted his average to .306 with six homers and 24 RBI. He also hit six of his homers with the game tied.

Beltran has posted a 2.93 WPA rating, making him the 15th best player to have at the plate with the game on the line.

14) Bobby Abreu: Los Angeles Angels

Hey, Angel fans, care to give me a rebuttal on this selection?

Bobby Abreu's stats are not at all impressive this season, although he deserves this inclusion.

For the season, he is batting just .252/.356/.355 with six homers and 52 RBI.

He earns the 3.12 WPA rating and 14th best hitter with the game on the line selection based on his numbers in clutch situations, though.

Abreu has a .316 average when coming to the plate with runners in scoring position. His average jumps to .351 with runners in scoring position and two outs and stays impressive at .321 when appearing in late and close games.

He also posts a .303 batting average when the Angels are trailing in games and 37 of his RBI have come with the Angels either trailing or tied.

13) Matt Holliday: St. Louis Cardinals

Matt Holliday is certainly a more expected name to be on this list than Abreu was.

Holliday is batting .304/.400/.548 with 21 homers and 71 RBI this season.

He has an even better average, .324, with runners in scoring position. Holliday turns it up even further to .323 when appearing in late and close games and, more impressively, to .339 when appearing in tie situations.

Nine of his 21 homers have come with the score tied and eight have come with the Cardinals trailing (pulling them back into those games).

Holliday's contributions to the Cardinals have earned him a 3.26 WPA rating so far this season.

12) Ryan Howard: Philadelphia Phillies

Ryan Howard is having a little bit of an off season with his batting average currently down to .249.

His power numbers are still good, though, with 30 homers and 104 RBI.

With runners in scoring position, Howard has been good. He has posted a .310 batting average overall and .338 with RISP and two outs.

He has homered 11 times in tie situations and six times with the Phillies trailing, accounting for more than half of his homers either giving the Phillies the lead or helping them climb back into a game.

Howard is always a power threat and can change the game with a single swing of the bat. He certainly earns his 3.29 WPA rating and No. 12 overall ranking.

11) Albert Pujols: St. Louis Cardinals

Perhaps a down year by Albert Pujols' standards, but he is still having a great season compared to the rest of the National League.

Pujols is batting .296/.369/.555 with 34 homers and 85 RBI in his contract season.

He is batting .311 with men on base and .314 with runners in scoring position this season. His homers have been fairly evenly distributed, with 11 coming when the Cardinals are ahead, 11 when they are behind and 12 when they are tied.

He does step up his hitting when trying to bring the Cardinals back into the game and give them a win, though, batting .355 in such situations.

Pujols is still one of the most dangerous hitters in the game as his 3.61 WPA rating suggests.

10) Shane Victorino: Philadelphia Phillies

Shane Victorino rated ahead of Albert Pujols? Wow, I must have hit my head on something...Well, let's take a look at the numbers and figure this one out.

Victorino is batting .305/.381/.537 with 15 homers and 54 RBI for the season, not quite Pujols-esque.

He is batting .300 with men on base and .299 with runners in scoring position.

Oh wait, here we go...Victorino is batting .409 with runners in scoring position and two outs, .400 in late and close games and .323 when the game is within one run.

He has homered five times with the game tied and four times to help bring the Phillies back into a game when they trail.

I guess I understand now how Victorino earned his 3.65 WPA rating (0.04 better than Pujols).

9) Lance Berkman: St. Louis Cardinals

Lane Berkman is having a very good season to make good on the one-year deal he signed last offseason.

He is batting .281/.398/.550 with 30 homers and 83 RBI for the Cardinals this season.

Berkman takes his game to another level with runners in scoring position, though, batting .358 with nine homers and 58 RBI.

He is almost equally as good with runners in scoring position and two outs, posting a .342 average. He also has managed a .318 average when batting in tie situations this season. 10 of his homers have come with the score tied.

Berkman should find a multi-year deal with a raise thanks to his clutch hitting, which also earned him a 4.25 WPA rating.

8) Josh Hamilton: Texas Rangers

I'm sure it's not the encore Josh Hamilton envisioned for his 2010 MVP season, but he is still putting together a very good season, and is still one of the best clutch hitters in the game.

In 2011, Hamilton is batting .300/.345/.523 with 19 homers and 76 RBI.

He has a .319 batting average with men on base, though, a .340 average when appearing in a late and close-game situation and a .372 average when the score is tied.

15 of his 19 homers have come when the Rangers are either tied or behind.

Hamilton has certainly contributed to the Rangers' success in 2011 by coming through in the clutch, earning him his 4.51 WPA ranking.

7) Jacoby Ellsbury: Boston Red Sox

Alright, Jacoby Ellsbury is having a great season, but is he really better with the game on the line than David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez?

According to his 4.54 WPA rating, he is.

Ellsbury is batting .313/.374/.522 with 24 homers and 85 RBI so far this year.

His .342 average with men on base and .350 average with runners in scoring position definitely jump out at you.

Ellsbury is even better with runners in scoring position and two outs, batting .377 in such situations.

17 of his 24 homers have come with the Red Sox either tied or trailing in the game.

Yeah, I guess if I were an opposing pitcher, I would rather face David Ortiz or even Adrian Gonzalez than Jacoby Ellsbury.

6) Ryan Braun: Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan Braun is certainly making a case for MVP consideration with the season he is having.

His .331/.400/.582 batting line represents the best of his career. He has also connected for 25 homers and 91 RBI this season.

Braun has been especially tough in clutch situations, though. He is batting .341 with men on base and .339 when he has runners in scoring position.

He has a .331 batting average and 10 homers when he comes to bat in tied situations, and a .362 average and seven homers when he comes up with the Brewers trailing.

As his 4.69 WPA rating represents, Braun is one of the toughest batters to face with the game on the line.

5) Matt Kemp: Los Angeles Dodgers

Ryan Braun has some serious competition in the MVP race from Matt Kemp.

Kemp has a .320/.400/.566 batting line with 31 homers and 102 RBI.

He has also been dangerous with runners on base, batting .340 when he has men on base and .311 with runners in scoring position.

21 of Kemp's homers have come with the Dodgers either tied or trailing in a game.

He likely won't receive the votes he'd need to win the MVP based on the current ranking of his team, but his 4.9 WPA rating demonstrates where he stands amongst the most dangerous hitters in the game.

4) Miguel Cabrera: Detroit Tigers

It's nice to see his preseason DUI and concerning rant to police has not effected Miguel Cabrera's play on the field at all this season. And if it has? Well, that's an even scarier thought given his overall statistics.

For the 2011 season so far, Cabrera has posted a .328/.430/.555 batting line with 25 homers and 88 RBI.

He is batting .367 with men on base and .400 with runners in scoring position. His batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs is .382, and 18 of his homers have come with the Tigers either tied or trailing. 

Miguel Cabrera certainly earns his spot among the top five most dangerous hitters with the game on the line. His WPA rating is currently 5.6, just in case you were wondering.

3) Prince Fielder: Milwaukee Brewers

Prince Fielder is having a great season in a contract year.

He is currently batting .297/.408/.552 with 31 homers and a league-high 107 RBI.

Fielder is even better in the clutch, though. With men on base, he is batting .305. With runners in scoring position, he is batting .324, and .310 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

He doesn't waste his home run power in meaningless situations, either: 22 of his 31 homers have come with the game either tied or with the Brewers trailing.

It appears he'll have a chance to further increase his contract value as the Brewers are likely headed into the postseason. It will definitely be worth watching how Fielder handles hitting in the increased pressure of playoff baseball (he batted just .071 in the 2008 playoffs).

His 5.65 WPA rating suggests he will fare better this year.

2) Joey Votto: Cincinnatti Reds

The reigning National League MVP is currently the most dangerous hitter in the National League with the game on the line.

Joey Votto has posted a .321/.435/.546 batting line with 26 homers, 88 RBI and a league-leading 100 walks this season.

Votto is batting .359 with men on base, .409 with runners in scoring position and .410 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

22 of his 26 homers have come with the score tied or the Reds trailing, meaning, like with Fielder, he does not waste his power on meaningless score-boosting shots. He helps give the Reds the lead or cut a deficit when he clears the fences.

Whether or not Votto can win back-to-back MVP awards is certainly not my call, but there is no other batter in the National League I would fear more facing with the game on the line.

His WPA rating is a National League best 6.55.

1) Jose Bautista: Toronto Blue Jays

No surprise here, Jose Bautista is the most dangerous hitter on the planet—of course he would rank No. 1 in terms of the most dangerous batters to face with the game on the line.

Bautista has a major league best 6.94 WPA rating.

His 2011 stats include a .309/.448/.634 batting line with a league-best 39 homers, 91 RBI and league-leading 109 walks.

Bautista has posted a .355 batting average and 10 homers in late and close-game situations, a .338 average and 11 homers in tie-game situations and a .303 average with 17 homers in situations in which the Blue Jays are trailing and need to catch up.

Although overall he is not great with runners in scoring position (.242 batting average), his overall production and knack for coming through when it matters most in late-game situations still makes him the most dangerous hitter in baseball today, and the batter you would least want to face with the game on the line.