A-Rod’s “Clutch” Home Runs Compared to Mickey Mantle’s and Yogi Berra’s
April 29, 2012 · Harold Friend · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Alex Rodriguez has been give the reputation as a player that rarely produces when it counts, which is ridiculous.
Until his 1956 Triple Crown season, the same was said of Mickey Mantle. Today, Mantle is considered one of the most “clutch” New York Yankees ever.
A Mantle home run ended the game 13 times. A-Rod has done it nine times, four with the Yankees.
Mantle hit eight grand slam home runs. Rodgriguez will tie Lou Gehrig’s record of 23 grand slams with his next one.
Now to “meaningless” home runs. A more accurate term is “seemingly less meaningful” home runs.
Mantle hit 43 of his 536 career home runs with the Yankees ahead by at least four runs. Eight percent of his home runs were hit when the Yankees led by at least four runs.
Rodriguez has hit 83 of his 633 home runs with his team leading by four runs or more, which calculates to 13 percent.
Mantle hit 59 home runs—or 11 percent—with the Yankees trailing by at least four runs. Rodriguez has done it 71 times—also 11 percent.
With the score tied, Mantle hit 161 home runs at 30 percent. A-Rod has 176 at 28 percent.
Baseball-Reference.com has attempted to quantify pivotal plays with its Leverage Index. A runner on second in the late innings of a tie game is a more critical situation than a runner on second in a game where a team is leading by 10 runs.
An average leverage situation has a value of 1.00. In key situations, the Leverage Index is greater than 1.00 and in low-key situations, it is less that 1.00.
Player High Lev Med Lev Low Lev
Mantle 20 percent 37 percent 43 percent
A-Rod 19 percent 35 percent 46 percent
The differences are not significant.
Finally, let’s look at one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, Yogi Berra, who hit 358 home runs. Because the statistics are incomplete, statistics are available for 293 of his home runs.
Player High Lev Med Lev Low Lev
Mantle 20 percent 37 percent 43 percent
A-Rod 19 percent 35 percent 46 percent
Berra 27 percent 38 percent 35 percent.
There is little difference between Mantle’s and Rodriguez’s “clutch” home runs. Berra trumps them both despite not hitting as many homers.
More must be researched to compare Berra to other greats.
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