ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: Joey Wendle #18 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field on August 22, 2021 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
One of the more controversial topics among sabermetricians is whether”clutch hitting” is an ability that can be applied to specific individual hitters, especially on the Tampa Bay Rays.
Naysayers point to the differences from year to year among one hitter’s “clutch” average, pointing out that the hitter is considered “clutch” in certain years but not over an entire career.