The clutchiness of A-Rod

Nothing excites Yankees fans more than a discussion on A-Rod and his ability – or inability, depending upon one’s viewpoint – to hit in the clutch. A-Rod’s detractors claim he is a choke artist and point to this play in the 2004 ALCS. His proponents will now just refer anyone who is anti-A-Rod to Cody Ransom. Meanwhile, John Beamer, a Braves fan and analyst for The Hardball Times, has used Leverage Index, a variant of Win Probability Added, to assess A-Rod’s clutchiness. He determines that the much-maligned slugger isn’t all that bad in the clutch. For the statistically minded among us, Beamer’s piece is a nice bit of research. Check it out.