Move over, David Ortiz
by Dave StudemanJune 16, 2009
You may have noticed that Atlanta's Yunel Escobar is having a (relatively) big year, with 33 RBI's. His newfound production is partially due to his batting .400 with runners in scoring position, with a .771 slugging percentage.
But that's just a one-third year wonder. I'd like to point out that there's a new "Mr. Clutch" emerging on the baseball scene. The Angels' Jeff Mathis has been upping his performance with men on base for over a year now. Check it out: this year, he's batting .100 with a .121 slugging percentage with no one on, but .312/.429 with runners in scoring position.
And that's just a continuation of what he did last year: .137/.229 with no one on—.278/.500 with runners in scoring position.
Coincidence? Well, probably. But what the heck. All hail the majors' newest official Clutch Hitter, Jeff Mathis.
Dave was called a "national treasure" by Rob Neyer. Seriously. Comments about this article can be sent to him through the miracle of e-mail.