Tom Brennan - Clutch Mets (and a Few Un-clutch Ones)

Clutch players lower the BOOM!

You don't win 65% of your games if you're not clutch. This Mets team is clutch, Dawg.  (Well, not so much last night, but....)

I have commented often this year on how incredibly clutch Edwin Diaz is.  Closing is the toughest job in baseball.  Teams know if they can get to you, they can tie it or win it.  Edwin has been the last line of defense, rebuffing the barbarians at the gate.

But who else is clutch?

Pete Alonso sure is.

Alonso through Saturday in the 9th inning and beyond in his career? A beastly 47 for 148, 12 doubles, a triple, 13 HRs, 31 RBIs. This year, 10 for 30 in the 9th and beyond, including a grand slam and 6 extra base hits.

A closer of sorts in his own right - with his bat.

Francisco Lindor? 2 outs and RISP?  .435/.643/1.078, in 42 at bats with 23 RBIs.  And 58 RBIs in 119 at bats with runners in scoring position.  CLUTCH!

Sometimes, a guy can be un-clutch early in games, and early counts too.  For instance, in 2021, "MC" Michael Conforto was a brutal 22 for 130 (.169) with just 1 HR in the first 3 innings of games.  Ever wonder why they scored so little early in games last year?  Look no further than MC Hammerless, who needed more coffee, I'd imagine.

Starling Marte, who replaced MC, has hit .360/.407/.500 in so-called "high leverage" situations this year. CLUTCH!

Jeff McNeil 34 for 100 (.340) with RISP.  CLUTCH! (And the good Jeffie went 4 for 4 last night, raising his average from a late July .287 to .315).

Eduardo Escobar? .200 with RISP.  Not clutch, but he is having a bad year, period.   Getting old, perhaps?  It happens.

Brandon Nimmo?  In the 9th and beyond, he is 8 for 27 with 4 walks and just 2 Ks.  Clutch, and even in somewhat of an off year so far, 69 runs scored in 105 games, a fine pace.  And .292/.357/.542 with RISP is clutch.  He uncharacteristically is hitting just .220 with 25 Ks in the first inning this year.  I expect that to rise for the rest of 2022.

Mark Canha has faded late, hitting just 28 for 141 (.199) from the 6th inning on, but he has walked 19 times in that stretch.  He's been a solid pro, but has not hit well in June, July and August after a great season start.  Maybe having the initials MC in the outfield has something to do with it. 

Luis Guillorme has just 15 RBIs this year, because he has hit very poorly with RISP.  His "clutch" has been with his glove. (Then, Sunday, he clutched his groin).

Of course, no discussion of "clutch" could exclude Herr Vogelbach, Tyler Naquin and Darin Ruf in their brief tenures.  SUPER-CLUTCH!  And Darin Ruf is quite the hurler.

Catchers?  Hitting .210 with just 37 RBIs.  Not much clutch there, whatsoever.  But they call a good game, so who am I to criticize?  Purists love them.  Nido of course gets COVID right before the Atlanta series - clutch the rosary beads for Tomas.

Pitchers?  Diaz, Max, Jake, Ottavino, Cookie, Taijuan, Bassitt, and Peterson?  You don't need me to tell you, they're all CLUTCH.  

Trevor Williams, Seth Lugo, Adonis Medina (but killed on the mound last night), and dearly departed Colin Holderman have been clutch as well. Colin's ERA is down to 1.44 and he has not allowed an earned run since he was traded.

All told, Led Zeppelin looks at the Mets and sings: 

A Whole Lotta Clutch.

Last night, though?

Dazed and Confused.