Originally Posted by
757690
I heartily agree. Walks are almost always a good thing.
However, hits are always a good thing, and better than a walk. A single is better than a walk, a double is better than a single, a triple is better than a double and home run trumps them all.
This is exactly why OBP is overrated (valuable, but overrated). It equates them all. In OBP, a home run counts the same as walk. That is why you need to look at both a players OBP and SLG to understand his true value, especially in clutch situations. Just as a lead off hitter can have a low SLG, but be valuable with a high OBP, a cleanup hitter can have a low OBP, but be valuable with a high SLG.
One more thing, I think the most interesting tidbit in the article is James' explanation for why he changed his mind. He said that before, he used faulty logic. He assumed that since he couldn't find any statistical evidence that clutch hitting existed, that therefore, there was no such thing as clutch hitting. He then realized that logically, another explanation was that he was using a faulty system to define clutch hitting. He researched it more, and came up with a system that better defined clutch hitting, and presto, he found evidence of it. Proof that we will never get to the end of understanding this great, wonderful sport.