He went from being a talented hitter who couldnt hit in the clutch, to perhaps now a less able guy who can.

 

When did this really start up? Game 163?

about the same time BA could never hit, Colon could never pitch, and the sox would easily lose 100 games

prob the minute TCQ went down, someone has to step up.

 

 

I keep imagining this team with Slayer in the lineup.

 

Imagine if Richard and Floyd keep this up for awhile.

prob the minute TCQ went down, someone has to step up.

 

 

I keep imagining this team with Slayer in the lineup.

 

Imagine if Richard and Floyd keep this up for awhile.

and/or Danks gets his stuff together a little more (he's gutted through his last 2 outings, but it seems he's on the verge of getting it really on track)

When he was 16 and lightning struck a tree in his backyard.

Though I doubt Colon can last all year, and I for sure do not want Contreras back.

Clutch doesn’t exist; the real question is when did Jim Thome become a great hitter? The answer? 1991. His rookie year. He’s still got it, so people can continue to doubt him all they want. Personally, I don’t care. He’s winning ball games for my team. That’s all that matters,

I sometimes get frustrated by the strikeouts, but I always love when they show his face with his helmet off when the team is celebrating a win or something. He's old school with the

crew cut and popeye body.

He's a big dude and a Hall of Famer. Wish we could make the WS with him on the team.

He may not be here next year.

Edited June 2, 200916 yr by greg775

if slayer is brought up soon, i'm calling in sick and getting tickets to that game so long as it's at the cell

if slayer is brought up soon, i'm calling in sick and getting tickets to that game so long as it's at the cell

 

Out of left field...

When he was 16 and lightning struck a tree in his backyard.

 

all time favorite movie right there

As Thunderbolt got at, Thome's always been a great hitter, and great hitters are usually clutch. Thome's been doing this for a while.

 

500 was a walk-off, 550 was a game winning 3 run homer, what's he going to do with 600?

Thome has been clutch forever. You don't hit 550 homers or drive in 1520 run without it. Heck all you have to do is think back to his Indian days of kicking our asses all over the field to remember it. Just because someone on a message board said he wasn't doesn't mean they are right.

So let me recap this entire argument before it continues on endlessly with neither side admitting defeat...

 

is clutch when he hits the ball fair/safe in an important situation.

 

is not clutch when he strikes out or hits into the shift/non shift in same situation.

 

I bet people said Alexei was clutch last year whenever he stepped up with the bases loaded, too.

 

Edited June 2, 200916 yr by Y2HH

Thome keeps on chugging at 38. What a monster.

You have players like Derek Jeter who are labeled "clutch" by everyone, but look at Jeter's stats. If he hits in the .290s, that's a "down" year for him. Then look at his postseason stats and you see that they're virtually identical to his career stats. Is he really "clutch" or is it just because he's one of the best pure hitters in the game? If you're a great player, generally speaking, you will be great in "clutch" situations too. When there appears to be a disparity, you can attribute that to data fluctuations due to small sample sizes.

 

On the other hand you have average players who get the reputations as being "clutch" (Crede for example) but realistically, that's your positive memories lying to you. Nearly all the time, if you look up their stats, they're not as impressive as you think they are.

As Thunderbolt got at, Thome's always been a great hitter, and great hitters are usually clutch. Thome's been doing this for a while.

 

500 was a walk-off, 550 was a game winning 3 run homer, what's he going to do with 600?

 

Hit and destroy a bank of lights on top of the stadium.

 

He went from being a talented hitter who couldnt hit in the clutch, to perhaps now a less able guy who can.

 

When did this really start up? Game 163?

 

There's no such thing as clutch. If he was bad in the clutch for the last 17 years, law of averages says he will be good in thte clutch for the next 17 years

BTW, in regards to my earlier post, there's exceptions to everything - Joe Morgan for example never did s*** in the playoffs, like at all. Postseason batting average of .182 (222 PAs), .671 OPS that's way below his career OPS (.800, and for some reason I feel funny when I talk about Morgan's OPS because he's such an idiot on TV when it comes to stats even though OPS ironically helps his career look better).

Y'all are missing the obvious answer. It pops right out if you look at Big Jim's stats.

 

Against RHP, Jim in his career has this line:

.295 .430 .617 1.047, 448 HR.

 

Against LHP in his career, Jim has this line:

.240 .343 .425 .768, 102 HR.

 

Although he has a fair # of total home runs, against LHP in his career, Big Jim has been a fairly ordinary hitter, but he has absolutely destroyed RHP. Those splits are insane against RHP, but if you're an opposing manager, it gives you a solution if you see Jim coming up late in the game. Put in a LHP, and you've got a good chance of surviving to the next batter. Big Jim was the ultimate guy to put in a Loogy against. If you're talking about his performance early in the game versus late in the game...no manager is going to use up a LOOGY against Thome in the 4th inning, but they will very likely do so in the 8th inning of a close game. Jim's LHP/RHP splits alone therefore would make him a likely candidate to be "unclutch" because he's never hit LHP all that well.

 

No, le'ts look at the last 3 seasons vs. LHP:

 

.196 .314 .350 .663 - 2007

.233 .337 .521 .858 - 2008

.300 .417 .700 1.117 - 2009

 

It may be a simple sample size issue, but Jim's numbers the last 2 seasons against LHP have been vastly better than what he's done other years in his career. In other words...in 2007, you put in a LOOGY to shut jim down, and Jim shuts down late in the game. In 2008/2009 so far, you put in a LOOGY, and Jim's still doing his normal amount of damage - he's no longer a guy that you can shut down late in the game.

I think we covered that in a "Thome sucks-no he doesn't" thread last year.

As Thunderbolt got at, Thome's always been a great hitter, and great hitters are usually clutch. Thome's been doing this for a while.

 

500 was a walk-off, 550 was a game winning 3 run homer, what's he going to do with 600?

The game-winning shot in game 163 in 2010.

My man-love for Peoria Jim continues to blossom.

 

Next big milestones are Killebrew, etc., but also 1000 career extra base hits - he's at 978, so he should get there by August.

 

Looking at the Sox teams of the near future, 2010 and 2011, I think we should try to keep him in the fold if he's still productive at the end of this season. He'd probably sign on the cheap, because:

 

A. he's close to home

B. he must realize that the team's prospects are very good for getting him his first WS ring.

 

We'll need his lefty power bat at least until Allen is ready, so I'm thinking a one year deal with a second year option if incentives are met.

 

He'll get his #600 next year, and he may pass Sosa, Griffey (who has just a few dingers left IMO), etc. in '11, and retire #6 all time, as a White Sox, behind only Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays and ARoid. If you believe that Jimmy has done it the "right way", in the minds of many, he'll be #4 all time.

My man-love for Peoria Jim continues to blossom.

 

Next big milestones are Killebrew, etc., but also 1000 career extra base hits - he's at 978, so he should get there by August.

 

Looking at the Sox teams of the near future, 2010 and 2011, I think we should try to keep him in the fold if he's still productive at the end of this season. He'd probably sign on the cheap, because:

 

A. he's close to home

B. he must realize that the team's prospects are very good for getting him his first WS ring.

 

We'll need his lefty power bat at least until Allen is ready, so I'm thinking a one year deal with a second year option if incentives are met.

 

He'll get his #600 next year, and he may pass Sosa, Griffey (who has just a few dingers left IMO), etc. in '11, and retire #6 all time, as a White Sox, behind only Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays and ARoid. If you believe that Jimmy has done it the "right way", in the minds of many, he'll be #4 all time.

Actually #3. Ruth was hopped up on tube steaks, scotch and whores.

Jim is hitting .350/.487/.667/1.154 w/ 5 HR, 18 RBI and 17BB/16K over his last 20 games.

 

Just an idea of how huge Jim's bombs have been this year:

DATE  HR SITUATION RESULT INN LEAD/TIED

4/07: 3R   DOWN     LEAD  8th *

4/12: 2R   TIED     LEAD  6th **

4/19: 1R   AHEAD     --   8th

4/22: 1R   AHEAD    up4   3rd

5/12: 2R   TIED     LEAD  1st ***

5/12: 2R   DOWN     LEAD  5th ****

5/18: 2R   DOWN     TIED  8th *****

5/25: 3R   AHEAD     --   3rd

6/01: 3R   TIED     LEAD  8th ******
 

SPRAY CHART:

LF: 1

LC: 4

CF: 1

RC: 2

RF: 1
 

SPLITS:

RISP:       45 PA, .286/.422/.714/1.137, 4 HR 24 RBI

RISP 2 OUT: 19 PA, .375/.474/.875/1.349, 2 HR 13 RBI

CLOSE/LATE: 21 PA, .250/.286/.750/1.036, 3 HR 10 RBI

HIGH LVRGE: 30 PA, .296/.367/.778/1.144, 4 HR 15 RBI