Name the top 5 clutch hitters in major league baseball history?

Question

and why were they great in the clutch.

Chris L - I agree with part of your statement. But the guy batting with runners on base or in scoring position has STILL got to come thru with the clutch hit. Does A Rod ring a bell? Great player but would you call him a clutch hitter?

1) Reggie Jackson
2) Stan Musial
3) Roberto Clemente
4) Frank Robinson
5) Mickey Mantle
All 5 were outstanding/clutch in World Series play and all contributed to championship winning teams. Yes Aaron was great in the clutch and tough he only played 2 world series he was outstanding in both and performed well against the Mets in the NLCS in1969.

Mantle and Aaron were tied for 5th. My apologies.

Answer 1

To name the 5 greatest clutch hitters in baseball history is impossible to determine, but fun anyway. Do you base your opinion on weather or not a player is already great or is it solely by statistics? Then you have to determine what really is a "clutch" situation. Is anything prior to the seventh inning considered clutch or what about the guy standing on first prior to the two-run bomb that was hit to win the game?

You see, all the aformentioned players listed prior to my response are already great & because we see their performances played over & over on ESPN Classic we assume they are the great "clutch" hitters of all time. So, without the symbol of greatness already attached to these players we would have the likes of Bill Buckner (not for his error in the 1986 W.S.), Thad Bosley, Scott Brosius, & David Eckstein on this list. WHY???? Because they too are considered great "clutch" hitters in some circles, we just fail to put them on the top of our list because they aren't already great players!

Now, with all that jazz being said here are my top 5 "Clutch" hitters & my reasons why!!

5)David Eckstein.....Shorter in stature than most middle school kids, this guy brought the hardware back to the STL in 2006. You can't be clutch without heart & this guy has plenty of it!! In my circle this guy is clutch!

4)Barry Bonds.....Dude started off slow in the 90's, but went off in 2002 with 8 HR's & 16 RBI in 17 games in the post season. Now teams won't even give him the chance to show how clutch he can be!! Love him or hate him he is on this list!!

3)Reggie Jackson.....Anybody with a nickname like Mr. October better be on any list!!

2)Derek Jeter.....Intangibles, period! Clutch single, clutch home run, clutch stolen base, clutch dive into the stands, clutch YANKEE.....this guy does it all like nobody before him!!!

1)Babe Ruth.....Dude that can curse an entire organization for over 80 years has to be clutch. His production was so clutch we had to rephrase the word to read...GREATNESS!!

Answer 2

1. Yankees- I know this is an unpopular view but I have to say that the teams that always win do so as a result of the fans. The fans put pressure on the ownership and players to win titles or they will destroy them with heckling and not showing up. Go to New York people love the Yankees they mean everything to that city more than the Knicks, Giants, Jets, Rangers, or Mets could ever hope to mean. 2. Red Sox- for many of the same reasons as with the Yankees the entire city lives and dies with the Sox even when they hadn't won a title in 86 years. 3. Cubs- They may whine a lot but there is a reason they are called the lovable losers. Go to Chicago the people there love the Cubbies and will support them through it all. 4. Seattle- Despite losing many of their great players like Griffey and A-Rod they still come out and support that team year in and year out. 5. St. Louis- They love baseball in that city and always will. Worst- I can't say a team like Tampa or of the Marlins because those teams really havent done enough to build a great fan base I know that the Marlins have won to titles but they also promptly blew up their teams. I know that Tampa has been good in the past 3 years but that doesn't erase 15 years of being horrendous. If I had to say a team I would go with Atlanta they have been a consistently strong team for years with a good history and the fans really do not support that team they way they should.

Answer 3

1. Reggie Jackson- "Mr October" for a reason. Everyone knows about feats with Yankees and four-homer series, but he was also key clutch hitter for A's run of three world titles from 72-74.

2. Tony Perez-holds MLB record for most two-out RBI hits. Clutch performer for "Big Red Machine" of late 1960s and the 70s. Had game winning homer in 15th inning of 1967 All-Star game.

3. Frank Robinson- just rewatched 1966 World Series and this legend keyed O's to title with hits not off of just any pitchers by Koufax and Drysadale. Next-to-last to win Triple Crown, MVP in both leagues. Key hits for O's 1969-1974 great teams including Title in 1970 and three straight AL pennants.

4. Lou Gehrig- First iron man, the "Iron Horse"-Unreal no one has put this guy on the list. After 70 years still near the top in many offensive categories and still leads in Grand Slams (23)

5. (Tie)Stan Musial, Ted Williams-argument could easily be made that they were the greatest period. Few as high in as many offensive categories.

Answer 4

Clutch is a lot different then best... best clutch hitters in my opinion..

1. Reggie Jackson
2. Jim Thome
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Albert Belle
5. Big Papi
6. Manny Ramirez

Interesting that manny has played with 3 of the other 5 on this list...

Answer 5

Bebe Ruth - Far better than anyone else in his era, would be awesome at any time past, present or future.
Ted Williams - hit for average, hit for power, hit in different eras, best pure hitter ever.
Mike Schmidt - hit HRs whenever he needed to in an era when HRs meant something.
Stan Musial - always known as a clutch hitter. Would be among the greatest legends (even more so) if he had played on the East Coast.
Kirby Puckett - Clutch hits to win the World Series twice. What is more clutch than that.

Answer 6

There's nothing more clutch than he who produces when it counts the most. In the World Series.

1. Reggie Jackson - "Mr.October". He hit 4 home runs in 4 at bats in the World Series. For those that don't remeber he homered in his last at bat in LA before they came back to New Yok where he hit 3 in a row.
2. Mickey Mantle - He hit .400 in a seven game World Series
3. Derek Jeter - "Mr.November" he has a story book career peroid.
4. Ted Williams - One of the toughest outs in baseball.
5. David Ortiz - "Big Papi" - He who ends games with one swing.

Answer 7

1) Stan Musial
2)David Ortiz - Who could forget that 4-3 series versus the Yanks? David Ortiz in extra innings twice! Clutch
3)Willie Mays
4)Pete Rose - He did it for the money but that man was clutch.
5)Babe Ruth - The Sultan....

Answer 8

1. Eddie Murray
2. Roberto Clemente
3. Ted Williams
4. David Ortiz
5. George Brett

Eddie Murray was a quiet guy. He said hello in April, goodbye in October, and in between he hit .300 with 100+ RBI's He was famous for delivering late inning big hits to hel the O's win

Answer 9

Hitting in the clutch is a myth. It just happens that good hitters get up to bat with runners on. Hitting in the clutch is more dependent on having excellent people ahead of you in the lineup. You need to drive runs in, in order to be "successful in the clutch."

I totally agree with your response...ARod isn't, by definition, a good clutch hitter. I'm just saying that being clutch relies a lot more on someone being on base when you get up to bat. Ortiz/Jeter (etc) would never get a chance to be "clutch" if the guys ahead of him never got on base. Does this make any sense? Its late in the work day and I'm starting to see double from staring at my computer screen all day....

Answer 10

Reggie Jackson rings
Yogi Berra rings
Derek Jeter rings
Mickey Mantle great in the series
Joe D again great in the postseason and rings make the world go round