Clutch and Jam Ratings
All DMB batters have Clutch ratings and all DMB pitchers have
Jam ratings. Both ratings are used to raise the level of
performance in the late innings of close games. DMB gives out a
limited number of good clutch and jam ratings each season, and
these players are more valuable in those late-inning
situations.
But the baseball research community has yet to find any
compelling evidence that certain players are able to raise their
game consistently in these situations. The evidence seems to
suggest that any apparent clutch performance is an illusion, that
the laws of chance predict that some players are going to be up,
some down, and some normal when you choose any subset of 50-60
atbats out of his total for the season. So the fact that a player
raised his game in the 50-60 atbats that fit the
late-inning-close-game definition probably means he was just
lucky.
Consequently, we give you the option to use the clutch ratings
or to turn them off. If you use them, batters and pitchers with
better-than-normal clutch and jam ratings will be a little better
than usual in the late innings of close games. But this isn't a
strong factor in the design of the game, so we recommend that you
avoid placing a lot of weight on these ratings when making your
decisions. It's rarely a good idea to use a weaker player over a
better one just because the weaker player may have a better clutch
or jam rating.
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