Recently I chanced to hear a national announcer talk about Joey Votto’s status as the new “leader” of the Cincinnati Reds. To talk him up, instead of just using his outstanding traditional stats, he went to situational splits, as announcers are wont to do.
↵“After the seventh inning,” I paraphrased, “Votto’s hit—” and then a pause. “He’s behind only Matt Holliday of the Cardinals in batting average in these clutch situations.”
↵Clearly, I thought, he hasn’t been to St. Louis. And it reminds me that for all the frustrating things Matt Holliday has done this year it’s easy to miss them when he’s hitting .295/.375/.450 all year, and—as this announcer pointed out—.388 after the seventh inning. It’s not too early to be frustrated, but so long as Holliday’s hitting without runners in scoring position it’s too early to panic.