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• Vote: Is Alex Rodriguez clutch?

The idea of "clutchness" is one that has been hotly debated in baseball circles. Some maintain that certain players wilt under pressure, while other stand tall and deliver. Others believe that there is no sutch thing as a clutch player, only players who have taken advantage of the vagaries of small sample size and luck. While we certainly aren't about to settle anything in this small space, we'd like to present to you the case of one Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez's past postseason struggles are well-known; he's been invisible in some series and way too visible in others. Back in August, SportsNation's opinion on Alex Rodriguez was straightforward and, to most, uncontroversial: he was a choker. That's all changed with the advent of the newly focused, newly dominant Postseason Alex Rodriguez, who has been mashing his way through the playoffs like a sledgehammer. Two weeks ago, when we asked who fans would least want to see with the game on the line were they playing the Yankees, Derek Jeter won. But Alex Rodriguez came awful close.

Now, Rodriguez has a chance to complete his postseason redemption if he performs well in the World Series. Has he transcended his former Choker label and instead become Clutch? For the first time in a long time, the analysts aren't touting him as a Question Mark coming into this series; instead, he's expected to be a Sure Thing.

Daniel (Tallahassee)

Buster, do the Yankees have to win the Series for ARod to keep his newly found reputation of being able to perform in the postseason? Or could he possible keep it with a strong performance in a Game 7 loss for example?

Buster Olney

Daniel: He has crossed one boundary, for sure, with the way he has played, turning the corner from his past struggles in the postseason. But let's face it: If he were to go 0-for-25 in the World Series, he would have to face the same questions from the media and the fan base. If you play for the Yankees, the standard of the team and the fan base is that you have to win a championship. The only player that I think ever really overcame this stigma, to be accepted as a core Yankee, was Don Mattingly. Clay Bellinger is cheered at Old-Timers' games because he helped the teams win the World Series a couple of times. I think A-Rod deserves respect for how he's made the needed changes this year, and he has one more step to take to gain full acceptance by the core Yankees fans.

Frank (CT)

Small sample facts aside, I wonder how much of A-Rod's performance in the playoffs is due to the fact that (he may or may not be on hgh) he got to rehab and start a shorter season than in years past.

Buster Olney

Frank: A great unknown; we'll never know, and even if we had drug tests from him every day for the last 15 years, we couldn't possibly know the effects of the drugs. It's the same with Manny Ramirez -- it's a fair to ask the question of whether his decline this year was related to PED stuff, but that question really can't be answered definitively, either. Full transcript.