Pittsburgh Pirates: Most Clutch Hitters Thus Far in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the best teams in the league when it matters the most, but who have been their clutchest hitters in 2022?

The Pittsburgh Pirates might not seem like they’ve been an incredibly clutch team, but there are plenty of worse teams when it comes to meaningful situations. Overall, the Pirates are the 11th best team in high-leverage situations with a 127 wRC+. That’s well above some of this year’s best teams like the LA Angles, who have a 113 wRC+, the San Francisco Giants with a 108 wRC+, and the NY Yankees with an 83 wRC+.

This year it’s been a team effort from Pirates batters to come up when it matters the most. They have some of the most come-from-behind wins this year for a reason. For this, I’m considering a few factors, mainly how well the player has done in high leverage situations, how well they’ve done with men on base, and how well the batter has done with runners in scoring position. I’m also weighing how many opportunities they’ve had.

Number Three – Michael Chavis

Michael Chavis has been a pleasant surprise for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season. He’s cooled off from his scorching start to the season, but he still has a respectable .736 OPS, .319 wOBA, and 107 wRC+. But he’s done most of his damage in his most crucial plate appearances.

Chavis leads all Pittsburgh Pirates in wRC+ in high-leverage situations. In 10 plate appearances, he has a 435 mark, which is the highest mark among all MLB players with 10+ trips to the plate in these situations. He’s been over 50% better than Trea Turner, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and over 100% better than former Pirate Josh Bell and exciting Marlins infielder Jazz Chisholm.

Chavis has been pretty good with runners in scoring position as well. He has four hits, including a home run and 126 wRC+. He’s also only had 2 strikeouts in 16 plate appearances and two sac-flies. His wRC+ is third, just 3% better than Hayes. It’s a small sample size, but he has a batting average over .300 and slugging percentage over .500 with RISP.

The only downside is he hasn’t been great with runners on base in general. He has just a 91 wRC+ and sub-.700 OPS with runners on base. He’s struck out in a quarter of his 36 plate appearances. But you can’t deny he’s the best in the league in high-leverage and with runners in scoring position.

Number Two – Ke’Bryan Hayes

Ke’Bryan Hayes has mostly batted out of the three-hole but has also made a handful of appearances in the leadoff spot. Overall, he’s been a great hitter this year while providing elite defense at third base, despite what the errors have said. Currently, he leads all third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved, but he’s more than held his own with the bat, as indicated by his .806 OPS and 136 wRC+.

Pitchers have pitched around Hayes like crazy when it comes to high-leverage situations. In the nine times Hayes has had an opportunity in high-leverage conditions, he’s walked in three of those opportunities. He also has two singles to go along with those three walks.

Hayes has a 123 wRC+ with runners in scoring position, which is the second most among Pirates batters with 20 or more opportunities with RISP. He is also second in batting average and second in OBP when it comes to RISP. Notably, he’s only struck out three times with RISP, which is one of the lowest totals among all MLB hitters with RISP (min. 25 PAs).

Lastly, is his numbers with runners on base, just in general. Hayes is tied for the team lead in hits when it comes to runners-on while having the third-best wRC+. However, he also has the most opportunities with runners on base. Overall, while Hayes might not be hitting for much power outside of doubles, he’s getting the hits when you want them the most.

Number One – Ben Gamel

Outfielder Ben Gamel has been unbelievably clutch this year. He’s been one of the most surprising hitters for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gamel currently has a .854 OPS, .379 wOBA, and 148 wRC+. Those all rank top 30 among batters with 80 or more plate appearances. But he’s been the Pirates best hitter when it matters the most.

In high-leverage situations, Gamel has four hits in 13 plate appearances. It might not seem like a whole lot, but two of those hits were for extra bases, including a triple and double. His 138 wRC+ is second among Pirate hitters with 10 or more opportunities in high leverage situations.

Gamel is the man you want up when it comes to runners in scoring position. He has a 350 wRC+ in 21 opportunities this year. Only LA Angels outfielder Taylor Ward has a higher wRC+, at 384. Gamel has eight hits and five walks, meaning he has the same amount of hits as outs made when coming up with RISP. Even then, one of those eight outs has been productive with one sacrifice fly.

When it comes to runners on base, Gamel has been fantastic. In 35 plate appearances, he has a 274 wRC+ and an OPS well above 1.300 at 1.336. Of his 13 hits, he has two doubles, a triple, and two homers. Plus, he has drawn six walks. Now it is only 35 plate appearances, but his wRC+ with runners on is 30% better than Barry Bonds in 2002.