1. Chipper Jones (2005)
It should be no surprise that Chipper Jones is at the top of this list. If you are surprised he’s only on here once then allow me to calm your nerves. Chipper has three seasons inside of the top eleven since 1990.
Chipper Jones Best Clutch Seasons by wRC+
6. 2008 – 158 wRC+ // 1.012 OPS (28th since 1990)
5. 2010 – 163 wRC+ // .999 OPS (24th since 1990)
4. 2007 – 174 wRC+ // 1.116 OPS (19th since 1990)
3. 2012 – 185 wRC+ // 1.066 OPS (11th since 1990)
2. 2002 – 194 wRC+ // 1.172 OPS (8th since 1990
And that brings us to not only his best clutch-hitting season but the best the Braves have seen since 1990, according to Fangraphs. In 2005, Chipper was a veteran superstar at age 33 who struggled with injuries in what would be the final title in an amazing streak of 14 consecutive NL East titles.
The Braves lost two stars to free agency prior to the season in J.D. Drew and Jared Wright. In the first week of June they were in fourth place. Raul Mondesi was showing the world that he was done as a major leaguer. Brian Jordan appeared to be a shadow of himself. The bullpen was really just a bunch of bull. Things were not well with the Braves. Luckily
Then, Jeff Francouer exploded onto the scene. Andruw Jones took his game to another level, which was inconceivable prior to doing so. Jones would end the season with 51 homers and 128 RBI. Marcus Giles hit .291 and Rafael Furcal stole 46 bases and both middle infielders scored 100+ runs.
John Smoltz left his spot as arguably the best closer in baseball to better help the team as a starting pitcher. He was magnificent, starting 33 games and posting a 3.06 ERA, making his sixth All-Star team at 38-years-old.
The Braves would go on to win the division by just two games. While we remember that Chipper’s injuries were an obstacle that the Baby Braves overcame, Chipper’s contributions were enormous when he played.
Larry played in just 109 games that season but he still hit .295 with a .412 on-base percentage and an outstanding .556 slugging percentage. He swatted 21 homers, 30 doubles, 72 RBI, and even swiped five bags.
The most impressive stats came when the game hung in the balance for the Braves superstar.
Despite an injury-riddled and shortened season, he stilled came to the plate 48 times in high-leverage situations. He hit .513 with a 1.026 slugging percentage. Read it again… I’ll wait.
He didn’t post a .513 OBP (which would be incredible), his batting average was .513. His 2005 clutch slash line was as follows: .513/.604/.1.026. That’s an OPS of 1.630!
Chipper’s wRC+ in high-leverage situations in 2005 was an astonishing 313.
All hail the king!