What Made Jake McCarthy One of the Most Clutch Hitters in Baseball?

The young outfielder has found incredible success in the biggest moments

Aug 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy against the New York Mets at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks were baseball's best offensive team in 2024, leading the sport in runs scored. Still, it may come as a surprise that the club's most clutch player wasn't Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, or even Joc Pederson. Rather it was young center fielder Jake McCarthy who was among baseball's best with RISP.

Jake McCarthy was a major asset for Arizona in 2024. Going into the season he wasn't projected to be the clubs primary center fielder,as Alek Thomas was slated to fill that role. Then injuries unfolded and it was the athletic lefty from Pensylvania who stepped in.

Entering the year he had a career OPS+ of 97, 3% below the league average. Mainly McCarthy had been touted for his incredible baserunning ability, boasting 98th percentile spring speed according to Baseball Savant. His glove in the outfield is also excellent with 6 FRV placing him in the 82 percentile of big leaguers.

Last season though McCarthy broke out offensively, finding himself in the mix seemingly every game and raising his stats across the board significantly. His wRC+ rose from 78 in 2023 to 110 in 2024, and his strikeouts dropped significantly.

Arguably his best ability however was his talent with runners in scoring position. In 142 games McCarthy drove in a career-high 56 runs. This was aided by one of the best batting averages in baseball with RISP. MLB Network recognized this aspect of his game on Saturday night.

Clutch gene activated ✅ pic.twitter.com/ZWsXXRoffH

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 9, 2025

With a .350 average, McCarthy comes in 5th in all of baseball. This production was incredible and was undoubtedly a factor in the clubs great offense.

McCarthy has shown a knack for getting hits with runners in scoring position previously in his career. In 2022 he hit .403 in those situations on the strength of a .484 BABIP. (Batting average on Balls in play). Similarly in 2024, McCarthy had a .369 BABIP with runners in scoring position.

Overall for his career McCarthy has hit .320 with runners in scoring position in 244 at bats. While some regression to the mean in this category may be likely, his contact approach and ability to spray the ball around against both left and right hand pitching makes him a valuable asset when all you need is a base hit.

Expect to see Jake McCarthy patrolling the outfield and delivering key hits once again in 2025 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.