MLB standings by crunch-time OPS: Yankees lack the clutch gene

The narrative that the New York Yankees and, specifically, superstar slugger and AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge aren't clutch has been there for the past few years. Even after a run to the World Series last year, that was the dark cloud hanging over them. And though they may sit atop MLB standings in terms of their own division, the fact of the matter is that the numbers in true crunch-time situations back that up for the Yankees.

New York, however, isn't alone in being shockingly woeful offensively in the clutch. When you start to look at each team's OPS in extra-innings, you start to see which teams are able to come through when the pressure is real, especially with the Manfred runner starting each inning on second base. It should be advantageous, but not every team has been good at taking advantage of it, particularly among a lot of the current World Series contenders in the MLB standings.

Of course, there are some others, teams like the surging Tampa Bay Rays and the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers that do live up to the billing in these moments. But let's dive into all of it as we sort the MLB standings by extra-innings team OPS and compare that to the actual standings in each division.

Note: All stats and records are entering play on Thursday, June 26 and via TJStats and Fangraphs.

AL East standings by extra-innings OPS

It's not at all shocking to see the Red Sox being abysmal offensively in extra-innings situations. They lead all of baseball in one-run losses and have a losing record when the game goes into extra frames. However, for the Yankees to be more than 300 OPS points lower while still leading the division is stunning. Part of that could very well be the fact that New York has a limited sample size when it comes to extra-innings game, but it definitely doesn't help the narrative that this team isn't clutch.

On the flip side of that, the Rays have been steadily gaining ground on said Yankees and their success in extra innings certainly has at least some part to play in that.

Actual AL East standings

As mentioned, the Yankees' commanding lead in the AL East has dwindled, now leading the Rays by just one game in the division and only 3.5 games over even the Blue Jays. Heck, even the Red Sox had climbed within five games of the division lead before their recent five-game skid to undo some of that work. And based on the extra-innings OPS, if the Yankees find themselves in more of those games, their lead could completely evaporate.

AL Central standings by extra-innings OPS

Despite the Tigers being tied for the best overall record in baseball, their OPS in extra-innings has been middling, even if it's above league average for overall OPS. What stands out the most, though, is the Kansas City Royals being down at the bottom of the standings by this metric. Their offensive struggles have been widely noted at this point, and is one of the big reasons why they've been a disappointment overall this season. Given that, it's not shocking that their woes at the plate don't disappear in extras.

Actual AL Central standings

It really doesn't feel like all that long ago that the AL Central was a tight race. That is emphatically no longer the case with the Tigers now holding a commanding 8.5-game cushion atop the division. Of course, this is baseball and there is still a half-season left, meaning that anything can happen. However, the Gritty Tigs might just be in position to run away with a division that sent three teams to the postseason just one year ago.

AL West standings by extra-innings OPS

The AL West is the only division in the American League that doesn't have a team with a 1.000 OPS or higher, which tracks given a lot of what we've seen from the division so far this year. What might stand out most, though, is how dramatically the Mariners and Rangers trail the rest of the division by this metric, even with the division-leading Astros posting quite middling numbers. As Seattle, Texas and Los Angeles are all chasing Houston in the actual standings, this lack of extra-innings offense seems like it's not going to help anyone's cause but the Angels.

Actual AL West standings

Stop me if you've heard this before, the Astros are back atop the AL West standings. The Mariners jumped out to an early lead but have since squandered that, despite the heroic offensive efforts from Cal Raleigh to this point in the season. Having said that, the Angels have been a bit hot as of late, while the Mariners and Rangers have regained some footing. We could have some fun with this race down the stretch. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the Athletics are going to be involved.

NL East standings by extra-innings OPS

The New York Mets sitting down at the bottom of these standings, even if it's not as bad as teams like the Yankees or others at the bottom by this metric, does strike me as a bit problematic. Their bullpen has been costing them games of late as they've slid out of the NL East lead, even if they're still fighting back. However, when they're posting a below-average OPS in extra innings and also have shaky relief pitching involved with that, that doesn't exactly seem like a great recipe for late, clutch success.

Actual NL East standings

The Phillies and Mets have been flip-flopping atop the division standings throughout the year. However, the Braves have seemingly found some footing of late. While they still have a lot of ground to cover, who could forget when Atlanta chased down New York from 10 games back in the second half just a few years ago to win the NL East? This race is far from over, and I'd expect that more than just Philadelphia and New York will be involved with that.

NL Central standings by extra-innings OPS

Much like the aforementioned Mets, the Cubs are by far the most concerning team when you sort the standings by this metric. Chicago is another team that has suffered through plenty of woes when it comes to their bullpen, and their offense hasn't been helping the cause in these situations. What's more concerning with that, perhaps more so than in the NL East, is that the Cardinals and Brewers have been hot as of late to make this more of a race, and are far better when it comes to this high-pressure situations offensively.

Actual NL Central standings

The Cubs are still atop the NL Central, but it's not nearly the commanding lead that we once thought it could be. As mentioned, both Milwaukee and St. Louis have started to surge quite a bit as of late and the Cubs have been middling at the same time. Don't sleep on the Reds, either, a team that was disappointing through the first couple of months and couldn't seem to turn a corner might've put the pieces in place to do exactly that.

NL West standings by extra-innings OPS

Anyone who can't stand the roster-loading that the Dodgers have done in recent seasons is going to hate this. It's not shocking that a lineup that includes multiple MVP winners and some of the best bats in baseball doesn't stop hitting once we get into extra innings. At the same time, it speaks to the Giants' competitiveness at this point in the season that they have one of the strongest pitching staffs and bullpens in all of baseball and have also been posting an 0.843 OPS offensively in these type of games.

Actual NL West standings

While the Dodgers are obviously the cream of the crop in the NL West, this remains one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. However, when it comes to teams like the Padres and Giants, currently tied in the standings, you have to start splitting hairs when considering which team is going to separate themselves in this race. Could San Francisco's far greater offensive output in extra innings be one of those defining aspects? It's not out of the question.

Full MLB standings by extra-innings OPS

Circling back one more time to pile on the Yankees, it's really shocking how badly they've performed at the plate. That's not just in the AL East — they are quite substantially the worst in baseball in terms of team OPS in extra innings. The fact that they are more than 100 points lower than the historically bad Colorado Rockies in this metric and the worst team in the American League by this metric by almost 200 points tells me that New York has quite a lot of issues to sort out with their offense, and quite a lot of work to do to dispel the narrative that they don't perform in the clutch.