Hitters Meeting: Dexter Fowler, Cliff Floyd analyze Cubs’ approach in clutch situations
It is essentially impossible to truly measure a baseball player’s ability to perform in clutch moments.
But Marquee Sports Network analysts Dexter Fowler and Cliff Floyd dissected some of the Cubs’ clutch at-bats this season and provided their own thoughts on how players can succeed in such situations on Thursday night’s Cubs Live!
Floyd and Fowler broke down a grand slam from Cody Bellinger, a home run from rookie catcher Miguel Amaya and a double down the left field line from Nico Hoerner.
With 31 years and more than 3,000 MLB games between the two of them, the pair of former big leaguers explained what they liked about each swing, from Bellinger jumping on his pitch to Hoerner keeping his hands inside the baseball on a low-and-in pitch and keeping the ball fair.
Floyd drove in 865 runs throughout his career and explained his mindset as he stepped to the box with runners on.
“Owning home plate,” Floyd said. “That was my philosophy when I was walking up with guys in scoring position — how do I own this plate? What don’t I want to do that’s gonna put me behind the eight ball? That means coming up here and swinging at his pitch.
“I’m swinging at my pitch. I’m taking the umpire out of the equation, I’m taking everything out of the equation.”
Floyd also had some fun with Fowler, who played for both the Cubs and Cardinals throughout his career.
From 2015-16 in Chicago, Fowler hit .258/.362/.438 (.800 OPS) against the Cardinals in 34 games. Meanwhile, from 2017-20 with St. Louis, he hit just .181/.320/.313 (.633 OPS) against the Cubs in 57 games.
Check out the full breakdown in the video above.