Yeah, that's because he was basically a platoon player. You can't compare a platoon player with a full-time player straight-up and then claim superiority from the platoon guy. I don't care about the Nava vs. Gomes argument, because Nava has clearly been better, but let's not get carried away here.
First off, yes. Confirmation bias has a lot to do with the idea of "clutch".
Second, are you trying to imply that Nava was a better hitter than Ellsbury or Pedroia this season? Because that is insane. He's a platoon player. Joey Votto against righties, Trot Nixon against lefties.
That's the whole point. Overall, it really doesn't. Other than the obligatory numbers boost from facing a pitcher from the stretch instead of the windup, hitters generally don't perform very differently in "clutch" situations than regular situations on a consistent basis. It is not a repeatable skill, and the exceptions are few and far between.
Uribe is not as talented as WMB. He was (and is) a much more vulnerable hitter aided in his initial years by a bandbox, and is not nearly as disciplined as WMB. His tools also don't match up well with WMB's from a scouting perspective.
But hey, why look at facts when you have an irrational dislike for a player and an irrational boner for other (much inferior) players than the ones you dislike?
Dojji: Where irrational happens!
Back in April, when i was mentally masturbating about Koji as full-time closer, i never thought he'd be dominant to the point he'd be the ALCS MVP. But well, here we are......
Also, f*** Papelbon. (sorry YOTN, had to)