Tuesday Twitter Stalking: Lyle Spencer Still Thinks Jeff Mathis Can Hit

If you’re not familiar with Lyle Spencer and his Mike Scioscia like affinity for Jeff  Mathis you can quickly get up to speed here. Of particular hilarity from Spencer’s blog post is the following passage.

"A small segment of fandom seems to appreciate what Mathis has done for a pitching staff that has been the foundation of the Angels’ success. A much larger segment preferred, and still prefers, Napoli’s booming bat. Now that Nap also is putting together an impressive catcher’s ERA with a superb Texas staff, his supporters – and those who just don’t like Mathis – are coming unglued on web sites attacking Mathis, manager Mike Scioscia for playing him, and yours truly for defending him."

Just wait it gets better. In defense of his recent support for Mathis Lyle took the fight to Twitter last week in an effort to challenge the throngs of Mathis detractors to remember just how good Mathis has been at the plate during the post season Tweeting:

"@LyleMSpencerLyle Spencer@MMP16 Research project: find one other man in history who “can’t hit” and hits .450 and slugs .700 in 21 postseason PAs. Take your time."

This is not a joke. Lyle is making the miraculously absurd claim that 21 post season plate appearances prove that Jeff Mathis “can hit”. So if Lyle is to have his druthers –  Angel fans should ignore the 1201 career at bats where Mathis has produced a .194/.257/.301 slash line in favor of 21 at bats? Lyle seems like a good dude and I’ll be the first to admit that at times the Mathis hate is over the top – but this is quite possibly one of the worst arguments ever made –  dating back to even before Twitter came out. Was Mathis super “clutch” in a handful of playoff at bats? Absolutely. However there are 1200 at bats that reveal who Mathis is at the plate. Prolonged consistency is the key.

The Tuesday “ Twitter Stalking” series at the Halo Hangout takes a look at the best recent Tweets from Angels players and personnel. The word “stalking” is used solely for entertainment purposes and to mock the behavior of crazy ex girlfriends worldwide. Only we wont cut up your jeans or throw your stuff out on the lawn.. We’re just stalking for fun..