To refute this, I'm saying that a player's performance does not shift whether or not there is a base runner on or not. The fact that his numbers are different with runners on is all just a matter of coincidence. A player doesn't suddenly gain better offensive ability (or worse), based on the situation at hand, i just cannot believe that theory. Well, you're wrong. Pitchers pitch differently with RISP, and are likely to leave more balls over the plate. Therefore, there is a difference when hitting with runners on. Good hitters, like Ramirez, will make pitchers pay for challenging them. I love it when people who are wrong are so emphatic about it. 100+ years of baseball statistics say you're wrong.