Sabermetric continues redefining how baseball owners, managers, and even fans think of baseball.
For example, the hold stat is somewhat of a new statistic in baseball, but fantasy baseball owners in 2021 need to be familiar with this metric.
The definition of a hold is a number in the MLB score box which indicates that the pitcher has successfully completed a plate appearance. Hitting pitchers are counted as one hold. Pitching a perfect game, or a no-hitter, will count as one hold. A pinch runner or runner leaving the playing field with the ball is not considered a hold.
What is a Hold in Baseball – What Counts as a Hold?
But this is just one example. There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how many pitchers can have a hold, so you might find this statistic being called the “number of pitchers with a hold”. This statistic just lists the number of pitchers who have recorded a hold in a game. This data is not adjusted for the number of games pitched, and is just an indication of the number of times a pitcher has recorded a hold.
An Example of a Pitcher You Might Overlook
The following video is from Matt Joyce. Matt Joyce is the owner of a home run hit in every inning he played, no pun intended. That is a pretty impressive stat for any fantasy baseball player, regardless of position and league. A lot of players are able to get a home run in an inning, even though they are not a full-time player. Finding players with home run potential is the key to winning fantasy baseball.
Why is the Hold Stat Important?
Teams are realizing the importance of middle relief pitchers and a few even have staffs with five relievers. Teams are also looking at more advanced statistics like FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) which includes strikeouts, walks, hits per inning, home runs, and fielding independent pitching to measure a pitcher’s effectiveness.
The hold baseball stat is very popular for fantasy baseball because it expands the roster with relief pitchers and relievers. Instead of only drafting starting pitchers who pitch every 5 days and may earn a win, teams can draft middle relief pitchers who throw more often during the week and achieve a stat. The hold baseball statistic is crucial because it correctly gives credit to middle relievers who bring a save situation to the closer.
The catcher is not the only position to accumulate this stat. It is also important to know the number of outs from the pitcher to the hitter. A catcher can have a better idea on how many outs are left for the pitcher based on how many outs the pitcher has made, his ability to reach base, and the hitter’s ability to reach base. Therefore, if the catcher has a better idea of what comes next for the pitcher, his hold rating should be increased.
What is the Origin of the Hold Stat?
It was a team that had never won, a team known for its pitching and defense. And most of all, a team that had not won since 1954. It was the Milwaukee Brewers, and a chance to make it three in a row and make a statement in a city of people who love baseball.
Who Has the Most Holds in MLB?
If you are like me, you might have never heard of Hold Leaders. But, hold leaders are pretty cool. There are two main ways to define a hold leader. You can define it by simply the most hold leaders in one season. For example, Mike Stanton leads the all-time baseball hold leader with 20. A second definition could be the most hold leaders during a career, i.e. Mike Stanton leads the all-time hold leader by the most Hold Leaders.
What is the Single Season Record for Holds?
The single-season save record belongs to José Valverde of the Tampa Bay Rays with 48. José Valverde accomplished this feat in 2014. The previous record was 48, held by José Mesa with the Houston Astros. In the MLB record books, there is a category for “best 9 innings” that goes “best 9 by an NL pitcher”, but there is currently no such category for a best 9 by an AL pitcher.
Conclusion on the Hold Stat
The hold statistic does not measure a pitcher’s ability to work with different types of hitters. It is just a measure of how well the pitcher can perform when they need to pitch. The Hold rating has changed over the years. A pitcher receives a hold on a pitch when he comes into the game or a relief pitcher comes into the game. If a pitcher receives a hold, then his name appears in the hold statistic.
