{"id":72710,"date":"2024-05-09T07:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=72710"},"modified":"2024-05-08T21:21:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T01:21:00","slug":"recent-success-yankees-clay-holmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/05\/09\/recent-success-yankees-clay-holmes\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking down the recent success of Yankees closer Clay Holmes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yankees closer <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/20\/top-5-relief-pitchers-2024\/\" target=\"_self\">Clay Holmes<\/a> has presented\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">extremely<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0well\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">so far<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0in the most vulnerable role out of the bullpen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Breaking Down The Success Of Clay Holmes<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The ninth inning , with a three-run lead or less,<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0brings<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">great\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">deal of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0pressure.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0It takes a\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">special<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0mindset, skillset, and courage to endure the role of a major league closer.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We\u2019ve<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0seen the greats before us make it look simple. Men such as Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Rodriguez, Kenley Jansen, and Craig Kimbrel set the standard for closers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We\u2019ve<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> seen various closers go downhill over the course of their careers. Names such as Terry Adams, B.J. Ryan, Miguel Batista, Brad Lidge, and Brandon League will forever haunt the 9th innings of some teams <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they\u2019ve<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0served. Where does Yankees closer Clay Holmes fit into these lists?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Clay Holmes Struck Early Impressions As New Closer<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We failed to mention a key name in our list of\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">greats;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0the greatest closer of all time, Yankees legend Mariano Rivera. Unfortunately, this is the man and the standard that current and future closers of the Bronx bombers\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">are held<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"5-OUT SAVE! Clay Holmes delivers in a massive spot for the Yankees!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aTjL_4hTVdE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holmes\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was traded<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to the Yankees in 2021. In 2022\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0was named an MLB all-star and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/03\/06\/clay-holmes-yankees-closer\/\" target=\"_self\">the closer for the New York Yankees.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">2022 was a gifted year for the late-inning righty, as\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">his all-star accomplishment was endorsed fully by some spectacular numbers<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His closer onboarding year\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">finished<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0with an impressive 20 saves and a 2.54 ERA. Even\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">more impressive<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0is that he picked up seven wins on the way.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holmes ranked 15th of 30 closers in the league\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that year<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, posing a great first impression for the pinstripes.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holmes Has Gained Trust Through Consistency And Reliability Of His C<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">raft<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After the slow decline of performance and attitude by\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yankees&#8217;<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0former close\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Aroldis<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Chapman, the trust of the stopper role in the Bronx has been\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in question<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holmes<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">however<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0has changed that perspective and\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">has<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0gained\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">trust<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to be the guy to secure victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The 2023 season ended in repetition, with the Yankees closer posting 24 saves in 41 games with a 2.86 ERA. In both\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">seasons<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0he hovered around the 62-63 innings pitched range. Fast-forward to present day, Holmes has recorded a league-leading 11 saves in 16 games, with only a month and change into the 2024 season. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/20\/top-5-relief-pitchers-2024\/\" target=\"_self\">He sits fourth of the top five<\/a> closers in the league.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Holmes works an arsenal of four pitchers, including a sinker, slider, sweeper, and four-seam fastball. He hovers 96-98 mph on the four-seam\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0has two pitches over 20% put-away rate. His pitch repertoire is highly effective and appropriate to fit the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">role of a closer<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His MLB percentile rankings are above average\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0he has accumulated positive results from a total statistics standpoint. In two seasons\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to date<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">he\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0recorded 55 saves over 290.2 innings pitched and 310 strikeouts.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> projected to have 25-28 minimum saves this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credits: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yankees closer Clay Holmes has presented\u00a0extremely\u00a0well\u00a0so far\u00a0in the most vulnerable role out of the bullpen.\u00a0 Breaking Down The Success Of Clay Holmes The ninth inning , with a three-run lead or less,\u00a0brings\u00a0a\u00a0great\u00a0deal of\u00a0pressure.\u00a0It takes a\u00a0special\u00a0mindset, skillset, and courage to endure the role of a major league closer.\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0seen the greats before us make it look simple. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5126,"featured_media":72716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[209,5566,560,432,549,1872],"class_list":["post-72710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yankees","category-featured","tag-aroldis-chapman","tag-clay-holmes","tag-francisco-rodriguez","tag-kenley-jansen","tag-mariano-rivera","tag-trevor-hoffman"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}