Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes

31-Year-Old PitcherRP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Yankees manager Aaron Boone clued us in prior to the 2023 season that Holmes would be used in high-leverage spots before the ninth inning. That's exactly how he was deployed in the first-half, often having his number called during the 7th and 8th innings. However, 26 of his 28 outings after the All-Star break came in the 9th inning or later. He finished with a career-high 24 of the Yankees' 44 saves for a 54.5% team save share, which was an improvement over 2022. Holmes also posted a career-best 27.1% strikeout rate to go along with an elite 2.4% barrel rate (99th percentile) and 66.7% groundball percentage (100th percentile). The right-hander threw fewer sinkers (69.2% pitch usage) in favor of more breaking pitches, with his slider and sweeper both generating 40-plus percent whiff rates. With Boone returning as manager in 2024, expect similar usage for Holmes, who has established himself as a high-leverage mainstay for New York. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#294
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Yankees in January of 2024.
Collects 30th save
PNew York Yankees  
September 29, 2024
Holmes struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to notch his 30th save of the season in Sunday's 6-4 win over Pittsburgh.
ANALYSIS
He finally picked up his 30th save of the season Sunday, his first since Aug. 30. The 31-year-old struggled in September, going 1-for-4 in save chances with two holds, a 6.00 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP and an 8:6 K:BB in nine innings. Holmes' 13 blown saves easily led MLB, but he still had a productive year as the Yankees' primary closer, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 68:22 K:BB.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
13
Last 5 Games
13
How many pitches does Clay Holmes generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Clay Holmes generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-12%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-8%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-13%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-36%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .237 356 71 36 74 10 1 4
Since 2022vs Right .208 437 133 29 82 20 0 4
2024vs Left .258 135 25 12 31 3 0 2
2024vs Right .238 136 43 10 29 9 0 2
2023vs Left .200 114 26 12 20 2 1 1
2023vs Right .231 148 45 11 31 7 0 1
2022vs Left .250 107 20 12 23 5 0 1
2022vs Right .159 153 45 8 22 4 0 1
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-10%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-9%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-20%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-1%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.00 1.15 96.0 8 7 37 10.3 2.5 0.4
Since 2022Away 2.69 1.19 93.2 6 6 37 9.0 3.7 0.4
2024Home 3.30 1.10 30.0 1 2 15 10.5 2.1 0.6
2024Away 3.00 1.48 33.0 2 3 15 9.0 4.1 0.5
2023Home 3.15 1.31 34.1 2 3 12 10.7 2.6 0.0
2023Away 2.51 1.01 28.2 2 1 12 9.4 4.1 0.6
2022Home 2.56 1.01 31.2 5 2 10 9.7 2.8 0.6
2022Away 2.53 1.03 32.0 2 2 10 8.7 2.8 0.0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Clay Holmes compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.09
 
K/9
9.7
 
BB/9
3.1
 
HR/9
0.6
 
Fastball
96.6 mph
 
ERA
3.14
 
WHIP
1.30
 
BABIP
.338
 
GB/FB
3.56
 
Left On Base
69.4%
 
Exit Velocity
82.3 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.4%
 
Spin Rate
2396 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
24.9%
 
Swinging Strike
12.8%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Clay Holmes See More
The Z Files: NFBC Postseason Hold'em Contest
51 days ago
The NFBC's Postseason Hold'em contest kicks off at the start of the Division Series, and its scoring system leads to some unusual rankings.
Super Early 2025 Top 300 Rankings
52 days ago
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AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
77 days ago
Erik Siegrist looks over the available talent in the American League as Luke Weaver gets a chance to grab hold of the closer role for the Yankees.
MLB FAAB Factor: Call Me Up When September Begins
80 days ago
This week's set of pickup recommendations is full of players who were called up as rosters expanded at the start of September, including Cleveland's Kyle Manzardo.
Mound Musings: Life, the Universe and Everything
80 days ago
Brad Johnson takes a deep dive into the career of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who has been compared to Paul Skenes, and who might make is U.S. debut sometime in the next year.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
Holmes ditched his curveball that wasn't effective in 2021 and relied solely on his 97 mph sinker (80% pitch usage) and slider (20%) last season. This led to phenomenal results, as the right-hander had a dominant first half for the Yankees and quickly took over as closer in the Bronx before being named to his first All Star team. Holmes had a 29-game scoreless streak early in the season and led qualified relievers with a ridiculous 75.8% groundball rate. On the flip side, he hit a rough patch a few weeks after the All Star Game and subsequently went on the IL with a back injury. He was not as sharp upon his return, which forced Aaron Boone to shift to a closer committee a few weeks before the playoffs. Holmes also dealt with a shoulder strain at the end of the season. Weighing the upside he showed in the first half of 2022 against his far worse second half makes Holmes a wild card for 2023 drafts, especially with Yankees bullpen roles currently in flux.
Holmes entered the 2021 season in jeopardy of washing entirely out of the league. However, he turned in a strong campaign, throwing particularly well after being dealt to New York where he posted a 1.61 ERA and logged five holds across 25 appearances and 28 innings to close the season. It was a season full of bests, as he generated career marks in both groundball rate (68.7 GB%) and strikeouts (26.7%) with his ERA (3.60) also unsurprisingly following suit. There should be some optimism that Holmes will be able to replicate his success in 2022 because a change in pitch mix seemed to dictate his change of fortune. He jumped his sinker usage from 32 percent to 58.9 percent and also introduced a slider as a primary part of his arsenal - an offering that limited opposing hitters to a .201 wOBA. There's a lengthy list of closer candidates ahead of Holmes in New York, so strong ratios and punchouts will be Holmes' primary path to fantasy value.
More Fantasy News
Takes 13th blown save
PNew York Yankees  
September 19, 2024
Holmes was charged with a blown save in Wednesday's extra-inning win over Seattle, allowing a solo home run over two-thirds of an inning while striking out one.
ANALYSIS
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Fewer save chances coming
PNew York Yankees  
September 4, 2024
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday the team will get "creative" with the closer role going forward, which could still include Holmes depending on matchups, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Melts down Tuesday
PNew York Yankees  
September 3, 2024
Holmes (2-5) took the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks over one-third of an inning.
ANALYSIS
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Secures 29th save
PNew York Yankees  
August 30, 2024
Holmes earned the save in Friday's 6-3 victory over St. Louis, pitching a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up 28th save
PNew York Yankees  
August 26, 2024
Holmes threw a perfect ninth inning to earn the save against the Nationals on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Saves in jeopardy?
PNew York Yankees  
July 29, 2024
Holmes' status as the Yankees' primary closer could change if the club is able to acquire Tanner Scott from the Marlins, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
ANALYSIS
Holmes has a 2.74 ERA with a 45:11 K:BB across 42.2 innings this season, but the right-hander's 1.27 WHIP is a bit high, and he's blown seven saves in 28 chances. Meanwhile, Scott has a 1.18 ERA and has gone 18-for-20 in save opportunities for Miami, so there's an argument to be made for a closer change should New York be able to complete the trade. Manager Aaron Boone could also opt to use a matchup-based approach with Holmes and the lefty-throwing Scott. The Yankees are one of the favorites to land Scott ahead of Tuesday's deadline, but there are five other teams also in the mix.
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