Jonathan Blake Holder (born June 9, 1993) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Career

Amateur

Holder attended

Gulfport High School Gulfport High School (GHS) is a public high school located in Gulfport, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport School District. In 2019, Gulfport High was given a B-rating from the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Th ...

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport ( ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Mississippi, second-most populous ...

, where he was an accomplished hitter and pitcher. He attended

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...

from 2012 to 2014 and served as the team's closer. During his career he had an 11–2 record, 1.59

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), 191

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

and a school record 37 saves. In 2012, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

New York Yankees

The

selected Holder in the sixth round of the

2014 Major League Baseball draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

. After pitching in relief in college, the Yankees converted him into a starting pitcher. He made his professional debut in 2014 with the

Gulf Coast Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

and later played for the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

of the Low–A

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. He started 2015 with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. He posted a 7–6 record with a 2.52 ERA and was a Mid-Season All-Star. In 2016, he was moved back to the bullpen, where he said his velocity improved. He began the season with Tampa but was soon promoted to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the Double–A Eastern League. On April 26, 2016, Holder pitched the final inning of a joint

no hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine ...

that was started by Ronald Herrera. He was an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star. The Yankees then promoted Holder to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

. He struck out 12 batters over four innings on August 28, which earned him Pitcher of the Week honors. He was also named the best relief pitcher and was an organization All-Star, according to MiLB.com. The Yankees promoted Holder to the major leagues on September 2, 2016. His first major league strikeout came against

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

Adam Jones, striking him out on 3 pitches. In 8 appearances with the Yankees to finish 2016, Holder had a 5.40 ERA. On May 5, 2017, Holder got his first major league win pitching a scoreless inning of relief against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. In 37 appearances out of the bullpen, Holder finished the 2017 year 1–1 with a 3.89 ERA. In 2018, Holder made the big league team out of spring training. On August 2, 2018, Holder allowed seven runs without recording an out in a game against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. Holder became the second Yankees pitcher to ever post such a line after Bob Kammeyer did so on September 18, 1979. Holder finished the year with a solid 3.14 ERA in 66 innings pitched. He faltered in 2019, allowing five runs, including a solo homer and a grand slam, without getting an out against the Blue Jays on June 24. After allowing 13 runs and six home runs over his past six outings, he was demoted to Triple-A. The team hoped he could improve his fastball command and the sharpness of his breaking pitches while in the minors. He returned to the majors on July 22, but went down with shoulder inflammation in August. He pitched to a 4.98 ERA in 21.2 innings during the 2020 season. On December 2, 2020, Holder was non-tendered by the Yankees.

Chicago Cubs

On December 17, 2020, Holder signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the

. He was placed on the injured list on April 1 because of a right shoulder strain. On April 26, 2021, Holder was moved to the 60-day injured list. He did not appear in a game for Chicago due to the injury and was outrighted off of the 40-man roster on November 3, 2021. He elected free agency the following day, but re-signed with the team on a minor league contract on November 19. Holder went into 2022 as a non-roster invitee. He was reassigned to the minors on April 4. After starting the year on the injured list, Holder was again transferred to the 60-day injured list in May. Following a rehab assignment with the rookie–level

Arizona Complex League Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of play ...

, he was finally activated on August 4. He then spent the remainder of the season with the Triple–A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, making 14 appearances and struggling to a 10.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18.0 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 29, 2022, Holder signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. He competed in spring training but was reassigned to minor league camp on March 22, 2023. In 46 appearances for the Triple–A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

, Holder recorded a 5.40 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 2 saves across innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Texas Rangers

On January 10, 2024, Holder signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers organization on March 27.

References

External links

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Mississippi State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holder, Jonathan 1993 births Living people Arizona Complex League Cubs players Baseball players from Mississippi Gulf Coast Yankees players Major League Baseball pitchers Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players New York Yankees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Sportspeople from Gulfport, Mississippi Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Wareham Gatemen players