Max Bay, currently a quantitative analyst for the World Champions Los Angeles Dodgers, recently released a publicly accessible app that calculates a pitch’s effectiveness by visualizing its expected shape, with respect to a pitcher’s arm angle. Given his 49-degree arm angle, Holmes’ sinker moves six inches more than expected. This unexpected movement leads to more whiffs and poorly-topped ground balls.
Holmes paired his outstanding sinker with a pair of excellent breaking balls. In 2024, his slider performed as one of the best in the business, finishing with a +6 Run Value. Meanwhile, his sweeper induced a 40% putaway rate. This duo helped his Breaking Ball Run Value finish in the 86th percentile in Run Value in 2024
Savant Pitch Mix Analysis visualized Holmes’s plan of action in 2024. He threw his sinker most often when even and behind in the count, and utilized his sweeper and slider mix to finish his opponents off.