Article:What Does 57 Saves REALLY Mean? K-Rod Is About To Break A Meaningless Record.

Quick question:

Who has the record for the most holds in one season?

Oh, you say you don’t care because it’s a meaningless statistic? Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winnnnnner!!! You are absolutely correct!!!

We’re a society thriving to glorify a record of convenience. What is with our passion and collective obsession with records? No one cares about meaningless statistics. Or so it seems…

Francisco Rodriguez is knocking on the door of a record – most saves in a season. The record was established by the “legendary” Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox way back in 1990.

I remember 1990. I remember Bobby Thigpen. I remember him as the “record breaker” just a year after reliever Mark Davis won the Cy Young award. And I remember them both as Phillies middle relievers. I also remember when Thigpen went to Japan. Let’s face it, during the late 80’s and early 90’s baseball was in love with “statistics” and “records” more than such indiscriminate numbers like team “wins” and “losses”.

Numbers can be made to say whatever you want them to.

Remember, it was our passion for “record” numbers that led to the “Steroid Era”. Chasing these feats of glory is exactly what led to devaluing those very statistics.

Jerome Holtzman died this year and it was just in time. He brought the save into this World and left this World just before we found the motivation to completely devalue it. When he invented the Save, it wasn’t uncommon for relief pitchers to enter a game after 5, 6 or 7 innings of a starter’s effort to pitch 2, 3 or 4 innings to complete the game and save the team’s bullpen for another day. Holtzman had no idea that Tony LaRussa would later spit on the concept of relief pitching and help devolve pitchers into “specialists”.

Quick Question:

Who was the saves leader in a season before record holder Bobby Thigpen?

Don’t know? The answer again is “Who cares?”

Why do I say that? Because in 1990 when Bobby Thigpen set the new record – NO ONE CARED!!! There was no internet, everything wasn’t the greatest thing ever and people had enough sense to realize “Hey, if Bobby Thigpen can set that record, it’s not that great of a record”.

What is a save, really?

By vague definition it’s a measurement to calculate a pitcher’s ability to maintain a lead over the last three innings given a small lead. But what does it really mean?

It means his manager and team put him in a prime position to do EVERY pitcher’s job – to get outs.

In other words, it means about as much as a game winning RBI. It’s based on a faction and environment of processed opportunity. Thigpen finished his MLB career with a “whopping” 201 career saves. He had 568 and 2/3 innings pitched in his career and a 31-36 record to show for it. In contrast, that’s a bout 2 hefty seasons from a #3 or #4 starter nowadays.

Frankie Rodriguez surpassed Thigpen’s career record yesterday with his 202nd career save and no one said a peep. He also did it in 144 less career innings.

Why? Because saves are a load of bunk.

Where does Trevor Hoffman – the all-time saves leader – register amongst the all-time pitchers?

Hoffman’s 984 career IP are about two seasons of Cy Young in his prime, Trevor Hoffman’s career 1,054 K’s are roughly 3 of Nolan Ryan’s seasons of his prime. Hoffman’s 56 career wins are ten less than his losses (66).

What is impressive is Hoffman’s 2.79 career ERA – good enough to put him around 97th all time. That’s certainly far less impressive than Mariano Rivera’s 2.29 career ERA – about a half a run per 9 innings less.

Hello? Saves are a joke! How is a “save” valuable when managers have found a way to completely devalue its purpose? How many relief pitchers pitch two or even *GASP* three innings anymore?

Consider this: If Frankie Rodriguez, Bobby Thigpen or Trevor Hoffman played on teams that were truly good, the games would be won by more than three runs and they’d NEVER get a save opportunity! Saves depend on a team being “just good enough”…

The answers:

Most Holds in a season? Scott Linebrink and Tom Gordon – 36

Who held the saves in a season record before Thigpen? Dave Righetti - 46

Call me when someone gets 58 blown saves! Or 37 Holds. Until then …. Yaaaaawn.