Holds, Saves and Blown Saves

Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels, with 54 saves in 59 opportunities, is on his way to breaking the all-time single season record of 57, set by Bobby Thigpen of the White Sox in 1990. Percentage wise, the Phillies’ Brad Lidge is perfect, with 33 saves in 33 opportunities. On the opposite end, there are records such as those of Aaron Heilman of the Mets, 3 for 7 this year and 9 for 33 since 2004. It’s obvious Heilman can’t close games, with a record like that. No wonder Willie Randolph got fired. Right? Wrong!
Saves have become a statistic who’s leaders are as well known to the casual fan as the homerun leaders, and save percentage is one of the simplest computations in baseball statistics, but it has always contained an error that grossly distorts the value of middle relievers to the general public. It is easy to understand that the setup man isn’t in a position to get many saves, but save percentage has been held up by many, including the media, as evidence that certain pitchers routinely fail when handed a save situation, proof that they can’t handle the closer role.