John Stephen Holdzkom (born October 19, 1987) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in 2014.

Career

New York Mets

Holdzkom was drafted by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

in the 15th round of the

2005 Major League Baseball Draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...

out of

Rancho Cucamonga High School Rancho Cucamonga High School is a public high school in the city of Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire. It is one of nine high schools in the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. Rancho Cucamonga High School opened in A ...

Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the 28th ...

, but did not sign and attended

Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is a public community college in Salt Lake County, Utah. It is the state's largest two-year college with the most diverse student body. It serves more than 60,000 students on 10 campuses as well as through onl ...

. He was then drafted by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in the fourth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and signed. Holdzkom made his professional debut with the

GCL Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...

, logging a 7.71 ERA in 16 appearances. The next year, Holdzkom split the year between the GCL Mets and the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ...

, posting a 4.91 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work. In 2008, he underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

and missed the 2009 season, returning to the Mets organization in 2010. In 2010, Holdzkom split the year between the GCL Mets and Kingsport, struggling to a 9.00 ERA in 6 appearances between the two teams. On March 24, 2011, Holdzkom was released by the Mets organization.

Cincinnati Reds

After not playing baseball in 2011, on January 5, 2012, Holdzkom signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. He played for the High-A

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

, recording a 5.19 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched before he was released on June 21.

Amarillo Sox

Holdzkom signed with the

Amarillo Sox The Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly known as the Amarillo Sox, were a professional minor league baseball team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, an independent baseball ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

for the 2013 season. In 34 games with the team, Holdzkom logged a 2-3 record and 3.50 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 36.0 innings of work.

Sioux City Explorers

On August 14, 2013, Holdzkom was traded to the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...

of the American Association. Holdzkom finished the year with the team, pitching 7.2 scoreless innings in 8 games with the team.

Amarillo Sox (second stint)

After pitching in 1 game for the

San Angelo Colts The San Angelo Colts were a professional baseball team based in San Angelo, Texas, in the United States. The Colts were most recently a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which was not affiliated with Major Leagu ...

United League Baseball United League Baseball was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas. The league operated from 2006 to 2009. The league then temporarily merged with the Northern League and the Golden Baseball League to form the North American Leagu ...

, Holdzkom re-joined the Amarillo Sox for the 2014 season. In 9 games for the team, he logged a 1.17 ERA with 7 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On June 24, 2014, Holdzkom was acquired by the

organization and assigned to the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

. After posting 6.0 scoreless innings in Altoona, Holdzkom was promoted to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

, where he recorded a 2.49 ERA in 18 appearances. Holdzkom was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2014, and debuted against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

in the 8th inning, striking out the side. Holdzkom made nine relief appearances for the Pirates in 2014, striking out 14 batters in nine innings pitched, sporting a 2.00 ERA on the year. He also pitched in the

2014 National League Wild Card Game The 2014 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was held a ...

against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. Holdzkom did not make a major league appearances for the Pirates in 2015, spending the year split between the Low-A

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morganto ...

and Indianapolis, and pitched to a cumulative 2.96 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 23 appearances between the two teams. On April 3, 2016, Holdzkom was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates. He was released by the organization on April 11.

Chicago White Sox

On April 19, 2016, Holdzkom signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

organization. Holdzkom made 1 appearances for the rookie ball

AZL White Sox The Arizona Complex League White Sox are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

before suffering an injury and missing the remainder of the season. On November 7, 2016, he elected free agency.

Auckland Tuatara

On December 4, 2018, Holdzkom signed with the

Auckland Tuatara The Auckland Tuatara is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Auckland, New Zealand. They are the only team from New Zealand to compete in the ABL, and one of two expansion teams that entered the league in the ...

of the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it sh ...

for the 2018/19 season.

International career

He represented

New Zealand national baseball team The New Zealand national baseball team, also known as the Diamondblacks, is the representative team at the international level for New Zealand. The team is controlled by Baseball New Zealand, the country's governing body. The team competes in the ...

at the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualification. Holdzkom qualified for the team because he has a New Zealand father.

Personal

Holdzkom's older brother Lincoln, who pitched for the New Zealand national baseball team, died of injuries sustained in a car crash on December 13, 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holdzkom, John 1987 births Living people Adelaide Bite players Altoona Curve players Amarillo Thunderheads players American people of New Zealand descent Arizona League White Sox players Auckland Tuatara players Expatriate baseball players in New Zealand Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball players from Pasadena, California Canberra Cavalry players Gulf Coast Mets players Indianapolis Indians players Kingsport Mets players Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Salt Lake Bruins baseball players San Angelo Colts players Savannah Sand Gnats players Sioux City Explorers players West Virginia Black Bears players American expatriate baseball players in Australia American expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand