Frog Holsey

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Frog Holsey was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago American Giants, the Chicago Columbia Giants, and the Nashville Elite Giants. Across 60 career appearances, he went 21-23 with a 4.25 ERA and 141 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 4120.9.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 21–23
ERA 4.25
WHIP 1.41
SO 141
Pitcher PIV 4120.9
Position
Pitcher
Born
5/14/1906 in LA, USA
Died
12/12/1972 in Chicago, IL, USA

Full name: Robert J. Holsey

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Frog Holsey — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
5.0 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

Frog Holsey — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
0 2 2 1 0 0 17.0 15 5 1 0 2 5 0.53 1.00

Career Pitching Statistics

Frog Holsey — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
21 23 60 39 30 4 2 362.1 398 171 14 114 141 4.25 4120.9

Career ERA 4.25 vs. league average 4.36 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frog Holsey — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1928 CAG NNL 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 15 5 9 5 2.50 4.13 (+40%) 43.1
1929 CAG NNL 10 7 23 14 10 2 1 132.2 155 64 42 53 4.34 4.60 (+6%) 633.8
1930 CAG NNL 6 10 21 15 12 1 1 138.0 152 72 43 62 4.70 4.80 (+2%) 3104.7
1931 CC2 NNL 1 0 3 2 1 0 0 16.0 15 8 11 6 4.50 4.10 (-10%) -790.7
1932 NEG NSL 3 5 11 6 5 1 0 57.2 61 22 9 15 3.43 4.13 (+17%) 1130.0
Career · 5 seasons 21 23 60 39 30 4 2 362.1 398 171 114 141 4.25 — 4,121

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Frog Holsey — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
62 129 10 29 3 1 0 6 1 5 3 .225 .254 .264 .517 -275

Career AVG .225 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 20.7% below league average.

Career OBP .254 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.

Career SLG .264 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 34.8% below league average.

Career OPS .517 vs. league average .750 across their career seasons — 31.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frog Holsey — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1928 CAG NNL 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1929 CAG NNL 23 46 4 13 1 0 0 3 1 3 2 .283 — — — — 0.0
1930 CAG NNL 23 48 4 10 2 1 0 2 0 2 1 .208 — — — — -275.4
1931 CC2 NNL 3 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1932 NEG NSL 11 21 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .238 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 62 129 10 29 3 1 0 6 1 5 3 .225 — — — — -275

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Frog Holsey — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home130000.000

Pitching — Home / Away

Frog Holsey — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home19.080020.00

Last 1 Games — Batting

Frog Holsey — Last 1 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1929-06-29 CAGKCML 300000000

Last 1 Games — Pitching

Frog Holsey — Last 1 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1929-06-29 CAGKCM L 9.0840020

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frog Holsey — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 60 39 8 114 7 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frog Holsey — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 CAG P 2 2 1 2 0 0
1929 CAG P 23 14 3 40 3 2
1930 CAG P 21 15 4 48 3 1
1931 CC2 P 3 2 0 5 0 0
1932 NEG P 11 6 0 19 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frog Holsey — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 60

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

  1. 98
    Ron Romanick
    31-29, 4.24 ERA
  2. 94
    Sam Thompson
    25-31, 4.41 ERA
  3. 93
    Tiny Chaplin
    15-23, 4.25 ERA
  4. 87
    Ray Fontenot
    25-26, 4.03 ERA
  5. 86
    Ralph Birkofer
    31-28, 4.19 ERA
  6. 85
    Ed Holley
    25-40, 4.40 ERA

Frog Holsey: the record in brief

Frog Holsey's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1928 to 1932. The team column moves through the Chicago American Giants (1928 through 1930), the Chicago Columbia Giants (1931), and the Nashville Elite Giants (1932). Born on May 14, 1906, in LA, USA, Holsey is listed as a pitcher. The bio records the death on December 12, 1972, in Chicago, IL, USA. Holsey's full given name, per the bio, is Robert J. Holsey.

The pitching table credits Holsey with a 21-23 record and a 4.25 ERA in 60 games. The totals include 141 strikeouts and 30 complete games. Holsey's 4.25 ERA was close to the 4.36 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 10, in 1929. Holsey struck out 62 batters in 1930, a career high. 1929 was Holsey's sharpest full season, a 4.34 ERA against the league's 4.60. Holsey's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 4,120.9.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frog Holsey

Was Frog Holsey a pitcher?
Yes. Frog Holsey pitched in the major leagues, recording 21 wins and 141 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Frog Holsey hit?
Frog Holsey hit 0 career home runs with 29 hits.
What teams did Frog Holsey play for?
Frog Holsey played for 2 teams: the Chicago Columbia Giants (1928–1931) and the Nashville Elite Giants (1932).
What were Frog Holsey's career stats?
In 60 games, Frog Holsey went 21-23 with a 4.25 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 362.1 innings pitched, and 2 saves.
What position did Frog Holsey play?
Frog Holsey played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
What was Frog Holsey's career ERA?
Frog Holsey finished with a 4.25 career ERA, going 21-23 with 141 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Frog Holsey have?
Frog Holsey recorded 141 career strikeouts.
Is Frog Holsey in the Hall of Fame?
No. Frog Holsey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.