Jim Holdsworth

{{Short description|American baseball player (1850–1918)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Jim Holdsworth

|image=

|position=Shortstop

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date|1850|7|14}}

|birth_place=New York, New York

|death_date={{death date and age|1918|3|22|1850|7|14}}

|death_place=New York, New York

|debutleague=MLB

|debutdate=May 14

|debutyear=1872

|debutteam=Cleveland Forest Citys

|finalleague=MLB

|finaldate=June 9

|finalyear=1884

|finalteam=Indianapolis Hoosiers

|statleague=MLB

|stat1label=Games played

|stat1value=319

|stat2label=Runs scored

|stat2value=221

|stat3label=Hits

|stat3value=432

|stat4label=Batting average

|stat4value=.291

|teams=

;  National Association of Base Ball Players

: Union of Morrisania (1870)

;  Major leagues

: Cleveland Forest Citys ({{baseball year|1872}})

: Brooklyn Eckfords ({{baseball year|1872}})

: New York Mutuals ({{baseball year|1873}})

: Philadelphia White Stockings ({{baseball year|1874}})

: New York Mutuals ({{baseball year|1875}}–{{baseball year|1876}})

: Hartford Dark Blues ({{baseball year|1877}})

: Troy Trojans ({{baseball year|1882}})

: Indianapolis Hoosiers ({{baseball year|1884}})

}}

James Holdsworth (July 14, 1850 – March 22, 1918), nicknamed "Long Jim", was a professional baseball player who played shortstop in Major League Baseball for seven different teams during his nine-season career from {{baseball year|1872}} to {{baseball year|1884}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/holdsji01.shtml|title=Jim Holdsworth|work=baseball-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=17 December 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/Pholdj101.htm|title=Jim Holdsworth|work=retrosheet.org|publisher=Retrosheet, Inc|accessdate=17 December 2009}} Holdsworth died in his hometown of New York City, and is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery. He played in the National Association, National League, and briefly the American Association.

In 1877, the Brooklyn Eagle described Holdsworth as "a good honest player, an excellent bat and a fine outfielder."{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=William A. |title=The Louisville Grays Scandal of 1877: The Taint of Gambling at the Dawn of the National League |date=24 December 2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-1639-1 |page=61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrdqAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 |access-date=4 July 2022 |language=en}} Holdsworth went through an elaborate wind-up in preparation to hit pitches, such that the press dubbed him "the dancing batter."{{cite book |last1=Arcidiacono |first1=David |title=Major League Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut: The Rise and Fall of the Middletown, New Haven and Hartford Clubs |date=3 December 2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3677-4 |page=180 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=axNYROJTahwC&pg=PA180 |language=en}}

Holdsworth carries the distinction of the lowest walk rate in history; he walked just 8 times in 1,489 plate appearances.{{cite web |title=Major League Leaderboards » 2022 » Batters » Dashboard {{!}} FanGraphs Baseball |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=np&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2022&month=0&season1=1871&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=1871-01-01&enddate=2022-12-31&sort=9,a |publisher=FanGraphs |access-date=4 July 2022}} (A walk was not earned with four balls until 1889, for several years in the 1870s taking as many as nine.{{cite web |title=Bases on Balls Single Season Leaders on Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hiwalk2.shtml |publisher=Baseball Almanac |access-date=4 July 2022}})

In 1885, he played for the Rochester Flour Cities of the New York State League.{{cite book |last1=Batesel |first1=Paul |title=Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875 |date=6 October 2012 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9076-9 |page=73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FXR31rzwqMC&pg=PA73 |access-date=4 July 2022 |language=en}}

After his retirement, he continued to play in old-timers' games.{{cite book |last1=Nemec |first1=David |title=Major League Baseball Profiles, 1871-1900, Volume 1: The Ballplayers Who Built the Game |date=1 September 2011 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0-8032-3024-8 |page=557 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3BUqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA557 |access-date=4 July 2022 |language=en}}