Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: RHP Clay Holmes
When he was drafted in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB draft, there were a lot of expectations placed on the high school arm. He was having success in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, but injuries early in his career ended up stopping his progress. Once he recovered, he once again emerged as a top prospect, and ended up making his Pirates debut in 2018, but didn't bring with him the results that were expected. He has since appeared in parts of three Minor League seasons with the Pirates and went 2-5 with a 5.91 ERA over 47 Big League games. In the end, Holmes ended up walking in free agency following the 2020 season, and it looked like their partnership was over.
However, five days after his departure, Holmes was back with the Pirates when he signed a Minor League deal and received an invite to Major League Spring Training. It is a chance for Holmes to redeem himself, and show that he can be the pitcher that he promised to be when he was drafted in 2011. Holmes only pitched in one game during the 2020 season, thanks to right forearm discomfort suffered on August 11th, 2020. In what was his only appearance of the 2020 season, Holmes allowed two hits over 1.1 innings of work and struck out one. It was a step in the right direction in a career that has been sub-par at best. However, Holmes is looking to turn things around in 2021 and emerge as a front-runner for a middle relief spot in 2021.
First Full Year in The Big Leagues
Although he did not see much action for the Pirates in 2020, the 2019 season was Homes' first full season in the Big Leagues. After coming up as a starting pitching prospect, the Pirates decided to move him to the bullpen full-time, where he could use his higher velocity over shorter periods of time. He wasn't with the Club on Opening Day, but ended up getting the call to the Big Leagues on May 9th and, aside from a short DL stint, would stay on the roster the entire season. However, it was not the warm welcome that Holmes was looking for, as he gave up four earned runs over his first two outings, and had a 4.15 ERA after his first month of the season.
June and July weren't any easier for Holmes as he had ERAs of 5.06 and 12.83 respectively. You could tell that something was wrong and was causing Holmes to be off his game. He suffered a right tricep strain and a left quadriceps strain months a par, leading to two separate stints on the Disabled List. During this time, Holmes worked in the video room, trying to nail down what was making him so inconsistent in the Major Leagues. He made some tweaks to his delivery and worked on them in during his rehab assignments with Double-A Altoona. When he came back on September 1st, he was ready to put his new mechanics into action and make a case for himself to stay in the Big Leagues.
The adjustments seemed to work, as he came back better than ever during the month of September. He pitched to a 3.97 ERA over nine appearances, 11.1 innings of work, and dropped his ERA more than 50 points. His best work came over his final five appearances of the year as he threw 4.1 scoreless innings of work while striking out four and walking two. He was finally showing the potential the Pirates saw in him when they drafted him, and he was ready to take the confidence into the 2020 season. However, he would be bit by the injury bug again as he broke his foot before the shutdown and suffered a right forearm strain one game into 2020 to shut him down for the season. Holmes may not be on the 40-man roster currently, but he will for sure be fighting for a bullpen spot in 2021.
Holmes Rises Again
For Clay Holmes, the 2021 Grapefruit League season might be one of the most important moments of his pro baseball career. If he fails to make the club, he will be sent to the Minors and at age 28 will be one of the oldest players there. This severely lowers his chance of catching on with the Pirates, or anywhere else for that matter. Holmes's inconsistency is not due to a lack of good stuff, he just hasn't been able to make that stuff work at the Big League level. Holmes is a groundball pitched by trade, and his sinker is his biggest weapon with big downward movement and the ability to reach up into the mid-90s.
He used the pitch over half the time last season, and it featured a downward movement of 28.7 inches, 6.7 inches above average. Because of this, Holmes makes opponents put the ball on the ground more often than not. He had a groundball rate of 60% in 2019 and in the shortened 2020 season, which is always a positive for right-handers at PNC Park. The more groundballs he forces, the less chance a lefty can get a hold of a pitch and hit it over the wall. He allowed just five home runs the entire 2019 season, and used his off-speed stuff to keep hitters off-balance. With so much downward movement on his pitches, Holmes often left batters swinging over the top of the ball.
So far in his first three outings of Spring Traning, Holmes has looked good on the mound for the Pirates. He has thrown three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking two. In his latest outing against the Orioles, he did not allow a hit in his inning of work while walking one and striking out a batter. It has been a strong showing so far for Holmes, but the question is their room for him in the Bullpen on Opening Day? With so many arms vying for those spots in the bullpen, which could be anywhere from seven to nine spots, Holmes is going to have to show signs that he truly has changed. It has been a long, hard, road for Holmes so far in the Major Leagues, and he is trying to make all his hard work pay off in 2021.
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