Now healthy, Colin Holderman wants to prove to Pirates that he belongs in back of bullpen

Now that he is healthy and has added to his arsenal, Colin Holderman wants to prove to the Pittsburgh Pirates that he belongs in the back end of the bullpen.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander, acquired from the New York Mets last July in the Daniel Vogelbach trade, has set his sights on becoming the setup man for All-Star closer David Bednar.

“I’m excited to show why I should be at the back end of the bullpen every single night,” said Holderman, who credits his father for instilling a killer instinct at a young age. “My goal is to set up this year. That’s really what I want to do, and I’m going to prove why I should be that going into the season. I want to be in the most important part of the game. I thrive in those moments. That’s why I like to throw in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning.”

Holderman isn’t just talking a big game. He spent the offseason recovering from the right shoulder impingement that forced him to be shut down in early September after going 5-0 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and 14 walks in 28 1/3 innings as a rookie.

Holderman also adjusted his pitch repertoire, adding a cutter and sweeper to his sinker-slider combination. After throwing the 96-mph sinker on 46.8% of his pitches last season, per Statcast, Holderman wants to keep left-handed hitters honest and prevent them from diving out over the plate to sell out for the sinker.

“I think it’s going to be a really big pitch this year,” Holderman said. “I think it’ll be a weapon I can use more than I think in games.”

Imagine this pitch from @ColinHolderman but at 99.9 mph ???? https://t.co/jlDtCggoOD pic.twitter.com/1JNPCno5JE

— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) March 6, 2023

Holderman likens the sweeper to a “really big slider,” which served as his putaway pitch last season. Opponents batted .114 against Holderman’s slider, which drew a 41% whiff rate and was used on 19 of his 24 strikeouts between the Mets and Pirates.

With the Mets, Holderman was 4-0 with a 2.04 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 2/3 innings over 15 appearances, stranding all eight of his inherited runners and holding opponents to a .188 batting average with runners on base (6 for 32).

“He’s got really good stuff,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said acquiring Holderman. “He’s a pitcher who has the ability to get ground balls and strikeouts. Some guys can do one or the other. He has the ability to do both. That’s nice to have. I just think we’ve got to get to know him better, but we’re excited to start that process and take the next step with him.”

Holderman started strong in a high-leverage role for the Pirates before the shoulder started to bother him. Soon after he gave up five runs on three hits, one walk and a hit batter without recording an out in the eighth inning of a 14-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 24, Holderman was placed on the Pirates’ injured list.

“I came back a little early with the Mets. We were in a pretty close race with the Braves, so it made sense and I pitched through it,” Holderman said. “Through the All-Star break it got a little better, then I got traded over, and it was still lingering and I got worse as the year went on. I got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t smart to keep pitching through it. We had to shut it down. It was the best thing for me.”

Holderman has had a strong start in five spring training appearances, striking out five with one walk while holding hitters to a .200 batting average. His only earned runs allowed came on a three-run homer by Austin Hays in a 7-4 loss at Baltimore on March 8. Against the New York Yankees on Saturday, Holderman threw seven of his 12 pitches for strikes, fanning Michael Hermosillo on a 2-2 slider, getting Andres Chapparo to ground out on a 99.7-mph sinker and Spencer Jones swinging at a 3-2 slider.

“I’m feeling amazing now,” Holderman said, “and looking forward to a great 2023 campaign.”