Pirates A to Z: Colin Holderman an exciting addition to bullpen before being shut down

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Colin Holderman

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 27 (Oct. 8)

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 225 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Went 5-0 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and 14 walks in 28 1/3 innings over 24 games between the New York Mets and Pirates.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: From the Mets in a trade for designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach in July.

This past season: Holderman was just starting to establish himself in the Mets’ bullpen, so the rookie reliever was surprised to learn that he was traded to the Pirates on July 22.

“Honestly, I thought I was getting optioned, and I ended up getting traded,” Holderman said. “I’ll take it.”

The Pirates were impressed with the sinkerballer’s season, as he 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 with the Mets. Holderman had stranded all eight inherited runners, as opponents were batting .188 against him with runners in scoring position.

Pirates righty reliever Colin Holderman, acquired from the Mets for DH Daniel Vogelbach, tells how he found out about the trade. pic.twitter.com/b9mUGsgnJP

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) August 2, 2022

After serving as a sometimes starter in the minors — where he made 26 starts in 68 games over five seasons — Holderman welcomed his move to the bullpen. He credited Mets relievers Seth Lugo and Adam Ottavino for teaching him how to make the transition.

“It was easy for me, because I got real nervous before starts. It was tough getting a night’s sleep before,” Holderman said. “I like getting called and letting adrenaline take hold of everything, but I think my mentality’s built more for the bullpen. I’m going to give it all I have. It’s hard to do that as a starter. You’ve got to pick when you’re going to use certain pitches, save some stuff for the third time around. The transition’s been a little easier for me just because of the stuff I’ve been doing in the past.”

The Pirates initially sent Holderman to Triple-A Indianapolis, then recalled him after trading lefty starter Jose Quintana and righty reliever Chris Stratton to St. Louis in early August.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated they had designs on using Holderman in high-leverage situations, citing how right-handed hitters were batting .167 and lefties .217 against him at the time of the trade.

“That definitely excites me,” Holderman said. “I’m going to have to earn that. It was tough to earn that role in New York with Edwin Diaz doing what he’s doing. He’s special and definitely one of the best guys in the league, and getting over here, they talked about getting the chance to have a bigger role. Hopefully I earn that and I thrive in that role.”

In his Pirates debut Aug. 4, Holderman pitched the eighth and ninth innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He had the bases loaded in the ninth when third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes robbed Tyrone Taylor of an extra-base hit and turned a double play to escape the jam.

“The two innings that Holderman gave us were outstanding,” Shelton said. “He went right after people.”

Holderman didn’t allow a run in his first five games with the Pirates, though he gave up three hits, five walks and hit a pair of batters. Even so, opponents hit .130 against him over 7 1/3 innings.

“I’m just going to take it day by day, and whenever my name’s called try to throw up a zero and try to put our team in the best chance to win the ballgame,” Holderman said. “A role will probably come with more innings, and I’ll have to earn some of those, but hey, we’ll find out.”

Holderman found the next four games to be a struggle. Opponents batted .400 with a .526 on-base percentage and .926 OPS, scoring eight earned runs on six hits, two walks and two more hit batsmen. Those numbers were inflated in his final outing, when he gave up five runs on three hits, one walk and hit a batter without recording an out in the eighth inning of a 14-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 24.

Holderman gave up a walk followed by three consecutive singles, including one by Ronald Acuna Jr. to score Michael Harris II. With the bases loaded, Holderman hit Austin Riley on the left hip with a pitch, scoring Robbie Grossman as the Braves stretched their lead to 9-0. After Holderman was removed from the game because of right shoulder discomfort, Matt Olson blasted lefty Cam Vieaux’s slider into the Allegheny River on a bounce for a grand slam and a 13-0 lead.

The Pirates knew that Holderman had dealt with a right shoulder impingement in June, so they placed Holderman on the 15-day injured list. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL, effectively ending his season.

Colin Holderman, 98 mph sinker with 20 inches of drop and 17 inches of arm side run. #Mets pic.twitter.com/QzM9RtmFKY

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) March 25, 2022

The future: Holderman didn’t give up a home run in the majors and allowed only two in the minors, both at Triple-A Syracuse, but his control issues were alarming. He had more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six) and hit four of the 51 batters he faced with the Pirates.

What the Pirates like is Holderman’s pitch repertoire, which relies heavily on his sinker and slider. Opponents batted .114 against the sinker, which averages 96 mph but touched 98. The slider became his putaway pitch, as he had a 41% whiff rate and recorded 19 of his 24 strikeouts with the pitch.

“We’re excited about him,” Pirates bullpen coach Justin Meccage said. “He’s got electric stuff. He’s a guy that loves to pitch, loves to compete. You think about some of those guys on the back side of that bullpen next year and there’s some cool things that potentially could happen. We just need to get the health under control and let him get out there and pitch.”