Clay Holmes Promoted to the Major Leagues

Right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes can officially call himself a Major League pitcher

Due to yesterday’s rainout, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers will play a doubleheader on this Easter Sunday. As a result of the doubleheader, each team may carry 26 players on their active Major League roster today instead of the usual 25.

All along, odds were, the Pirates would add a pitcher as their 26th player today. Not only does having as much pitching available as possible make sense when there are two games to be played, the Pirate bullpen was also taxed in their season-opening 13-10 extra innings victory on Friday. So, the Pirates adding a pitcher for today’s game is not a surprise. What was a surprise, however, is who the Pirates promoted.

Personally, I expected the Pirates to add Kyle Crick for today’s game. If not Crick, then I would have put money on Nick Kingham or Kevin Siegrist. Instead, it was right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes getting the call.

This is the first time that 25-year-old Clay Holmes has been on an active Major League roster. Holmes was drafted by the Pirates in the 9th Round of the 2011 June Amateur Draft. He was quickly becoming one of the organization’s top pitching prospects prior to having Tommy John Surgery in 2013. This caused him to miss all of 2014 while pitching in just 9 games in 2015.

During the 2017 season Holmes started to get back on track. He logged 112 2/3 innings in 25 games, 24 starts, for Triple-A Indianapolis. He averaged 7.91 K/9, he allowed just four home runs, and he had a strong 61.5 percent groundball rate. He went on to post a 3.36 ERA and a 3.86 FIP for the Indians. He did struggle with control though averaging 4.71 BB/9 to go along with 12 wild pitches.

Next: No. 8 Prospect - Bryan Reynolds

Clay Holmes throws a slider and a changeup to go with his fastball. Pitching out of the bullpen, his fastball can reach the upper-90s.