Pinstripe Preview: Jonathan Holder
Lost
among the bounty of high-profile prospects in the Yankees organization lies one
23-year-old flamethrower who is likely to impact the 2017 Yankees in a bigger
way than the Gleyber Torres' and Clint Fraziers.
Drafted
in the sixth round of the 2014 amateur player draft, Jonathan Holder is an
ultra impressive bullpen arm who is sure to make his presence felt in The Bronx
in 2017 after receiving a cup of coffee with the big league club in 2016 as a
September call up. Holder features a
four pitch arsenal, anchored by a fastball that neared triple digits last
season. In addition to the heat, Holder
also mixes in a split-finger fastball, a cut-fastball and a curveball.
Holder's
unique combination of strong stuff, impressive command of his pitches, as well
as a no-backing-down attitude on the mound should allow for him to translate
the dominating success he showcased across three levels of the minor leagues
last season into Major League success.
2016
Review
Jonathan
Holder's meteoric ascension through the ranks last season was nothing short of
impressive. Despite beginning the year
at Single-A Tampa, the young righty eventually found himself donning pinstripes
by season's end.
After
just two appearances in Tampa, Holder was promoted to Double-A Trenton where he
spent the majority of the year as the Thunder closer. In 28 appearances, Holder threw 41 innings to
a 2.20 ERA, racking up 10 saves and 59 strikeouts (12.95 K/9). By late July, Holder was on the move again,
as he was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In
just over a month with the RailRiders, Holder was even more dominant than he
was in Trenton, appearing in 12 games, he would go 2-0, pitching to an
astounding 0.89 ERA with no walks (!), a 0.344 WHIP and 35 strikeouts over a
combined 20.1 innings pitched (15.49 K/9).
The most impressive moment of his time at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016
came during a game on August 28th in which Holder entered during the sixth
inning with two on and nobody out in relief of Tyler Webb. When all was said and done, Holder would
pitch four scoreless innings for the save and dial up an almost impossible to
believe 11 consecutive strikeouts, ultimately recording all 12 of his outs via
the strikeout, allowing just one man to reach base (former Yankee, John Ryan
Murphy, via an infield single). The Yankees took notice of Holder and by
September 2nd he had joined the big league club.
2017
Outlook
While
Holder's minor league dominance didn't exactly translate into Major League
success right away (5.40 ERA, 1.440 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 in eight
appearances), I have no doubt in my mind that he will be able to adjust to MLB
level hitters this season and become a key cog in the Yankees bullpen alongside
guys like Ben Heller, Tommy Layne, Adam Warren, Tyler Clippard, Dellin Betances
& Aroldis Chapman.
Holder's
biggest keys to success this season will be his ability to adjust to
professional level hitters, as well as his ability to continue to command his
pitches – specifically up in the zone.
As long as Holder continues to develop and stay healthy this spring,
Yankees fans should expect to see him crack the Opening Day 25-man roster and
provide meaningful middle-relief innings for the Bombers this year.
Comments
Post a Comment