A's Call Up Reliever with 0.55 ERA in the Minors

Jason Burke | Aug 17, 2024

Jul 23, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; General view of an Oakland Athletics helmet after defeating the Houston Astros at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's announced on Saturday that they have optioned Will Klein to the minor leagues, and taking his place will be 24-year-old Grant Holman, a sixth rounder for Oakland in 2021. The hard-throwing right-hander has been having a tremendous season in the minors, posting a combined 0.55 ERA in 40 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

He started the year with Midland, and didn't allow a single run in his 17 appearances, spanning 19 1/3 innings pitched. In that span he allowed 12 hits, walked nine, and struck out 24 with a batting average against of .190.

While he allowed three earned runs with Las Vegas, leading to a 0.92 ERA in 29 1/3 innings, his periperal numbers may have been even better. In the ten extra innings between the two levels, he allowed just one more hit, leading to a .131 average against and a 0.89 WHIP. The first time he allowed a run all season was on June 28, a two-inning outing in which he gave up two. He has allowed just one other run all year, on July 27.

In his last appearance with the Aviators on Thursday, Holman maxed out at 96.7 miles per hour with the heater, getting two whiffs on five swings. He also uses an 85 mile per hour slider and sprinkles in a splitter that sits at 88.

The righty said that the biggest change he made this season was in where he stands on the pitching rubber. Last season, when he held a 5.85 ERA across 32 1/3 innings in Double-A, he was pitching more on the first base side, and this season he has moved to the middle of the rubber.

"I think that's helped me kind of keep everything on the same plane and make it a little harder for hitters to pick up."

A's manager Mark Kotsay said that the hope is to find him a soft landing spot, as is the case for all of the young arms they bring in. Finding an easy situation to pitch in during the final Bay Bridge Series could be tricky, but Holman has shown all season that he can compete. Now he gets to be a big leaguer.