The Oakland A's Next Bullpen Weapon
In the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft the Oakland Athletics selected a former two-way player, up until his junior year, from Cal. A draft that has also produced exciting big leaguers and prospects like Mason Miller, Zack Gelof, Brett Harris, Max Muncy, and Denzel Clarke just to name a few. The A’s selected Grant Holman as a pitcher after his three years at Cal where he appeared in 25 games (23 starts), hurling 109 innings, striking out 89, with a 4.05 ERA. His senior season where he threw 47 innings was his highest mark of his college career.
After being drafted, Holman was assigned to Single-A Stockton and pitched well in 15 innings with a 4.20 ERA. Over the next two years, Holman was promoted as high as Double-A Midland despite battling injuries that landed him on the injured list a few times. Over that span his stat line was: 46 G / 14 GS / 86.0 IP / 100 K / 85 H / 3 SV / 4.50 ERA.
Now in 2024, across Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, the No. 28 ranked prospect by MLB.com has only appeared out of the bullpen. Holman, now healthy, is putting up video game numbers in that role. In 33 innings, the 6-foot-6 right-hander has only allowed two earned runs while striking out 37 batters and has seven saves.
Holman has a three pitch mix including a four-seam fastball that sits around 95 mph, a slider that averages around the low 80s, and a splitter he sprinkles in to complement the two. His best pitches are his four-seam and slider, which produce the most swings and misses.
In his short time in Las Vegas, Holman has continued to dominate and is appearing in more than just save situations. He has been able to continue doing what he does best, attacking hitters, in any situation out of the bullpen. In a league like the PCL, it just makes his ability to shut down hitters that much more impressive.
Now it begs the question, when will fans see Holman dawn an Oakland A uniform under the lights of the Coliseum, dominating alongside the likes of Miller, Lucas Erceg, and Austin Adams?
Holman will need to spend more time in Las Vegas before Oakland considers calling up the electric right-hander. He has always had above-average to elite strikeout percentages since starting his professional career, however his walk percentages have been slowly increasing since his Stockton debut in 2021. Holman may have to work on lowering the amount of free passes he hands out before his promotion.
However, as the trade deadline nears, Oakland may trade away some players that could open up an opportunity for Holman to make his debut in the big leagues sooner rather than later and become another weapon for manager Mark Kotsay out of the bullpen.
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MATTHEW KALINOWSKI