Colin Holderman

Pirates Outright Six Players

By Simon Hampton | November 10, 2022 at 5:43pm CDT

The Pirates have outrighted Peter Solomon, Beau Sulser, Jason Delay, Blake Cederlind, Eric Stout and Zack Collins off their 40-man roster, per a team announcement. Both Stout and Collins have elected free agency. The made the moves after reinstating Canaan Smith-Njigba, Colin Holderman, Yerry De Los Santos, Cederlind and Max Kranick off the 60-day IL.

Solomon, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Astros in September. He never made it to the majors in Pittsburgh, staying at Triple-A for his brief stint with the Bucs. Across both team’s Triple-A affiliates he threw 109 2/3 innings of 5.58 ERA ball, striking out eight batters per nine innings and walking 4.4. He did make it to the majors in 2021 for the Astros, throwing 14 innings of 1.29 ERA ball, although that was held together by an 88.9% LOB rate.

Sulser was a tenth round draft pick in 2017, and made it to the majors for the first time in 2022. He had a 3.72 ERA across 9 2/3 innings in Pittsburgh, before the Orioles claimed him off waivers in May. There, he spent much of the year in the minors but threw 12 2/3 innings of 3.55 ERA ball in the bigs. Altogether, Sulser would strike out 19.1% of major league batters and walk 9.1% in 2022.

The Pirates used no fewer than eight catchers in 2022, and despite Delay spending the first few months of the season at Triple-A, he wound up as their starter by season’s end and his 57 games at catcher were the most on the team. Across those appearances, he hit just .213/.265/.271 with one home run. The bat was never Delay’s strength, and he does grade out well defensively behind the plate.

Cederlind came through the Pirates system as a strong relief pitcher, but injuries have derailed his career in recently. After making his major league debut in 2020 and tossing four innings out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen he underwent Tommy John surgery in early 2021. That is never a quick recovery, but Cederlind had to undergo a second surgery this year to remove loose bodies from his elbow, and as such never pitched in either 2021 or 2022.

Pittsburgh purchased Stout from the Cubs midway through the 2022 campaign, and wound up throwing 18 2/3 innings out of their bullpen. His 5.79 ERA doesn’t show much promise, and Stout will need to find a way to limit the walks, after he gave up 15 free passes this season in Pittsburgh.

The sixth man to be outrighted was Collins, a former top-100 prospect out of the White Sox system. It never worked out for the catcher in Chicago, and the White Sox shipped him to the Blue Jays for Reese McGuire at the start of the season. He struggled there, hitting .194/.266/.417 with four home runs across 79 plate appearances. The Pirates claimed him off waivers in September, but he picked up just a solitary hit across 29 plate appearances.

After these moves, and Pittsburgh’s earlier acquisition of first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Rays, their 40-man roster is full.

Pirates Claim Peter Solomon From Astros

By Darragh McDonald | September 4, 2022 at 3:45pm CDT

The Pirates announced that they have claimed right-hander Peter Solomon off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. He was designated for assignment by Houston on Thursday. To make room for Solomon on their 40-man roster, the Pirates have transferred right Colin Holderman to the 60-day injured list.

Solomon, 26, was a fourth-round draft selection of the Astros in 2017, meaning this will be his first time jumping to a new organization in his career. He pitched well as he climbed the minor league ladder but was limited to just 7 2/3 innings in 2019 before Tommy John surgery shut him down. He was likely to miss most of the 2020 season while recovering, though that became somewhat moot when the pandemic wiped out the minors that year.

In 2021, he returned to the hill and made his major league debut. He tossed 14 innings in the big leagues over six games, registering a 1.29 ERA in that small sample. He spent much more time in Triple-A, however, putting up a 4.70 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League along with a 26.3% strikeout rate. Here in 2022, it’s been a bit of a step back for Solomon, as he has a 5.20 ERA across 97 innings for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys with his strikeout rate dipping to 20.5%.

Despite some of those unsavory numbers, there are reasons for the Pirates to take a flier on Solomon. Baseball America ranked him the #19 prospect in Houston’s system at their midseason update, noting that his five-pitch mix, command and durability give him the tools to potentially become a back-end starter in the big leagues. For a team that’s well out of contention and clearly focused on the future, it’s fairly logical to give Solomon a roster spot and see if he can flourish, especially now that he’ll be away from the PCL. This is Solomon’s second option year, meaning the Pirates can keep him stashed in the minors for the rest of this year and another campaign as long as he continues to hang onto a spot on the 40-man. The rotation is also fairly wide open, currently composed of Roansy Contreras, JT Brubaker, Mitch Keller, Bryse Wilson and Johan Oviedo. All of those guys are still works in progress to varying degrees, with none of them having reached their 29th birthday or 300 MLB innings pitched.

As for Holderman, 26, he was placed on the IL August 26 due to shoulder soreness. The Bucs evidently don’t expect him back this season since this transfer will rule him out beyond the end of the schedule. He made his MLB debut this year with the Mets before going to the Pirates in a trade for Daniel Vogelbach. He will finish his first season with a 3.81 ERA over 28 1/3 innings.

Justice delos Santos of MLB.com tweeted the moves before the official announcement.

Mets, Pirates Swap Daniel Vogelbach, Colin Holderman

By Anthony Franco | July 22, 2022 at 6:23pm CDT

The Mets and Pirates have swapped a pair of big leaguers. New York announced they’ve landed designated hitter/first baseman Daniel Vogelbach from the Bucs, trading reliever Colin Holderman in a one-for-one deal.

New York has been on the hunt for another addition to the lineup. Team president Sandy Alderson told the New York Post last week they were seeking an upgrade at designated hitter. Vogelbach had emerged recently as a target, although Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports they’re still looking to add offense over the next ten days even with him in the fold.

Vogelbach had a decent showing over his three months in the Steel City. Pittsburgh signed the burly left-handed hitter to a modest $1MM guarantee during Spring Training. That takes the form of an $800K salary, a little less than half of which remains to be paid out, and at least a $200K buyout on a $1.5MM club option for next season. That option price looks more than reasonable given how Vogelbach has performed, and he’d remain arbitration-eligible for the 2024 campaign as well.

The 29-year-old has tallied 278 plate appearances across 75 games, hitting .228/.338/.430 with 12 home runs. It’s not an impressive batting average, but he’s walking at a massive 14.4% clip and hitting for strong power. By measure of wRC+, Vogelbach’s production has been 18 percentage points above league average after accounting for PNC Park’s pitcher-friendly nature.

Those kinds of numbers are par for the course for Vogelbach. This season’s .228 batting average is a career high, but he’s walked in more than 15% of his career trips to the plate and typically posts above-average slugging output. His 30-homer season in 2019 looks like a a bit of an outlier, but Vogelbach is a career .234/.358/.459 hitter against right-handed pitching. He’s done nothing against southpaws (career .137/.258/.230 line), but he’ll add a left-handed platoon option to the mix for manager Buck Showalter.

The Vogelbach pickup is the firmest indication the Mets plan to move on from at least one of Dominic Smith or J.D. Davis. The former, as a left-handed bat, seems the player most displaced by the Vogelbach addition. New York has already discussed Smith with teams like the Red Sox and Cubs, and Andy Martino of SNY wrote this morning they’re looking to deal him before the August 2 trade deadline. Smith landed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, but he can still be traded even if he doesn’t return to the field before then.

As for the Bucs, they’ll add a controllable arm who can step right into the major league bullpen. Holderman, 26, made his debut earlier this season. He’s tossed 17 2/3 innings of 2.04 ERA ball, striking out an above-average 26.9% of batters faced while inducing whiffs on a solid 12.4% of his offerings. Holderman has doled out a few too many free passes, but he’s averaged nearly 96 MPH on his sinker and gotten strong swinging strike numbers on his mid-80s cutter-slider.

Holderman has also performed well in Triple-A, posting a 2.51 ERA through 14 1/3 frames. The former ninth-round pick has fanned upwards of 30% of opponents in the minors this year, also inducing ground-balls at a huge 63.6% clip. He’s shown far better strike-throwing acumen in Triple-A than he has at the big league level to date, making him an interesting upper-level bullpen add for the Bucs.

Holderman is only in his first of three minor league option years, so the Pirates can freely shuttle him between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis for the next couple seasons. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility until after the 2024 campaign at the earliest, and future optional assignments could push that trajectory back even further.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the Pirates were nearing a deal to send Vogelbach to the Mets. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the deal was agreed upon, and was first to report the Pirates would receive Holderman in exchange.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Claim Kramer Robertson, Transfer Tylor Megill To 60-Day IL

By Anthony Franco | June 27, 2022 at 3:15pm CDT

The Mets have claimed infielder Kramer Robertson off waivers from the Braves, tweets Tim Healey of Newsday. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. That’s also true of reliever Colin Holderman, who was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and sent to the minors. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Robertson, the Mets transferred Tylor Megill from the 15-day to the 60-day IL.

A former fourth-round pick of the Cardinals, Robertson made it to the big leagues last month. He appeared in two games, picking up his first plate appearance, before being optioned back out. St. Louis designated the 27-year-old for assignment not too long thereafter, and the Braves grabbed him off waivers.

Robertson has spent 13 games with Atlanta’s top affiliate in Gwinnett. Despite playing quite well over that stretch, he apparently landed on waivers over the weekend. (The club didn’t announce his removal from the 40-man roster at the time). The Braves’ attempt to slip Robertson through waivers and keep him in the organization as a non-roster player was thwarted by their division rivals.

In parts of three Triple-A seasons, the LSU product owns a .246/.369/.398 slash line. He’s walked in a stellar 14.3% of his plate appearances at the minors’ highest level and can cover anywhere on the infield. Robertson is in his first of three minor league option years, so the Mets will add a flexible upper level depth option if they keep him on the 40-man roster.

Megill’s IL transfer backdates to June 17, when he first landed on the shelf. The right-hander suffered a shoulder strain and won’t begin a throwing program until around the All-Star Break, and he’ll certainly need weeks to build up arm strength even in a best-case scenario. It never seemed likely he’d be back before mid-August given that initial timeline, and today’s move makes that official.

Mets Notes: McCann, Scherzer, Holderman, deGrom

By Mark Polishuk | June 25, 2022 at 10:24pm CDT

James McCann was activated from the 10-day injured list prior to today’s 5-3 win over the Marlins, and the catcher went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in his first game since May 10. McCann had to undergo surgery to fix a broken left hamate bone, costing him a little beyond the initial six-week recovery timeline. Nevertheless, McCann is back behind the plate and looking to finally get his Queens tenure on track. Since signing a four-year, $40.6MM free agent deal in the 2020-21 offseason, McCann has hit only .227/.290/.341 over his first 142 games and 476 plate appearances in a Mets uniform.

Neither Tomas Nido or Patrick Mazeika shone while McCann was out, so there isn’t much chance of McCann losing his starting job….unless the aggressive Mets either added a short-term catcher (i.e. a pending free agent like Willson Contreras) or perhaps promoted star prospect Francisco Alvarez. While Alvarez is crushing Double-A pitching, it would be bold to see the Mets promote him past Triple-A and directly to the majors, so the club would certainly prefer to just see McCann flash some of his good hitting form from the 2019-20 seasons.

Injured List Transactions: Urias, Holderman, Mayza

By Mark Polishuk | June 11, 2022 at 9:21pm CDT

On yet another injury-filled day in baseball, let’s catch up on a few more comings and goings from the IL…

The Orioles placed infielder Ramon Urias on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, and selected Richie Martin’s contract from Triple-A. With a pretty even split of playing time between shortstop, second base, and third base over his three MLB seasons, Urias has handled the majority of third base duty for the O’s this season, though he hasn’t matched his production from the 2021 season. After posting a 115 wRC+ in 296 PA with Baltimore last year, Urias has a more modest 86 wRC+ and a .225/.273/.387 slash line in 188 PA this season. Tyler Nevin figures to get most of the third base playing time with Urias out, and Martin (called up for his first Major League action of 2022) will likely spell Rougned Odor and Jorge Mateo at the two middle infield positions.
The Mets placed right-hander Colin Holderman on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. The placement is retroactive to June 8, and righty Jake Reed has been called up from Triple-A to take Holderman’s spot in New York’s bullpen. Pitching in his first MLB season, Holderman has an impressive 3.18 ERA, 30.4% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate in his first 11 1/3 innings as a big leaguer.
Tim Mayza was activated off the Blue Jays’ 15-day injured list, as the left-hander returned to action after missing a little under four weeks due to forearm inflammation. After throwing a scoreless two-thirds of an inning today against the Tigers, Mayza improved his ERA to 1.98 over 13 2/3 total frames this season.

Mets Place Tylor Megill On Injured List, Select Colin Holderman

By Darragh McDonald | May 15, 2022 at 12:30pm CDT

The Mets announced a series of roster moves today, with righty Tylor Megill going on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 12, due to right biceps inflammation. Fellow righty Colin Holderman has been selected to take his place on the active roster. To make room for Holderman on the 40-man roster, righty Trevor May has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

The Mets didn’t provide a timeline for Megill’s injury but did say that he will undergo an MRI today. More details and the next steps should be forthcoming once the results are known.

Megill, 26, wasn’t originally projected to open the season in the rotation, but injuries to Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker created an opening for him. Initially, Megill took that opportunity and ran with it, making two scoreless starts to begin the season and putting up an ERA of 1.93 after five total outings. However, his last two outings haven’t been as smooth, with Megill allowing 11 total earned runs in those. It’s possible that this injury was taking its toll on him and affecting his performance.

The Mets will need another starter to take Megill’s spot in the rotation, as today is their sixth of 16 consecutive games. David Peterson would seem to be the most likely candidate to be called up, given that he’s already made three starts for the club earlier this year and performed well. But in the short term, he pitched in Triple-A on Friday and wouldn’t be available to pitch on normal rest until Wednesday. Megill’s was scheduled to start tomorrow’s game, meaning the Mets will have to figure out who’s taking the ball for that contest.

In the meantime, Holderman will join the staff to try to cover some innings. A ninth round draft pick from 2016, he’s done both starting and relieving in his minor league career, though he’s only been working out of the bullpen this year. In nine Triple-A games, he’s thrown 12 1/3 innings with a 2.92 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 61.3% ground ball rate. As soon as he gets the call to enter a game, it will be his major league debut.

The transfer of May to the 60-day injured list isn’t shocking, as it was reported a couple of weeks ago that he will be out of action for 8-12 weeks due to a stress reaction in the humerus of his throwing arm.

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