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Holmes added to Pirates’ 40-man roster
- Updated: November 19, 2016
PITTSBURGH — With most of their work done ahead of time, the Pirates saw fit to add only one player to their 40-man roster Friday.
The Bucs selected the contract of right-hander Clay Holmes, protecting him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. Holmes, 23, is Pittsburgh’s No. 11 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. He was eligible for last year’s Rule 5 Draft but, given his limited experience coming back from Tommy John surgery, went unselected. Evidently the Bucs were betting that wouldn’t be the case this year.
Holmes went 10-9 with a 4.22 ERA in 26 starts for Double-A Altoona this year, his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2014. Holmes pitched 136 1/3 innings, striking out 101 while walking 64.
He pitched particularly well in the second half of the season, posting a 3.03 ERA while limiting opponents to a .639 OPS over his last 14 starts. It was an encouraging sign for Holmes, selected in the ninth round of the 2011 Draft.
The 6-foot-5 Holmes does a number of things the Pirates value in a starting pitcher. Specifically, …
