John Holdzkom Stats & Scouting Report

IP	9
ERA	2
WHIP	.667
BB/9	2
SO/9	14

Full name John Stephen Holdzkom
Born 10/19/1987 in Pasadena, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'9" / Wt.: 245 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Salt Lake CC
Debut 09/02/2014
Drafted in the 4th round (124th overall) by the New York Mets in 2006 (signed for $210,000).

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A 6-foot-7 righthander, Holdzkom has touched 98 mph but has been wild and hasn't had many opportunities to pitch, either in high school or junior college. Holdzkom, whose older brother Lincoln is a pitcher in the Marlins system, was academically ineligible for part of his senior season of high school in Southern California, but the Mariners still drafted him in the 15th round. Holdzkom never signed with the Mariners and went to Salt Lake CC but dropped out after an argument with his coach during a game.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Though a touch old to be considered a top prospect, Holdzkom was one of the more amazing Pirates' stories in recent memory as he went from the independent American Association in June--where he caught the eye of scout Mal Fischman--to being used as a reliever in high-leverage situations during the pennant race in September. Holdzkom had battled maturity issues and frightening control problems since signing as a Mets fourth-roudner in 2006. Coming into 2014, he had walked 7.2 batters per nine innings for his career, in part because the cut he inadvertently put on the ball made it move so much that he struggled to keep it in the strike zone. A tweaked fastball grip he learned in 2014 allowed him to control his cutting action, giving him fringe-average control. That's enough for him to have success, because Holdzkom's double-plus fastball routinely hit the high 90s and has touched 100 mph. He also throws the little-seen palmball, but when he's on, he'll throw his fastball 90 percent of the time. Holdzkom will get a chance to win a setup reliever job with the Pirates in spring training and could eventually close.
The brother of Lincoln Holdzkom, a 2001 seventh-round pick of the Marlins who was taken by the Astros in the 2006 Rule 5 draft, John is a bit of an enigma. Despite an incredible arm, he fell to the Mariners in the 15th round of 2005 draft coming out of high school. He was academically ineligible for much of his senior season and pitched sparingly upon his return because of problems with his control and with his coach. A year of junior college in a wood-bat league helped his stock immensely and the Mets signed him for $210,000 as a fourth-rounder, though he certainly wasn't a consensus first-five-round pick. Holdzkom has a fastball that touches 98 mph and sits at 92-94 mph. He also features a hard slider in the high 80s that can be dominant. Because of his size, Holdzkom has a very hard time repeating his delivery. He has been working on a changeup in the bullpen but doesn't throw it in games as of yet. The Mets knew he was this raw when they drafted him but couldn't resist such a power arm. Though he profiles best as a reliever, the organization wants to use him as a starter and hope it helps the development of his change. He'll be back in extended spring training, with a likely assignment to Kingsport or Brooklyn come June.