Drafted in the 12th round (343rd overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2002.
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LHP Brian Holliday was the most talked-about high school player in Pittsburgh this spring. He resembles Tom Glavine in terms of command and actions, but his velocity is only 85-88 mph now and he has indicated a desire to attend school at Kentucky.
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Holliday led Moon High, in the Pittsburgh suburbs, to the state title in Pennsylvania's highest classification in both his junior and senior years. He spent his first two pro seasons in the Gulf Coast League, not surprising because he had limited experience. Holliday has a big-breaking curveball and he's learning to change speeds with it. He has pumped up the volume with his fastball, jumping it from 84 to 90 mph after making some mechanical changes following his first pro season. Like many young pitchers, Holliday needs to improve his changeup in order to have a solid third pitch. He's still a project as the Pirates have completely rebuilt his delivery. He made strides last season as he became more serious about the game. Holliday will move slowly through the system and will begin 2004 in low Class A.
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