The Pittsburgh Pirates have added right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes to the 40-man roster, the team announced. This is the second year that Holmes was eligible for the Rule 5 draft, although he wasn’t protected and wasn’t drafted last year, mostly due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 2016 season was his first full year back since surgery, and he obviously showed enough to warrant a spot on the 40-man this year.
Holmes had some command issues early in the season, which is normal for a pitcher returning from Tommy John. He started showing more consistency in the second half, with a fastball that was hitting the mid-90s, and better control. There were still some control problems, which Holmes needs to work through going forward. He is also working on a new breaking pitch, aimed at getting more strikeouts. The upside here is a middle of the rotation starter with the frame to throw 200 innings a year, although the more conservative approach would be a back of the rotation starter, or a power reliever if not everything clicks.
With the addition of Holmes, the Pirates’ roster is now at 40. They previously added Jose Osuna and Dovydas Neverauskas in order to prevent them from reaching minor league free agency, and to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. They also added a lot of Rule 5 eligible players during the season, including Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault, Trevor Williams, and Adam Frazier.
The notable players who were left unprotected were Barrett Barnes, Eric Wood, and Jin-De Jhang. Wood and Jhang play positions that aren’t usually drafted and/or protected in the Rule 5 draft, so they could be safe. That’s especially true for Jhang, as it would be difficult for him to be a backup in the majors right now with only 53 games behind the plate catching pitchers above A-ball. That doesn’t include his AFL time, but that doesn’t add a lot to his workload.
Barnes was left unprotected last year, and wasn’t drafted. He showed improvements in his second year in Altoona, with much better power numbers, and while he profiles as a corner outfielder in a regular role, he has the ability to play center field. His injury history could scare teams away, along with his age (entering his age 25 season), which is mostly elevated due to his injury history. He has been mostly healthy the last two years.