Motivated by struggles, Holderman aims for consistency

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Colin Holderman thought about those five games often this winter and what could have been.

The first half of Holderman's season was about as good as any non-closer in the game. Despite missing the first two weeks of the season due to a virus, he immediately made an impact in the Pirates¡¯ bullpen, recording a 1.77 ERA and 15 holds. Going by win probability added -- how a pitcher¡¯s performance impacted a team¡¯s chances of winning -- he was the most valuable reliever in the Bucs¡¯ bullpen in the first half of the season. He was being put in leverage situations and consistently succeeding.

Then came those five games. Holderman allowed 23 runs (18 earned) over 51 1/3 innings last season, with 11 runs (nine earned) coming over a five-game stretch from July 28-Aug. 7. After barely surviving a 10th-inning scare against the Diamondbacks to close a win on July 28, Holderman wound up taking the loss in each of his next four games. The Pirates went into an August swoon at the same time, effectively extinguishing their playoff chances.

Holderman was placed on the injured list on Aug. 8 with a right wrist sprain. He pitched better in September to at least finish the year with a better taste in his mouth, but that rough stretch was still on his mind throughout the winter.

¡°I used it as motivation this offseason,¡± Holderman said. ¡°I want to be the greatest I can be, and the fans deserve that. I woke up every morning pretty fired up to get going.¡±

There were several areas of focus this winter. Holderman didn¡¯t like how often he was out of the zone against left-handed hitters last year, so he added a four-seam fastball and a splitter to his pitch mix. He didn¡¯t have an offspeed pitch before, hence the splitter, and the four-seamer is something that he feels he can jam inside to left-handed hitters.

But Holderman¡¯s best pitch will almost surely still be the sweeper. It¡¯s whatever he needs it to be. Does he need a pitch that will flutter out of the zone and get chases? Sweeper. Does he need to change velocity and use something like a changeup? Sweeper. Need to get a third strike? Well, it had a 39.8% whiff rate last year, so, sweeper. Holderman had 56 strikeouts last year, and 41 were via the sweeper. As such, hitters were held to a .165 batting average and a .220 slugging percentage against it.

The issue is the pitch can be hard on Holderman's wrist. He found a new grip last year that took pressure off the wrist while still allowing him to have great results, but eventually the wrist got cranky again during that five-game slump and he threw the sweeper less.

Holderman thought he had a good offseason rehabbing the wrist for 2024, but he was one of many who caught a flu strain last Spring Training that ran through the Pirates¡¯ clubhouse. He was briefly hospitalized and lost about 20 pounds in a matter of days. With that, some of the strength he built in his wrist went away.

¡°Availability is the best trait for a reliever, so I¡¯m trying to stay on the field as much as I can,¡± Holderman said. ¡°I had to compensate [my mechanics] to get back. I had an unbelievable first half, and then I think it caught up with me.¡±

More attention was paid to the wrist this winter, again trying to put himself in the best position possible. When it¡¯s manageable, Holderman has shown that he can excel, and the bullpen needs him more than ever in 2025. David Bednar looks to also be in better shape -- both physically and mentally -- after a down year in 2024, and while the Pirates have full confidence in him, he¡¯s still a question mark right now. After him and Holderman, the bullpen is full of players with limited Major League resumes and relievers who could potentially start instead (Caleb Ferguson and Carmen Mlodzinski). This group needs their leverage relievers to bounce back.

Manager Derek Shelton thinks it¡¯s possible, opining during camp that Holderman was one of the best leverage arms around in the first half of last season.

¡°I believe that as well,¡± Holderman said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go out there and prove it, day by day. Give me the ball when the game matters. That¡¯s when I want it. I want the pressure.¡±