Grant Holmes

Holmes was one of the three players the Dodgers sent to the A's to acquire Josh Reddick back in 2016. Holmes has pitched in professional baseball for six years now, yet he has still only thrown 4.2 innings above the Double-A level. He had a nasty bout of shoulder trouble in 2018 which washed away all but six innings of that season. There are durability concerns here as well as command troubles, leading most to believe he is headed to the bullpen despite the fact he has enough of a repertoire to go as a starter. He turns 25 just before the start of the season, so Oakland will likely bring him to the big-league level and ease him into things through the bullpen to see how he does. This is his last season with a minor-league option, so it will be sink-or-swim for the 2014 first-round pick.

Holmes, who turns 22 in March, is nearing the majors, but the No. 3 starter upside that was once very apparent, has started to fade. His low-90s fastball and solid curveball are both above-average pitches, but he has fringe-average command, and his changeup is little more than a change-of-pace offering. He has the heft (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) to handle a starter's workload, and has been relatively healthy as a pro. Holmes could make it as a No. 4 starter, and may make his big-league debut this summer. However, without a quality third pitch and without above-average command, he will be susceptible to blow-up starts. In the end, he may fit better as a seventh- or eighth-inning reliever. For dynasty-league owners who are simply looking for big-league innings in the not-so-distant future, Holmes is worth hanging on to, but don't expect those innings to be very impressive, especially in 2018.

Even prior to coming over to the A's in the Josh Reddick/Rich Hill trade, Holmes struggled to command the ball the way a future No. 2 or No. 3 starter needs to, posting a career-worst 1.39 WHIP in 105.1 innings with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. Part of that is the California League favoring offense but for a pitcher with Holmes' raw stuff and upside, it was not unreasonable to look for him to mow down High-A hitters with ease all summer long. His dynasty league value took a hit after he allowed 22 earned runs while posting a 24:10 K:BB and throwing 10 wild pitches in 28.2 innings with High-A Stockton. While some of that could be attributed to the harsh pitching conditions and potential mechanical adjustments suggested by his new team, it also has a whiff of the Dodgers cutting bait at the exact right time on an arm they perceived to be overvalued by the industry. On the bright side, he won't turn 21 until late March.

Holmes, the 19th overall pick of the Dodgers in 2014, doesn’t turn 20 until March but he's already made enough strides to possibly see time on top-100 prospect lists at some point this year. He was treated cautiously in 2015, spending all season with Low-A Great Lakes. The relatively high WHIP was driven by a 4.7 BB/9, but with more experience and coaching that number should come down over time. Holmes can throw into the mid-90s and above as needed, though he's generally shown to be more effective in the 91-94 mph range. His curveball has plus potential, though his changeup is still developing like many young hurlers. Holmes appears set to challenge hitters in the hitter-friendly California League to open the year, with the possibility that he could finish in Double-A depending on how things go. A late 2017 debut in the bigs isn't out of question.

Getting Holmes with the 22nd pick in the 2014 draft may turn out to be a steal for the Dodgers. The 6-foot-1 righty has a thick 215-pound frame, and as an 18-year-old, he showed good control and an excellent fastball/curveball combo, posting a 58:13 K:BB ratio in 48.1 innings of rookie ball. Holmes is second only to Julio Urias in terms of pitching upside in the Dodgers’ system. He has the realistic projection of a No. 3 starter with the potential to be a No. 2 starter if he can develop his changeup into a third plus pitch to go with his curveball and mid-90s fastball. Considering that he is probably three full seasons away from the major leagues, there is risk with Holmes, as with all young pitchers, but with the relative weakness of the 2014 class, he should not last long in dynasty league drafts this year.