Understanding the size of the grain of salt that comes with all of this, Clay Holmes is putting together one heck of a spring training as he prepares for his first year with the New York Mets and his first year as a starting pitcher.
The 31-year-old right-hander continued to dazzle on Sunday, striking out eight Washington Nationals while allowing just one hit across 3.2 innings of work.
With it, he utilized all six of his pitches but leaned especially on a devastating changeup that coaxed the majority of his 13 swings-and-misses.
It made up for a lacking sinker, his No. 1 pitch, as the afternoon provided another early lesson in the differences in approach between being a reliever, which he had been for the first seven years of his MLB career, and now as a starter.
“On a day he’d probably tell you the two-seam wasn’t at his best, that’s part of the transition where as a reliever, you don’t have your A-pitch; you’re going to have to find a way to get it back,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Now, as a starter, he’s finding a way to learn to use his slider, his changeup, his cutter, the four-seam. He’s finding a way to get through innings. I thought the changeup was really good… Four ups, 67g pitches, it was a good day for him, overall.”
A good day has added to a sterling exhibition season. In 9.2 innings this spring, he has yet to allow a run while yielding just two hits compared to 13 punchouts.
His seamless transition to starting pitching has been a major win for a Mets rotation desperate for something positive this spring.
They are already without Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea for the early portions of the 2025 season, leaving the three spots behind Holmes, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson a hodgepodge of uncertainty between Tylor Megill, Paul Backburn, and Griffin Canning.
