That inning shows why Holder needs a 3rd pitch. Like a Change.
- Thread starter klong-dog
- Start date
Lousy CHs get hit. When he gets to the minors, I'm sure the player dev team will work with him on a CH or another 3rd pitch, where he'll be throwing it in game regardless of whether it gets hit or not. Because in the minor leagues, the coaches and player dev people don't put as much emphasis on W-L. The same can't be said for college ball. Sure, he can work on a pitch during his bullpen sessions, but to really get a feel for it, he has to throw it in game regardless of how lousy it is. If it's 83 and flat he'll get hammered (see Wes Rea against UT).
I haven't been able to watch the game, only listen. And who knows, perhaps Butch is tinkering a little bit. But traditionally a lot of the development of basically nonexistent secondary stuff comes in the minors. If a guy can feel a CH or some other secondary pitch when he gets to college, then obviously it'll be developed then. But with a guy like Holder is relies on two pitches (with one being an above average hammer curve), he hasn't needed to worry about a third pitch in college because he's been great with just two. Outings like the 9th inning tonight suck to see from him, but it's not like he's had a 17ton in his career. Everyone has a bad outing. I do think he's got closer potential in the pros, but that's reliant on him staying healthy and developing his current two-pitch arsenal as well as at least a "show me" CH
