With a lethal sweeper and elite strikeout metrics, this right-hander’s recent dominance over stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. proves he belongs in Chicago’s high-leverage bullpen plans.
Gavin Hollowell hasn’t gotten many opportunities to prove his potential in the big leagues this season.
Hollowell has spent the last few weeks rotating the majors and the minors. He has been called up three times and optioned twice over the last two weeks alone. The Chicago Cubs recently recalled him from Triple-A Iowa to replace an injured Ethan Roberts (forearm).
However, the stuff is there for the 28-year-old to eventually emerge as a key part of Chicago’s bullpen. That has been on display with both the Cubs and Triple-A Iowa in the first half.
In Monday’s relief appearance against the San Diego Padres, Hollowell looked the part. He came into this game with one out in the top of the seventh inning and went on to strike out Fernando Tatis Jr. and Samad Taylor on 11 pitches to end the inning.
His battle with Tatis was the highlight of the night. This was a seven-pitch battle that ended with Tatis looking at a strike three called. The count was full at 3-2, and the Cubs right-hander dotted a 95 mph four-seam fastball on the outside part of the zone.
What makes Hollowell such a dangerous pitcher on the mound is his sweeper. He induced two whiffs on that pitch alone on Monday night and threw it 10 different times in that outing. He’s able to lead with that pitch while mixing in his two fastball-type pitches (sinker/four-seam fastball) as well.
The key for Hollowell is to land that sweeper a bit better. Major League hitters are batting .333 (7-for-21) with two home runs against that pitch over the past two seasons, and Triple-A hitters have a career .466 expected slugging against his sweeper.
But there’s no doubt Hollowell could be a solid big leaguer if given more opportunities.
He has a 3.63 ERA, 1.269 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts across 17 ⅓ innings in the minors this season. His swing-and-miss ability is definitely his strong suit and a reason why he could develop into a solid Major League pitcher.
At Triple-A this season, Hollowell has a 36% strikeout rate, 37.9% whiff rate, and a 15.4% swinging strike rate. He also has a .164 expected batting average against, a 56.9% zone-swing rate, and a 72.1% zone-contact rate.
With those elite metrics, Hollowell deserves more chances in the majors. He has only appeared in five games for the Cubs this season and hasn’t allowed a run in three of his last four relief appearances.
Chicago should keep Hollowell up in the big leagues for the time being because his stuff could play well in high-leverage spots.
