It's hard to imagine where the Cleveland Guardians' bullpen would be without Colin Holderman.
The Cleveland Guardians have gotten comfortable not only having plenty of reliever depth but also having a bullpen that they can rely on during high-leverage innings.
While Cleveland's bullpen has still shown signs of that, it certainly isn't the same group it's been in years past due to a variety of factors.
With all that in mind, it's hard to imagine where the Guardians would be if they didn't have Colin Holderman.
Cleveland signed Holderman in the offseason to a one-year deal after he was coming off an injury-filled and disappointing season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
His first stint with the Guardians didn't go great either, as Holderman gave up two earned runs in 3.0 innings of work in Cleveland's opening series of the season. After that, the Guardians actually optioned the right-hander to Triple-A.
However, ever since Holderman was called back up on April 26, he's been one of the most important pieces in Cleveland's bullpen.
May 20, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Colin Holderman (35) delivers during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn ImagesSo far this season, Holderman has appeared in 39 games and has a 1.82 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. He's striking opposing hitters out at a high rate (25.8 K%) and isn't giving up a lot of hard contact either; the perfect recipe for an effective back-end reliever.
Holderman's ERA and WHIP lead all Guardians' relievers. Yes, it's even better than the team's All-Star closer, Cade Smith, and Hunter Gaddis, who's been a staple in the bullpen for years.
Manager Stephen Vogt went as far as to call Holderman a "blessing" for the team after his two scoreless innings in extra innings on Thursday's loss to the Minnesota Twins.
On top of that, Cleveland's skipper said he's always marveled at Holderman from afar, and now is pumped to have him in the team's bullpen.
"We knew he had really good stuff. I remember him in the Pittsburgh bullpen, really good stuff," continued Vogt.
"When we signed him up, we were all really excited to get him with our pitching group and getting to know Colin, tireless worker, wants to be great, and really, he's just been a blessing for us."
Holderman may not get the recognition he deserves since he isn't a closer role and doesn't always get the setup man innings either, but it's hard to deny that the veteran has been one of the Guardians' best pitchers in 2026, and the team would be in a worse spot without him.
