The New York Mets have had big problems with the back of their rotation, but Clay Holmes isn't one of them.
The New York Mets took a gamble with the back end of their starting rotation going into this season, and it hasn’t been going all that well so far. Sean Manaea has been demoted to the bullpen, Kodai Senga is hurt again, and David Peterson has been reduced to having an opener in front of him as his status as a starter continues to teeter.
One pitcher has paid off, however, and that’s Clay Holmes. He’s been the Mets’ best starter to date, and he’s performing like “one of the top starters in baseball,” which is what GM David Stearns said about Freddy Peralta when the Mets traded for him. There’s some irony there, but the Mets are grateful that Holmes has come through for them.
The numbers tell the story to some extent. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Holmes ERA is now down to 1.69, which ranks second in the National League and behind only Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers.
“He’s just on another level right now physically, mentally, the way he’s making adjustments in games, the way he’s using his pitches, trusting his defense when he needs to,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Overall from Clay, solid.”
Some of the Angels hitters he faced yesterday were impressed, too. The Angels have a power-packed lineup that can mash when they get going, but yesterday Holmes shut them down.
“Holmes has definitely been tough to start the year,” added Angels outfielder Jo Adell.
The Mets right-hander doesn’t fit the typical profile of a successful starter in today’s game. He relies on a sinker that has given him the third-best ground ball rate in baseball at 58.1 percent, and Holmes doesn’t strike out that many hitters.
But pitching to contact allows Holmes to go deep into games when he’s right. The Mets have had just three games where the starter has gone seven innings, and two of those belong to Holmes.
He gets outs, wins and innings, which is a formidable combination even if it’s not valued s much. Even more telling, hitters have an average of just .167 against Holmes in the fifth inning and beyond, which is remarkable.
No one knows if Holmes can continue to perform at this level, but there’s no doubt that he’s a high-quality pitcher who provides enormous value. He’s upped his usage of the sinker, and that’s paying off with a new level of results.
“It’s kind of a comfort thing,” Holmes said. “The trust with the sinker was always there, but I feel like especially now, I just feel like there’s a lot of confidence and trust in the sinker. … When I have that, I feel like I’m really able to pitch off it and feel like myself and pitch with some confidence.”