CLAY HOLMES
RIGHT HANDED PITCHER
  Born: March 27, 1993
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 230
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Drafted: 9th Round, 272nd Overall, 2011
How Acquired: Draft
College/High School: Slocomb HS, AL
Agent:  Jet Sports Management

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES
Baseball America rated Holmes the 140th best draft prospect.  He moved up draft boards when his stuff improved in his junior year.  Scouts like his fastball, which ranges from 90-93.  His slider is very erratic.  His delivery is high-effort and erratic, so he’s probably going to be a project.  Holmes’ improvement affected his college recruiting stock as well, getting him a scholarship to Auburn.  He was valedictorian of his high school class and was expected to be very tough to sign, but the Pirates reached a deal with him on deadline day for a reported $1.2M, a record for the 9th round.  It was too late for him to see action in the GCL.

2012
A-:  5-3-0, 2.28 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 4.4 BB/9, 5.2 K/9

Holmes went to State College and generally pitched very well.  Opponents hit just .176 against him, he kept the ball on the ground, and he allowed just one HR.  At one point he had three consecutive outings in which he allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings, then followed with an outing in which he allowed three hits over five scoreless innings.  He had some outings, though, in which he had control meltdowns, and he didn’t strike out many hitters.  He threw in the low 90s, usually topping out around 93.  Baseball America ranked him the league’s 15th best prospect.

Holmes had a strong pro debut and will head to West Virginia in 2013.  Like many of the Pirates’ other low-level pitching prospects, the biggest question will be whether he can start missing some bats.
STATS
Baseball Reference–Minors
Fangraphs
MiLB.com
HS
W-L-Sv
G
GS
IP
H
HR
BB
K
WHIP
OAVG
ERA
2010 11-5-? 89.0 126
2011 6-2-? 54.1
33 84 2.06
CONTRACT INFORMATION
2013:  Minor league contract.
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus:  $1,200,000
MiLB Debut: 2012
MLB Debut:
MiLB FA Eligible:  2017
MLB FA Eligible:
Rule 5 Eligible:  2015
Added to 40-Man:
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
June 7, 2011: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 9th round, 272nd overall pick; signed on August 15.