There are an infinite number of paths to Major League Baseball. And on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves called up a prospect whose path has been anything but linear.
In 2014, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted a flame-throwing right-handed pitcher from South Carolina named Grant Holmes with the 22nd overall pick of the draft. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2016 and released in 2022. But clearly, he never gave up on his major league dream.
Nearly 10 full years to the day after being drafted, with 735.1 minor league innings pitched, 28-year-old Holmes finally got the call. The Braves selected him to the major league roster for the first time in his career, sending Ray Kerr to Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
Holmes arrived in the Braves organization in 2022 after being released by the Oakland Athletics. He has thrown 102 innings with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers over the past two seasons and posted a 3.18 ERA in that time frame, racking up 125 strikeouts.
Holmes made MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017 but fell off the list following a 2017 season where he posted a 4.48 ERA in Double-A Midland. He’s dealt with shoulder injuries throughout his time in the minors but appears to be healthy and ready for his first taste of the big leagues in 2024.
It is unclear whether the Braves intend to use Holmes as a starter or reliever, though circumstantial evidence suggests the latter. He has 18 appearances out of the bullpen this season with just three starts, while Kerr, who Holmes is replacing on the roster, made just two starts in his 10 appearances.
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