Colin Holderman

Colin Scott Holderman

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 7", Weight 240 lb.
• School Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Heartland Community College
• High School Bradley Bourbonnais High School
• Debut May 15, 2022

• Born October 8, 1995 in Bourbonnais, IL USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Colin Holderman reached the major leagues with the New York Mets near the start of the 2022 season. The Mets had drafted him in the 9th round of the 2016 amateur draft and had nurtured him through his minor league career, but by the time the trading deadline came around that season, they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for slugger Daniel Vogelbach on July 22nd.

It was with the Pirates that Holderman established himself as a useful major league reliever. He had done well in New York, going 4-0, 2.04 in 15 games, but was not seen as a top prospect. After the trade, he added another win, but his ERA was 6.75 in 9 games, so he finished at 3.81 in 28 1/3 innings overall. In 2023, he pitched 58 times for the Bucs, going 0-3 with 2 saves and an ERA of 3.86. He did have a good strikeout rate, with 58 in 56 innings, and on May 4th he pitched an immaculate inning in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He needed just 9 pitches to strike out Taylor Walls, Luke Raley and Christian Bethancourt in order, becoming just the fourth pitcher in team history to achieve the feat.

In 2024, he lowered his ERA by over half a run, finishing at 3.16 in 55 games as he went 3-6. There was nothing spectacular about his numbers, but he was a reliable middle reliever on a team that did not have many of these. Things fell apart in 2025, however, as he fell to 0-2 with 1 save, and his ERA ballooned all the way to 7.01 in 24 games. He gave up way too many baserunners, with 34 hits and 16 walks in 25 2/3 innings, for a WHIP a hair below 2.00. He spent two months on the Injured List with a thumb issue, which did not help things. He was non-tendered after the season and on December 11th signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Guardians, who were looking for bullpen depth.

Further Reading

• Justice delos Santos: "'Savage' Holderman is immaculate against Rays", mlb.com, May 4, 2023. [1]
• Tim Stebbins: "Guardians agree to 1-year deal with reliever Holderman", mlb.com, December 11, 2025. [2]
• Alex Stumpf: "Holderman learned his best pitch from a stranger", mlb.com, June 5, 2024. [3]

Related Sites

• Colin Holderman on mlb.com