Colin Holderman has blossomed into bonafide high-leverage option for Guardians 

It took all of two games for the Guardians’ signing of Colin Holderman to look like a bust.

After breaking camp with the team, Holderman was sent down to the minors at the end of March after appearing in two games during the Guardians’ season-opening series against the Mariners. 

While that demotion would sting no matter what given the Guardians spent $1.5 million to add him in free agency, it stung even more considering Holderman was one of only four players the Guardians signed to big league deals in the offseason. 

But Holderman got a new lease on life in the Guardians’ bullpen at the end of April when the Guardians called him up from the minors to work as a bulk man. 

Flash forward a month later and Holderman has worked himself squarely into the middle of the Guardians’ high-leverage situation thanks to a dominant May.

Colin Holderman has turned into one of the best relievers in baseball

Holderman’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time for the Guardians given they just placed set up man extraordinaire Erik Sabrowski on the injured list with elbow inflammation that could keep him out for the foreseeable future. 

For most teams, losing a pitcher of Sabrowski’s skill level could be a death knell for their bullpen. But the Guardians have been able to replace him with yet another dominant arm. 

“He’s pitched himself into being a leverage guy,” manager Stephen Vogt said prior to the Guardians’ game on Saturday. “When he came back up here we had him here to provide length and pitch in down games… He’s been great in a pivot role and a great fireman and has gotten some big outs.” 

Vogt’s trust in Holderman was on full display on Friday night when Vogt called on him in the fifth inning to limit the damage after Slade Cecconi allowed four runs in the beginning of the inning. 

He was able to wiggle out of the jam thanks to two groundouts and returned to get one out in the sixth before taking a comebacker off his leg. 

With that outing, Holderman now has thrown 14 1/3 innings in May and has tallied 17 strikeouts while allowing just one run. He’s also tallied the fourth-most fWAR among relievers this month (0.6). 

At the start of the month, Holderman was filling in for Hunter Gaddis as he worked his way back from injury. Now he’s finishing the month filling the hole that popped up thanks to Sabrowski’s injury. 

But one thing he’s proven this season is that he’s ready to take the ball in whatever situation the Guardians need. It may not be the role the Guardians envisioned for him when they signed him in the offseason, but it’s been a clear win.

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