July 26 will probably become a date to celebrate for the New York Yankees.
Today is the first anniversary of a move that could very well end up deciding lots of things for the 2022 Yankees (and future teams, too): the Clay Holmes trade.
One year ago today, the New York Yankees traded for Clay Holmes.
He's been one of the very best relievers in baseball ever since. pic.twitter.com/CSaCPCZOd4
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 26, 2022
A year ago, the Yanks sent two good-but-not-great infield prospects to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Holmes.
Diego Castillo and Hoy Park went to Pittsburgh.
Holmes, at the time, was a mess: he had a 5.57 ERA in 119.2 innings with the Pirates, and his control was awful.
Of course, his stuff has so much natural movement that trying to hit the corners was a daily challenge that resulted in lots and lots of walks.
Upon arriving in the Bronx, the Yankees encouraged him to just throw the ball in the strike zone, and let his sinker and slider movement do the rest of the talking.
He flourished.
The Yankees Made Him A Top Reliever
In the year he has been with the Yankees, he has a 1.39 ERA in 71.0 frames, and is now one of the best relievers in the game.
In fact, the Yankees’ bullpen would likely be a disaster today if it weren’t for Holmes: with fellow bullpen ace Michael King set to miss the rest of the season, Holmes is the only reliable hurler they have in the relief corps.
In 43 innings this year, Holmes has an unbelievable 1.26 ERA and has struck out 47 hitters.
He is inducing groundballs at a historic pace, too: grounders and strikeouts are allowing him to reach the next level.
He made it all the way to the All-Star Game, and there is no reason to think he can’t keep dominating.
Castillo and Park, in turn, haven’t established themselves in the majors yet.
Never underestimate the Yankees’ scouting eye.
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