Jordan Holloway May Join the Marlins Rotation Sooner Than We Think

Jordan Holloway has quietly flown under the radar for the past few seasons.

Of all the interesting and talented prospects the Miami Marlins have in the various levels of their minor league feeder system, perhaps none elicits as many unanswered questions as Jordan Holloway.

Holloway is a six-foot-six, 215 lb. right-handed pitcher from Arvada, CO. Born on June 13, 1996, he was chosen in the 20th round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Entry Draft by the Miami Marlins with the 587th overall choice. He signed well-above slot for $400,000, enough for him to forgo his commitment to Nebraska-Omaha. If Holloway makes it to the majors this season, he will be the first of the 30 players chosen in that years’ 20th round to do so.

Just 23-years-old, Holloway has already claimed a 40-man roster spot with the Miami Marlins, and has sneaky good potential. He fell off a lot of watch lists after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in June of 2017. That surgery set his progress back a great deal, so much in fact that he’s now projected to make his major league debut in 2021.

But it may be sooner yet if he continues to pitch the way he’s shown so far this spring. In his 2019 Spring Training exposure, he surrendered six runs on six hits, three walks, and a hit batsman in only 2 2/3 innings. This year, he’s walked three in four innings, and surrendered zero runs on as many hits.

Holloway’s fastball, rated at 70 by MLB Pipeline, is his number one weapon, bolstered by a changeup that’s still considered a work in progress. He also has a 60-grade curve:

Holloway has the makings of a top-of-the-rotation talent, beginning with a fastball that ranges from 95-99 mph. Though his curveball needs more consistency, it can be an absolute hammer at times. – MLB Pipeline

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Last season, in the High-A level with the Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League, Holloway dropped a 4-11 record with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.505 WHIP, both metrics a little high. He struck out 93 in 95 innings, flashing a fastball that averages somewhere around 95 but peaks just short of triple-digits. Holloway’s control still leaves much to be desired, however, with 66 issued for a rate of 6.3 per nine innings — an unsustainable number if he’s to retain a spot on the parent club.

The Marlins have invested a lot in Holloway’s potential, and evidently believe he can improve enough to harness his high-walk rate sufficiently to join the Miami Marlins proper at some point in the next two years.

Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for a preview of Matt Joyce‘s first Miami Marlins season.