PORT ST. LUCIE — A few years ago, if you had told Clay Holmes he would be an Opening Day starting pitcher by 2025, he would have thought “some crazy things must have happened.”
Few could have guessed that Holmes would be heading to Houston as a starting pitcher for the Mets when he was closing games for the Yankees. But it’s the Mets, so crazier things have happened.
Holmes made his final Grapefruit League start Friday in the Mets’ 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park, looking every bit the part of a starter. The right-hander threw 5 1/3 innings (six ups), throwing 88 pitches, going twice through the order and then some. He allowed two hits, walked three and struck out eight.
In five Grapefruit League starts, Holmes posted a 0.93 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. The plan mapped out was followed all the way through, giving Holmes the assurance that he needs to start his first season since 2018 as a starting pitcher.
“I think it’s just a testament to having some very thoughtful and intentional plan going into this, and it’s nice to kind of see it come to fruition,” Holmes said. “Just being in such a good spot right now, I think I have a really good foundation set for the season, and I’m looking forward to building on this.”
The Mets worked with Holmes to rework his pitch mix, bringing back the changeup he threw earlier in his career and adding a cutter to his repertoire. Holmes, who will turn 32 on Opening Day, still throws the devastating gyro slider, sweeper, cutter and four-seam fastball, but he’s now better equipped to go three times through the order.
A ground-ball pitcher with the Yankees, Holmes now throws more swing-and-miss pitches and can get outs in different ways. His spring work was focused on repeating his delivery, maintaining the shapes of his pitches and building up his stamina to be able to throw multiple innings.
The physical component of a long start is there. Holmes fought through some fatigue in some March starts, but his conditioning prevailed. Friday, it was the mental component that challenged him. He knew six ups would feel taxing mentally, which is why he needed to get to six before the start of the regular season
“I feel like physically I was in a pretty good spot, but man, six up just feels long — like you’re pitching forever,” he said. “I think that’s just a mental thing. It’s having that mental endurance to really thinking through a lot of things. You’re thinking about how you pitched a batter last time, how you’ve got to pitch him this next time. Those are just things you don’t really do as a reliever. I think there’s that mental processing you know, just makes things feel long because it can be tiring too.”
The move to the rotation has reinvigorated Holmes.
“I think for me, I’m a learner, I’m curious, I’m always thinking and sometimes life takes me on certain routes and you just roll with it,” Holmes said. “So I think it’s meant to be. I’m excited. I think I’m in a great spot. I haven’t been this excited just to attack a season, or attack the next day in a while. It’s giving me something to look forward to…
“I think it’s going to be a fun year ahead.”
ROSTER MOVES
With only a few days left of spring training, the Mets are weighing a few bullpen decisions, with the biggest one being between right-handers Max Kranick or Dedniel Nuñez.
The decision comes down to health. Nuñez ended the 2024 season on the injured list with a flexor strain, and while he said his offseason was relatively normal, the Mets were careful with the minor league veteran this spring. He’s pitched only twice this spring, throwing two innings, including one Friday against the Cardinals, allowing two earned runs on two hits with one strikeout.
The Mets would like to see him pitch at least once more, but they have to make sure his elbow recovers well enough to do so. The club is about 50-50 on whether or not he’ll make the team out of camp. The 28-year-old Nuñez reached the big leagues for the first time last season, so he still has two minor league option years.
Kranick, however, has been one of the stars of camp. The right-hander is stretched out to throw about 45 pitches, which could be valuable in the early days of the regular season when pitchers aren’t always stretched out to 100 pitches.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Kranick is “in the conversation,” along with right-hander Huascar Brazobán. Another late bloomer, the 35-year-old Brazobán has two minor league option years as well.
Tyler Zuber will not make the team out of camp. The Mets optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday afternoon.
The Mets are also considering left-hander Danny Young, but including him could be dependent on whether left-hander A.J. Minter is healthy enough to start the season. Minter is coming off August hip surgery and has allowed two earned runs on two hits and walked one over 2 2/3 innings in three starts this spring (6.75 ERA).
BATY’S BAT
Brett Baty has done just about everything possible to make the team this spring, adding to his impressive body of work with his sixth double and third home run Friday. He’s shown well defensively and offensively, hitting .415 with a 1.123 OPS.
Still, the Mets aren’t ready to commit to putting him on the roster, despite Jeff McNeil’s slow recovery from an oblique strain. McNeil has not yet resumed baseball activities, with Mendoza saying he’s still feeling symptoms.