John
Holobetz

Standing 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with long levers, Holobetz still shows some signs of projection with room to fill out. The righthander got off to a somewhat shaky start, but settled in well in the third and made quick work during his final three innings. His fastball was 92-94 mph early on and flashed 95. He ended up settling 91-93 in the second and third innings, while being primarily 90-92 in the fifth. Had two punchouts on the day, both coming via the fastball. In the first two innings he lacked control/command of the slider. The 81-84 mph pitch lacked shape and consistency in the zone. It was a little bit of a lower elbow and it seemed he was a little juiced up and his arm dragged a bit on that pitch. From the third to the fifth it got better. He showed the ability to throw it for strikes, but did not get a ton of whiffs with the short-shaped breaker. The slider showed best when he got it out front and worked the outer third and expanded off, that is when it showed the most depth on the pitch. The changeup was his most consistent and best secondary pitch. Sat 82-85 mph with the pitch and was not afraid to use it versus either handed hitters. It was an early and late count pitch to left handers, getting a handful of swings and misses. Showed to be an above average present pitch. Five innings of work and allowed three scattered singles, while striking out two hitters.

Cape Cod: Holobetz appeared in just two games this summer, but he made quite an impression in that small window, throwing 6.1 scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters. He showcased a fastball that generally sat in the low 90s but routinely reached 94-96 mph early in outings, spun in excess of 2,500 rpm and had more than 20 inches of induced vertical break. Though he leaned heavily on his fastball in his Cape outings, he also showed a low-to-mid-80s cutter that he’s working on adding to his repertoire and a changeup in the mid 80s. The righthander had a 3.37 ERA and a 49-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season at ODU, and his brief time on the Cape should only provide confidence that he can replicate that in 2024 and put himself in position to be a rising draft pick next summer. 

Physical: Long-limbed, high waisted 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame with legitimate feel for his body and room to add strength as he matures. 7.22 runner in the 60-yard dash showing off athleticism present in the actions.

Pitching: RHP - Utilized a deliberate up-tempo pace on the mound with signs of repeatability in the movements. FB played extremely well up in the zone at 81-84 mph T85 and seemed to have second life the last 10 feet of its’ travel. A 72-73 mph SL was thrown with high intent and demonstrated late, sharp horizontal break across the zone. Mixed in a different shaped curveball at 71-72 mph with more downer action keeping hitters off balance. Countered with a SPL CH at 76-78 mph that fell off the table late when releasing out in front. Got quality extension out in front making all pitches appear as though they were on top of hitters while on the bump. Extra strength will only create additional velocity in the near future.