Unlike Montas, Holmes enjoyed recent excellence, employing a nasty sinker/sweeper combo en route to a 3.71 ERA/3.44 FIP in 2024.
However, like Montas, Holmes’ success depended on another team optimizing his arsenal. In 2019, the Pirates sent the struggling reliever packing to the Yankees in exchange for two minor leaguers. Pittsburgh attributed his command issues to the wild movement his pitches produced.
A decade ago, Holmes would have floundered in the 40-man bubble, with his command serving as the main detriment to a stable roster spot.
A decade ago, the idea of seam-shifted wake only existed in theory. However, around the time, Holmes was sent to New York, the idea of seam-shifted wake (SSW) had made its way into the public domain, thanks to ground-breaking work from Utah Professor Barton Smith.