MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - The Rockhounds have got a lot of new throwers, one of them may not be here long.
He's a right-handed thrower from South Carolina. Coaches seem to have a lot of trust in him and he just turned 21 in late March, which makes him the youngest player on the roster.
"He's goofy," said utility player Joe Bennie. "He's very mature for his age, he's awesome."
He's Grant Holmes and was traded to the Oakland Athletics organization in August of 2016. In his short time with the Rockhounds, he's already begun rubbing off on some of his teammates.
"Grant's a great guy," said Rockhounds pitcher James Naile. "Southern guy, kind of like myself, so we got along good. When he was traded over, we hit it off right off the bat. Just a good guy, great teammate and a hard worker."
His personality isn't all he's good for though, as new manager Fran Riordan knows, he might have lightning in a bottle.
"Grant Holmes is a guy with electric stuff," said Riordan. "You watch him to pitch and you watch what his balls do and the quality of pitches he can make. You look at him and you say, hey, that's a sure-fire big leaguer."
But despite all the talk of his future at such a young age, Holmes himself has remained level-headed.
"No I just, I'm not really a big pressure guy," said Holmes. "I just try to play baseball, have fun with it and try to get to the next level."
Holmes did admit that the fact the organization, especially one that's won so much recently, does believe in him is a confidence boost.
"Oh, of course," said Holmes. "Knowing that the organization cares for you and thinks that highly of you is always going to make you excited. Like I said, I'm excited to be in this organization and be able to play baseball."
Holmes and coaches said he's got some things to work on before making the move to the next level, but Coach Riordan said it may not be long, so come out and catch a glimpse, if you can.
