Marlins’ Holloway Continues To Learn

MIAMI–Righthander Jordan Holloway’s Colorado driver’s license tells a story very different from what is now reality.

His baby-faced photo, taken while he was a junior in high school, lists him at 5-foot-9 and 135 pounds. Holloway now stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 210 pounds, and he has a powerful pitching arsenal to match.

“His stuff is probably the best we have in our organization along with that of (righthander) Luis Castillo,” assistant director of player development Brett West said. “He can hit 98 (mph) with a plus curve.”

Holloway, who plans to get a new license next June when he turns 21, was a 20th-round pick in 2014 out of Ralston Valley High, which is located 20 miles west of Denver.

Signed for a well-over-slot bonus of $400,000, Holloway comes from a fairly athletic family. His father pitched in college; his mother was a high school hurdler who now runs marathons; and his 15-year-old sister competes in volleyball.

Still, not everything has gone smoothly for Holloway, who has recorded a 4.81 ERA in 152 pro innings. The Marlins demoted him from low Class A Greensboro to short-season Batavia in June, though he had yet to emerge from his tailspin.

Through 13 starts, Holloway went 2-7, 6.19 with 7.7 strikeouts and 5.2 walks per nine innings. The problem was not velocity.

“He’s learning to control his emotions,” West said. “His stuff is undeniable. We’re making sure he doesn’t get too amped up and doesn’t try to throw 97 (mph) all the time. He can unravel pretty quick.”

Holloway explains that he plays with passion, which he knows he needs to harness.

“I don’t like losing, and I don’t like allowing runs,” said Holloway, 20. “But I never realized that I showed poor emotion . . . until I started walking guys and having blow-up innings.”

Holloway said he was “a little upset and discouraged” when he was demoted, but he understood Batavia was the best place for him to work on the mental aspects of the game.

FISH BITES

• The Marlins loaned 24-year-old catcher Arturo Rodriguez to Monterrey of the Mexican League. Miami signed him out of the ML back in December 2014.

• Double-A Jacksonville lefthander Jarlin Garcia had not pitched since May 28 because of a back injury.