Pittsburgh Pirates and New Zealand baseballer John Holdzkom is hoping for a big year in 2016, and it all starts with representing the Diamondblacks at World Baseball Classic qualifiers in February.
After breaking onto the Major League Baseball scene in 2014 with the Pirates, Holdzkom started the year at the team’s AAA-affiliate, the division below MLB.
However, injuries meant he was restricted to throwing just 24.1 innings in the minor leagues, and never made it back to the Pirates.
“It was really just a bad luck year,” Holdzkom said from the Pirates off-season training base in Bradenton, Florida.
“I was in a bit of a hot streak in June and this little scrapper laid down a bunt on me, I went to make the play, landed awkwardly on my shoulder, and that was pretty much all she wrote for the season.”
He’s fully recovered now, and working out with the Pirates in the off-season to strengthen his arm in the lead up to Spring Training, where he’ll hopefully impress the team enough to earn a spot on the Major League roster in 2016.
“That’s definitely what I want to do, but going off of what happened last year, I don’t want to have it be all or nothing and then go to AAA and be all sulky,” Holdzkom said.
“I’m ready for whatever happens and I’m just going to have a positive outlook no matter where I end up.”
Coming off of a 98-win season where they had the second best record in the Majors, the Pirates are well set up to contend next season so competition for places will be hot.
But with relievers Joakim Soria, Antonio Bastardo and Joe Blanton all leaving the Pirates for free agency, and All-Star closer Mark Melancon expected to be traded in the off-season, there could be an opening for Holdzkom in the bullpen.
“I’m always telling family members to stop talking to me about it like, ‘oh did you hear this guy’s on the market?’ or ‘did you hear this guy might sign here’, and it’s all just too much to think about.
“I just try and think about all the clichés, just worrying about myself, controlling what I can control, because you’ll get a headache if you start trying to think about what the front office is planning on doing.”
Discussions haven’t taken place yet but Holdzkom hopes the Pirates will release him to play for New Zealand at the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in February, having already represented the Diamondblacks in 2012.
“I really want to play in it, it’s a short tournament too so it’s not like it’s going to be extremely stressful in terms of the Pirates worries,” Holdzkom said.
“Me and my brother are extremely excited to get back and see all the boys again.”
Then it’ll be back to the Pirates for a crack at restarting the Major League dream, and he couldn’t think of a better place to be than in Pittsburgh.
“The atmosphere of the Pirates right now, that’s one of the coolest things. They’ve really established themselves as the top dog, and hopefully it’ll be more of the same in 2016.
“Teams have got to watch out when the Pirates come to town now.”
He’s hoping to be able to say the same about the New Zealand Diamondblacks in years to come.
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