MLB Mock Draft 2014: Colorado Rockies — Grant Holmes, RHP, Conway High School

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It’s time to start to look forward to the MLB First-Year Player draft which is scheduled to begin on June 5th and will finish up on June 7th. The Colorado Rockies finished the 2013 campaign with a record of 74-88 which places them at pick number eight.

In this addition of the Mock Draft, we have pitcher Grant Holmes of Conway High School (South Carolina) going to the Colorado Rockies with the eighth selection.

Height: 6-2
Weight: 210
Bats/Throws: L/R
Hometown: Conway, South Carolina

You can never have enough pitchers stockpiled throughout the system as Colorado could look for more arms in the first-round. Colorado drafted right-handed pitcher Jon Gray with their 3rd overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft who is currently with the Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers.

Grant Holmes is coming out of high-school where he already sits at an impressive 91-94 MPH on the mound but can reach back and touch 97. His fastball is pretty flat but tends to have a sinking movement running in on right-handed hitters.

Perfect Game weighed in with their report on the hard-throwing righty.

"Outstanding at PG National. FB up to 96 mph with a very good breaking ball. Dominant at PG WS and PG AA. Good in Jupiter"

His curveball is his second-best pitch that has a sharp break in the range of 82-84 MPH. He has a strong lower half and broad shoulders which is ideal for a pitcher. His two plus pitches as noted above are his fastball and sweeping curve. Once in the minors, he could start to get a feel for a changeup which is one of the important pitches at the big league level.

Holmes committed to the University of Florida but it will be hard not to see the kid not make it out of the first-round with his fastball (velocity) and tight breaking ball. The folks over at Minor League Ball compared him to a former pick in Dylan Bundy, who is currently with the Baltimore Orioles. They also believe he can be a number two pitcher in the rotation in the future if everything pans out. If he in fact develops, you can slide him in to the rotation down the line with Jhoulys Chacin, Eddie Butler, and Jon Gray — that’s pretty solid.