Holloway Growing Into His Body

JUPITER, Fla.—One day before flying to south Florida for spring training, righthander Jordan Holloway took a two-mile hike—virtually straight up in the air—at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Holloway, his parents and a friend woke up at 4 a.m. to make the trek to Dream Lake, which was frozen.

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“There are these two giant pillars,” Holloway said, “and when the sun comes up, these pillars turn golden- and fire-red. It’s really cool.”

Holloway took pictures of Dream Lake, but it’s now back to living the dream as a baseball player.

A 20th-round pick in 2014 out of high school in Arvada, Colo., Holloway turned down a scholarship to Nebraska-Omaha and signed for an over-slot bonus of $400,000.

Now he is one of the Marlins’ finest prospects, and he continues to grow—literally and figuratively.

Holloway checked in at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds as a high school senior. Now his official listing is 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, and his fastball velocity has improved from the low 90s to 94-96 mph.

Still, Holloway calls his curve his best strikeout pitch, and his top goals are improving his sometimes-shaky command and his strength, so his velocity doesn’t diminish in later innings.

“I have more strength now with my legs,” said Holloway, 19, “and that’s creating more whip with my arm.”

His big goal in the offseason—other than preparing for the season—was learning to play the guitar, which he found to be a difficult, elusive and “irritating” quest.

He was much better at playing the right chords on the mound in 2015, going 5-6, 2.91 in 14 starts at short-season Batavia. He struck out 40 and walked 36 in 68 innings.

He figures to begin 2016 at low Class A Greensboro, where he made two starts last June.

FISH BITES

• With reliever Carter Capps lost for the year with Tommy John surgery, rookie righthander Kyle Barraclough was expected to see increased late-inning work. The 25-year-old pitched in 25 games for Miami last year, but he was sent to Triple-A New Orleans on March 22.

• Capps’ injury also could create a role for righthander Nick Wittgren, whom Miami added to its 40-man roster in November. The minor league closer has 79 career saves.