Behind only Gage Ziehl, John Holobetz threw more innings than any other Red Sox minor leaguer in 2026. This article will take a look at how the 24-year-old right-hander fared in his first full season with the organization.
After first reaching the level last August, Holobetz returned to Double-A Portland out of camp this spring. The righty got off to an encouraging start, posting a 2.45 ERA with 26 strikeouts to six walks in his first four starts (22 innings) for the Sea Dogs through the end of April. He then struggled to a 7.99 ERA over his next six outings (five starts) and 23 2/3 innings before righting the ship in mid-June.
From June 14 through July 23, Holobetz posted a 2.97 ERA with 44 strikeouts to seven walks across seven appearances (six starts) and 33 1/3 innings for Portland. Five days after recording his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season, he was officially promoted to Triple-A Worcester on July 28, reaching the minors’ top level for the first time.
To close out the 2026 campaign, Holobetz made nine appearances (eight starts) for the WooSox, producing a 3.57 ERA with 39 strikeouts to 11 walks over 40 1/3 innings. He ended his season on a high note by striking out eight across 4 1/3 scoreless frames of relief against Durham on September 17.
Overall, then, Holobetz forged a 4.07 ERA with 132 strikeouts (the most among righties in the organization) to 36 walks over 26 outings (23 starts) and 119 1/3 innings between Portland and Worcester this season. Opponents slashed .245/.302/.390 in 502 plate appearances against him. That includes a .218/.256/.325 line from right-handed hitters and a .273/.346/.458 line from left-handed hitters.
Among the 50 Red Sox minor leaguers who, regardless of level, logged at least 50 innings this year, Holobetz ranked seventh in walks per nine (2.72) and walk rate (7.2%), eighth in xFIP (3.87), 12th in WHIP (1.25), 16th in ERA and FIP (4.05), 21st in groundball rate (44.6%), 23rd in swinging-strike rate (13%), 24th in batting average against, and 25th in strikeout rate (26.3%), according to FanGraphs.
Holobetz, a former fifth-round draft pick (156th overall) of the Brewers out of Old Dominion in 2024, was acquired by the Red Sox last May as the player to be named later in the Quinn Priester trade made a month earlier. The Pennsylvania native is currently regarded as Boston’s No. 9 prospect by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and SoxProspects.com. All three outlets rank him third among pitchers in the organization behind young righties Juan Valera and Sadbiel Delzine.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Holobetz throws from a lower release point and features a five-pitch mix. This season, he got up to 98.2 mph with his fastball that typically sits in the mid-to-upper 90s. He also mixed in an upper-80s cutter and changeup, along with a lower-80s curveball and sweeper. While his heater grades well, his secondary offerings are still considered works in progress.
Barring a trade or other move this winter, SoxProspects.com projects that Holobetz — who will not turn 25 until next July — will return to Worcester’s rotation to start the 2027 season. Like Ziehl, though, his ability to fill the strike zone, miss bats, and limit walks could put him on track for his first major league call-up sooner rather than later.
(Picture of John Holobetz: Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
