Holderman, Headrick on Opening Day rosters

The 2025 MLB season domestically kicked off last week, and two native pitchers once again found themselves on opening day rosters, as a total of five arms with local ties spent time at spring training this year.

Colin Holderman, a 2014 Bradley-Bourbonnais graduate, is back for his third full season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and fourth season as a big leaguer, resuming his role as setup man to All-Star closer David Bednar.

He made three appearances in the Pirates’ four-game series at Miami to open the season, allowing three earned runs on four hits, three walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Holderman is coming off his best season as a pro in 2024, when he had a 3-6 record, 21 holds, 3.16 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .223 across 55 appearances that totaled 51⅓ innings pitched.

Another local bullpen arm is starting the 2025 season in the big leagues: former Reed-Custer standout Brent Headrick of the Yankees. The 2016 Comets graduate was claimed off waivers from Minnesota in February and earned a job in the Bronx Bombers’ bullpen out of spring training.

Headrick, who allowed an earned run on three innings in one relief appearance for the Twins before an injury ended his 2024 season, made the club after making seven appearances (one start) in spring training that totaled 11⅔ innings, allowing seven earned runs on 13 hits, seven walks and 18 strikeouts. He made one one-inning appearance during the Yankees’ opening series against Milwaukee, striking out two while allowing no hits and no walks.

Two more pitchers with local ties will open the season in the minor leagues. Tyler Stuart, a 2018 Herscher graduate, is starting the year where he ended 2024, with Washington’s Class Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.

Stuart, who was traded by the New York Mets for outfielder Jesse Winker at the trade deadline last summer, made three appearances for the Nationals in spring training. He was 1-0 while allowing two earned runs on a hit, a walk and four strikeouts over three innings. Between classes Double A and Triple A last year, Stuart was 4-8 with a 4.12 ERA, 135 strikeouts and a walks and hits per innings pitched rate of 1.25 across 25 starts that totaled 122⅓ innings. He projects to earn a call-up to the big leagues sometime this season.

Dylan Dodd, a former Kankakee Community College standout, remains with the Atlanta Braves organization and will start the year in Triple-A Gwinnett. The southpaw allowed two earned runs on three hits in one inning in his lone spring appearance with the Braves. The 26-year-old made his MLB debut with Atlanta in 2023, and has made eight career appearances (seven starts). He has a 2-2 record with a 7.68 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 17 strikeouts as a major leaguer.

Former Olivet Nazarene University pitcher Ben Heller signed with the Cubs in the offseason but was ruled out for the season with an arm injury March 19 without making a spring training appearance. Heller, a 33-year-old right-hander, made his MLB debut with Cleveland in 2015 and has pitched in parts of six MLB seasons. He most recently was with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, when he made eight bullpen appearances that totaled 12 innings, posting an 11.25 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 15 strikeouts.