Padres sign INF Connor Hollis to a minor league contract
Credit: MiLB.com
The 27-year-old infielder will begin the season with the Padres Double-A affiliate in San Antonio.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Houston, Connor Hollis will look to stick in the San Diego Padres organization after spending three years with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hollis, 27, spent five years at Houston after suffering a season-ending injury just two games into his sophomore season. As a senior, the infielder posted a robust .302/.400/.420 slash line with two home runs and 25 RBIs in 62 games.
In 2019, Hollis spent the majority of the year with the Rays’ Single-A outfit in Bowling Green. There, he hit .281 with a .831 OPS, along with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and RBIs in a 41-game sample size.
His progression through the minors would have likely been much faster had the minor league season not been canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
#Padres have signed INF Connor Hollis to a minor league contract.
— MiLB-Transactions (@tombaseball29) April 3, 2022
Instead, Hollis returned to Bowling Green to start the 2021 season, which became the Rays’ High-A affiliate. In 63 games that saw him post a healthy .277/.350/.420 slash line, Hollis was promoted to Double-A for the final two weeks of the season.
In a 12-game sample size, Hollis hit .375 with a 1.101 OPS, along with five doubles and two RBIs. He had really good splits against left-handed pitches, hitting .375 with a .988 OPS in 30 games last season.
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A second baseman by trade, the Arlington, Texas native owns a .974 fielding percentage in 64 games at second. He’s also seen quite a bit of time at the hot corner, 57 games in three minor league seasons, to be exact.
His versatility will be key for playing time in the Padres’ minor league system. Hollis has also seen some time at first base and in the outfield.
Padres writer/editor for East Village Times. LA Kings writer/editor for Hockey Royalty. IBWAA member.
Depth never hurts. We may need him should injuries occur. Plus, if he can be productive in the minors he might be a good chip in an allstar break trade.
Definitely. Rooting for Connor!