Gavin Hollowell Bio
Gavin Ernest Hollowell (born November 4, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed reliever, he previously pitched in the majors for the Colorado Rockies and spent time in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He made his Major League Baseball debut with Colorado in September 2022 and currently wears uniform No. 46 for the Chicago Cubs.
Early Life and Background
Gavin Ernest Hollowell was born on November 4, 1997, in Montgomery Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, and grew up in the same community that shaped his early athletic life. He attended Montgomery High School, where he developed as a pitcher before taking his talents to the college level. After completing his prep career, Hollowell enrolled at St. John’s University in New York, joining the St. John’s Red Storm college baseball program and continuing to build the foundation that would eventually lead to a professional opportunity.
During the summer of 2018, Hollowell played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League, one of the premier amateur showcases in the United States. That stint against high-level competition helped him sharpen his repertoire and gain visibility heading into his draft year. His steady progression from a New Jersey high school to a Big East program and then to Cape Cod summer ball reflected a player on a clear developmental path.
Path to Baseball
Hollowell’s route to professional baseball ran through the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, when the Colorado Rockies selected him in the sixth round with the 189th overall pick. The selection came after three seasons of college work at St. John’s and a productive Cape Cod League summer, validating the progress he had shown as a reliever. That draft placement gave Hollowell an entry point into a Colorado organization known for developing arms at altitude.
He made his professional debut that summer with the rookie-level Grand Junction Rockies, beginning the climb through Colorado’s farm system. The 2020 minor league season, however, was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Hollowell a full year of game action and development. He returned in 2021 and split the year between the Arizona Complex League Rockies and the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies, where he posted a 3-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with 33 strikeouts and five saves across 24 innings, numbers that suggested his slider and strikeout profile were translating against younger hitters.
Gavin Hollowell Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Hollowell’s professional career began in earnest in 2019 with Grand Junction, giving the Rockies their first look at a pitcher they had taken in the sixth round. After losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, he rebounded in 2021 with a split assignment in the Arizona Complex League and at Single-A Fresno. Across 24 combined appearances, he went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and five saves in 24 innings, a strong first full professional line that pushed him up Colorado’s development ladder.
Hartford and MLB Breakthrough (2022)
Hollowell opened the 2022 season with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats and delivered one of the strongest years of his minor league career, going 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA, 64 strikeouts, and 16 saves in 42 appearances. That production convinced the Rockies to promote him to the major leagues on September 18, 2022, for his MLB debut. In six September appearances that rookie season, he posted an 0-2 record and a 7.71 ERA with eight strikeouts across seven innings, getting his first taste of big-league hitters before heading into the offseason.
Colorado Rockies (2022–2023)
After his late-season debut, Hollowell returned to the Rockies organization and was optioned to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to begin the 2023 season. He bounced between Albuquerque and Denver throughout the year, appearing in 26 games for Colorado and logging a 5.88 ERA with 32 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings. The 2023 campaign gave him his first extended look at major-league work, even as he worked to refine his command against right-handed hitters.
Arizona Diamondbacks Stint (2024)
Hollowell was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque once more to begin the 2024 season, and after a difficult early stretch in which he posted a 16.62 ERA across six appearances, the Rockies parted ways. On June 18, 2024, he was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks and assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces. In 18 outings for Reno, he produced a 3.63 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings, showing improved form before Arizona designated him for assignment on August 20.
Chicago Cubs Era (2024–Present)
On August 23, 2024, Hollowell was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs, joining the franchise’s bullpen mix late in the season. He made one scoreless appearance for Chicago that year, striking out one batter across 1 1/3 innings to introduce himself to the organization. Hollowell was optioned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs to begin the 2025 season, then returned to pitch in seven games for the Cubs during the regular season, recording a 4.82 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 9 1/3 innings. He was optioned to Triple-A Iowa again to begin the 2026 season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hollowell operates out of the bullpen as a reliever, leaning on a strikeout-heavy profile and swing-and-miss stuff rather than long outings. His professional track record has been built on missing bats, including 33 strikeouts in 24 innings at the lower levels in 2021, 64 strikeouts in 42 appearances at Double-A Hartford in 2022, and consistent punchout rates since moving through the minors. The arc of his career shows a pitcher best deployed in shorter bursts, where his slider and ability to generate whiffs can play up.
Notable Events and Milestones
The defining moment of Hollowell’s career came on September 18, 2022, when the Colorado Rockies promoted him to the major leagues for his MLB debut. His rapid late-season rise, from a sixth-round pick in 2019 to a Hartford closer with 16 saves in 2022, marked him as a late-inning option in the making. Subsequent stints with Arizona and Chicago have shown his ability to bounce back after being designated, and he now wears No. 46 for the Chicago Cubs as he works to cement a full-time big-league role.
Gavin Hollowell Career Wins
Across his professional career, Gavin Ernest Hollowell has accumulated wins at every level of the minor leagues, even as he has worked primarily as a reliever in the major leagues. Through June 19, 2026, his MLB ledger stands at a 2-2 win-loss record with a 5.73 earned run average and 53 strikeouts. He has also built a save resume in the minors, including 16 saves for Double-A Hartford in 2022, giving him a profile that fits the late-inning mold.
Minor League and MLB Highlights
Hollowell’s first notable professional season came in 2021, when he went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA across 24 combined appearances for the Arizona Complex League Rockies and the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies. He built on that foundation at Double-A Hartford in 2022, going 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA, 64 strikeouts, and 16 saves in 42 appearances before his September promotion to the Rockies. His first MLB win came during his time with the Colorado Rockies, and his most recent contributions have come as a member of the Chicago Cubs bullpen.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his MLB ledger, Hollowell posted a 3.63 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings across 18 appearances for the Triple-A Reno Aces in 2024, a stretch that helped him land with the Chicago Cubs. He has been a regular presence at the Triple-A level, splitting time between Albuquerque, Reno, and Iowa as he has navigated option years and roster moves throughout his career.
Gavin Hollowell Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Hollowell is a native of Montgomery Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, and his hometown ties are closely connected to his baseball development through Montgomery High School. Public details about his immediate family have not been widely reported, and he has kept his personal life largely private away from the field.
2025 Season Performance
Hollowell began the 2025 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs before earning a recall to Chicago, where he appeared in seven games during the regular season. In that big-league work, he recorded a 4.82 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 9 1/3 innings, mixing scoreless outings with a few inherited-runner situations that tested his leverage role. His Triple-A time in Iowa gave the Cubs a clearer picture of how he might fit into the late-inning mix, and his willingness to handle multi-inning stints remained an asset.
Looking ahead, the 2026 season opened with Hollowell optioned to Triple-A Iowa as the Cubs shaped their opening bullpen, a familiar path for young relievers in the organization. Through June 19, 2026, his major-league line stood at a 2-2 record with a 5.73 ERA and 53 strikeouts, reflecting both the growing pains of his transition and the strikeout upside that has defined his career. If he can tighten his command against left-handed hitters and limit the long ball, he has a credible path to a more permanent role in the Chicago bullpen.
