Former MiLB pitcher Holdzkom dies in crash

Former Minor League pitcher Lincoln Holdzkom was killed in a car accident Sunday in California, according to reports. He was 33.

The older brother of Pirates pitcher John Holdzkom, Lincoln last pitched in affiliated baseball in 2009 with Pittsburgh's Double-A Altoona affiliate.

A 6-foot-5 right-hander, Holdzkom was a seventh-round pick out of Arizona Western College by the Marlins in 2001. His first three seasons were marked by big strikeout totals and improved command, but he missed the entire 2004 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. After being dealt to the Cubs in 2006, Holdzkom joined the Red Sox system as a Minor League free agent in 2007.

Holdzkom reached Triple-A for the first time that year, going 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 12 relief appearances for Pawtucket. In December 2007, the Phillies made Holdzkom the final selection of the Rule 5 Draft, but he made just three Spring Training appearances for Philadelphia before being let go. He spent the 2008 season with the PawSox, followed by 14 outings with Altoona in 2009. In 227 Minor League appearances -- all but eight in relief -- Holdzkom was 16-25 with a 2.96 ERA.

A Pasadena, California native, Holdzkom's father is a New Zealander, leading Lincoln to participate in the Diamondblacks' attempts to qualify for the 2012 World Baseball Classic. New Zealand fell a game shy that year, but Holdzkom continued with the program and was "likely to be the captain of the [New Zealand] pitching staff in February's WBC qualifier in Sydney," according to the New Zealand Herald.

Diamondblacks manager Chris Woodward called Holdzkom the "heart and soul" of the team's pitching staff.

"This is a huge loss for the Holdzkom family, for so many who have known and loved Lincoln, and of course for our baseball community in New Zealand," Baseball New Zealand chief executive Ryan Flynn told the Herald.