Veteran Holland Brings Experience and Determination to Young Pirates Rotation
Taking a look at the projected 2020 starting rotation, you will see a lot of guys with good talent. Guys like Chris Archer, Joe Musgrove, and Trevor Williams have all had success in the Major Leagues and have shown they can compete night in and night out. However, many of these pitchers don't have a lot of MLB experience and are being thrust into the leadership role. The most experienced returner to the starting rotation is Archer with eight seasons of service time, but he is coming off a year that saw his stats take a turn for the worse.
The Pirate's goal going into the off-season was to sign a veteran starting pitcher who could not only help with the development of the young guys but help some of Pittsburgh's more experienced guys work through their current struggles. The guy looking to fill this role is left-hander Derek Holland, who brings with him 11 years of experience at the Major League level. After coming off the worst year of his MLB career, the Chicago Cubs designated Holland for assignment after he went just 2-2 with a 6.80 ERA between the Cubs and San Francisco Giants. The Pirates saw an opportunity and signed Holland to a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training.
He was pitching pretty well in four spring training starts allowing six earned runs in 13.2 innings of work. He had good strikeout numbers with 16 while walking just three batters as the veteran was making a strong claim for the fifth starter spot. The only problem is, someone would have to be designated for assignment to make room for the left-hander. As the rotation sits right now, the Pirates would have four right-handers in the first four spots. A veteran lefty presence at the bottom of the rotation might work two-fold, giving the Pirates a change of pace and allowing Holland to revitalize his career.
Holland was drafted in the 25th round of the 2016 draft by the Texas Rangers and three years later he was in the Major Leagues. He would pitch with the Rangers for eight seasons going a combined 62-50 with a 4.35 ERA in 179 career games. His best season came in 2011 when he posted a 16-7 record with a career-low 3.95 ERA. He worked in 198 innings that season and walked just 67 batters while striking out 162. He posted an impressive 1.35 WHIP and opponents were averaging just a .266 clip against Holland. He would post 10 or more wins in each of the next two seasons and looked to be on his way to a solid career with Texas.
However, Holland would suffer a knee injury in his final start of the 2013 season and required knee surgery that off-season. He would miss most of the 2014 season, coming back for the final month pitching in six games, five starts. Holland seemed to be back to his normal self pitching to a 1.46 ERA and going a perfect 2-0 upon his return. Holland got ready to retake his spot in the starting rotation in 2015. However, he had to leave his first start after one inning of work and was back on the Disabled List with a shoulder strain.
When Holland returned in August of 2015, he never was the same pitcher giving up three earned runs or more six times in his final nine starts. The Rangers continued to try Holland as a starter, but his stats continued to get worse, and after going 7-9 with a 4.95 ERA in 2016, the Rangers parted ways with Holland. He signed a one,-year deal with the Chicago White Sox prior to the 2017 season and tried as a starter one more time. It did not go well for Holland as he saw his ERA go to 6.20 in 29 starts and the White Sox released him after the season.
The San Francisco Giants were the next team to take a chance on Holland inviting him to Spring training with a chance to make the roster. He was named the fifth starter for the Giants and appeared in 36 games, 30 starts, and showed improvement going 7-9 with a 3.56 ERA. It was Holland's lowest ERA since the 2013 season and he worked in 171.1 innings striking out 169 batters. His control was there as well as he walked just 67 batters and it looked as though the left-hander had made a full recovery from his injuries. However, last season did not start out well for Holland as he was tagged for 19 earned runs in his first 32 innings of work for a 5.33 ERA.
After his seventh start, Holland was once again back on the injured list this time with a bruised index finger. He was activated from the IL on May 8th but returned as a reliever rather than a starting pitcher. He saw his ERA progressively go down as a reliever, but he would make his final appearance for the Giants on July 20th when he gave up four runs in an inning of work. The Giants designated Holland for assignment after the game and the Chicago Cubs picked him up five days later. He would appear in 20 games for the Cubs down the stretch and had a 6.89 ERA in 15.2 innings of work before electing free agency.
Holland is trying to make his way back in the starting rotation for the Pirates, as he tries to rekindle his success from the 2018 season. One thing that has plagued Holland throughout his career is the number of hard hits he has allowed. His hard-hit percentage has gone up each year since 2015 and ranked in the bottom 20% of the league last year at 42.1%. It led to Holland getting tagged for 20 home runs last season and a flyball percentage of 29.4%, the highest of his professional career. Holland will be helped out by a spacious left field at PNC Park and a solid outfield defense which will hopefully turn many of those fly balls into outs rather than extra-base hits.
Another thing that hurt Holland in 2019 was his unusually bad control that saw him walk 45 batters in 82 innings of work. He ranked in the bottom 20% of the league with a 12.0 walk percentage leading to some of his struggles. However, this might have been due to the fact that he was coming off an injury because the last time he posted a 12.0 walk percentage was in 2017 after coming off of his shoulder strain the season before. Numbers suggest that he should be able to find that control again and, if he does, he can get back to the solid numbers he posted during the 2018 season.
Holland features a four-pitch mix with his sinker being his most used pitch at 62.1% of the time. It averages about 92.3 miles per hour and was one of his most effective pitches last season. It generated 56 of his 81 strikeouts while opponents hit just .260 against it. His next most used pitch was his slider at 29.6% that he uses down and in to lefties and falling away from righties. Opponents hit just .238 off the pitch last season as it falls off the table with 38.5 inches of drop and 0.5 inches of break. He rounds out his arsenal with a Changeup and a curveball that he mixes an intermittently.
The 2020 season could be a big one in the professional career of Holland. It could determine whether or not Holland pitches into his late 30's or if his days as an effective pitcher are over. He is pitching with his third team in the last two seasons as he looks to rekindle his success from his early years. If he can, the Pirates could have a solid starting rotation in 2020 with four pitchers who have shown success at the MLB level and an up and coming prospect who is projected to be the ace of the Pirates pitching staff in the near future.
Prediction: 10-5, 3.87 ERA (29 starts MLB)
If history is able to repeat itself, Holland is a prime candidate for a breakout season in 2020. He bounced back in 2018 after an injury latent season the year before and he will again in 2020. Look for him to get his control back working with two great defensive catchers who know how to work corners. If he can channel that success from his 2018 season, Holland could be a candidate for comeback player of the year and be just what the Pirates need as a fifth starter. The other option, if he performs, is to use him as trade bait at the deadline to help bolster the Pirates system. It all depends on how Holland performs to determine where his path will take him.
As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.
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