What is Derek Holland's Role With the Pirates Going Forward
When Ben Cherrington took over as the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of his first jobs was to address a lack of starting pitching depth on the Major League club. Obviously, he didn't go out and sign any of the big names on the market because he simply couldn't, but he was looking for low-risk high-reward pitchers to fill out the Pirates starting rotation. One of those pitchers that he was able to find was 11-year Major League veteran Derek Holland. When Holland was brought in, he was the front-runner for the fifth-starter spot, even as a non-roster invitee, and ended up winning the job after Spring Training 2.0.
The starting pitching experience hasn't really worked out for the 33-year old as he is sitting at 1-2 with a 7.25 ERA. In his last two outings, manager Derek Shelton has been using him as a reliever coming in as almost a piggyback starter. So, what is Holland's role with the Pirates for the rest of the 2020 season? He obviously won't be back for the 2021 season unless the Pirates resign him, so he will want to showcase that he can still pitch effectively to the other 29 clubs around the team. While he wants to be a starting pitcher for a team, the bullpen could give him more opportunities to showcase his arm. Holland has had his ups and downs this season, but he is looking to finish strong in whatever capacity he may fill.
Holland Odd Man Out of Rotation
Looking at where the Pirates are right now as an organization, it is no surprise that Holland was the odd man out when Joe Musgrove returned off the IL. The Pirates are growing for the future and giving guys like JT Brubaker, Chad Kuhl, and Steven Brault more starts benefits the team in the long-run. However, it also sends Holland to the bullpen, which might not necessarily be a bad thing. He has made two relief appearances for the Bucs and they have both gone in opposite directions. His first appearance came on August 18th, and he lasted two innings giving up just one hit while striking out two. However, his second trip out of the bullpen didn't go nearly as smoothly as he allowed five runs, three earned in five innings of work in last night's loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Most of his career has been spent as a starting pitcher, but the time he has spent as a reliever has essentially mirrored his numbers as a starter. In 106 career innings as a reliever, he has a 4.33 ERA while striking out 88 and walking 42 batters. Where the big difference in his splits lies is in his opponent batting average. When he is a starting pitcher, his opponent batting average sits at .264. However, when he comes out of the bullpen, that opponent batting average drops to .249 as he becomes harder to hit. He lets the ball fly a little more and can generate those swing and miss opportunities. He has less time to think about what he is going to do on the mound and it seems to help him in his short sample size.
Veteran Starting Pitching Presence
Even though he has been coming out of the bullpen more as of late, the starting rotation is where Holland has done most of his work over the last 12 seasons. He has logged over 1,300 innings as a starting pitcher and has a career ERA of 4.63 as a starting pitcher. His control has always plagued him, with a career walk rate of 8.4%, but has made up for it with a decent strikeout rate of 19.6%. He has given up the long ball a lot, as the Pirates have seen this season, giving up 198 home runs in his 1,300+ innings of work. This season has been really bad as he has given up 10 home runs in 33.1 innings of work, with half of those coming in one game.
However, the benefit of having a veteran starting pitcher on your team is that they can help the younger pitchers in their development. The Pirates have an abundance of young pitchers who could learn from Holland's experience over the years. He has been on four post-season teams and has made the World Series in two of those seasons, both with the Texas Rangers in 2010 and 2011. This experience could help many of Pittsburgh's young guys as they develop and get ready for a full MLB season in 2021. If Holland is in the starting rotation, the young guys can watch his preparation and learn from his experiences as they continue to grow and develop.
Holland Moving Forward
Over the final four weeks of the 2020 season, the Pirate's main focus is going to be on developing their young players for the future. What that means for Holland, is he is more than likely going to be designated to the bullpen. Here he can work as a long-relief option for the Pirates and can come on when the starter has trouble getting the job done. With starting pitchers not being as stretched out as they have been in the past, this gives Holland more opportunities to get on the mound for the Pirates. As he gets up there in age, this will help protect his arm, and allow him to let it fly more than he does as a starting pitcher.
Not only will the move benefit the future of the Pirates, but it will benefit Holland in the long-run as well. It can show that not only can he be an asset in a team's starting rotation, but in the bullpen as well. Good long-relievers can be hard to come by, and Holland could establish himself as one of the premier long-relief arms in the game. If he can do this, he could but himself some more time in the Major Leagues as he tries to re-establish himself after a few rough years. Holland is a great guy, and he has helped fill a gap for the Pirates this year, but it is almost certain that he will be looking for a new team heading into the 2021 season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (10-24) wrap up their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs (22-14) this afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 pm. JT Brubaker (0-0, 4.50) gets the start for the Pirates against Alec Mills (3-2, 5.23) for the Cubs. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates try to end the series on a high-note before a big three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds this weekend.
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