In life, we often don’t have a choice in who we love. The same holds true for fantasy baseball fans. Right or wrong, rational or irrational, we are drawn to certain players each season, maybe through hype or a glimpse of what could be from the previous season. What if this hitter got full-time at bats or that pitcher improve his command? Voila! A Man-crush begins. In this series of articles, I would like to spotlight just who you should be “crushing” on in 2009.
After about 12 years shuffling in and out of leagues of all formats, I have learned that the likes and dislikes of any avid fantasy baseball owner come and go like the tides. We are a fickle lot, for sure. So, true to form, the man-crush of the week is now Derek Holland.
Last year had young Derek Holland zipping through 3 levels of minor league ball and finishing 10th in strikeouts in all of the minors (3rd among lefties) with a 2.27 ERA. Drafted in the 25th round in 2006 by the Texas Rangers, he was nobody’s man-crush. Holland featured your average low 90’s heater and some promising secondary pitches. In 2008, his fastball, or Mr. Holland’s out pitch, exploded into the mid to late nineties with strong movement. And he got stronger as the season went on.
In his first major league appearance, Ranger skipper Ron Washington tested him by inserting him into a game against the hot-hitting Toronto Blue Jays with the bases loaded. Allowing only one of his inherited runners to score (charged to the previous pitcher), Holland pitched 2.1 innings without an earned run and struck out two. He, reportedly, pounded the zone with mid-nineties fastballs and some nice sliders.
Devoting any roster space to Holland is a risk, yes. Especially, if you need to drop someone useful, or if in your league, space is tight. Does he have a history of improvement at each level? Not really. He’s been fast-tracked, and prior to 2008, nobody really knew who Derek Holland was, some people still don’t. He has hopped on a virtual rollercoaster from mediocrity-ville to prospect geek Top Fifty lists. Did you get into fantasy baseball to avoid risk?
This kid will get his chance. Right now the Rangers rotation consists of Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy, Matt Harrison and now Scott Feldman. With a team ERA of 6.21, there is a shake-up coming to Texas. Be ahead of it. Check this kid out.
For more in-depth analysis of young Mr. Holland’s skills, take a look at Baseball Instinct’s Top 50 prospects list.
