Greg Holland’s improbable return to elite closer status
By Mike Barner
Greg Holland is making a return to being an elite closer in Major League Baseball.
The start of the 2017 season has included some improbable storylines in Major League Baseball. Who ever thought the New York Yankees would be this good so quickly? How can the San Francisco Giants be one of the worst teams in all of baseball?
Just as improbable has been some of the struggles teams have gone through with their closers. Zach Britton is set to miss a good portion of the season with a forearm injury. Mark Melancon, Roberto Osuna and Cam Bedrosian have all also spent time on the disabled list.
Ninth-inning stalwart Fernando Rodriguez has already been removed as the Detroit Tigers closer. Sam Dyson had 38 saves in 2016, but has been removed as the closer for the Texas Rangers due to colossal struggles.
So in a season with so much turmoil in the ninth inning, who is the current leader in saves you ask? That would be none other than Greg Holland of the Colorado Rockies.
Holland was an elite closer for the Kansas City Royals who recorded 125 saves from 2013 through 2015. Over that same stretch, he struck out a whopping 242 batters in only 174 innings.
His career appeared to receive a crushing blow when he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of 2015, ending his tenure in Kansas City.
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He sat out the entire 2016 season before signing with the Rockies for 2017. The Rockies already had Jake McGee and Adam Ottavino in their bullpen, so Holland would have to battle to earn the right to close out games again.
Holland won the job in spring training and has never looked back. Not only does he have a league-leading 14 saves, but he also has a sparkling 1.20 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. He’s racking up strikeouts again too as he already has 19 in 15 innings (as of May 10).
Holland’s success is big reason why the Rockies are in first place in the NL West. With so many closers either injured or struggling, he is on his way to re-establishing himself as one of the elite options in all of baseball. Of all the unpredictable starts to this season, Holland’s dominance is certainly among the most surprising.