Lefty Holland can give voice to comeback, characters
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Left-hander Derek Holland has not had a normal career arc. Once a 16-game winner for a World Series team (2011 Rangers), Holland is trying to re-establish his career after an injury spree that began when he hurt his knee while playing with his dog.
If Holland succeeds, either wresting a rotation spot from
When pitcher Derek Holland speaks, the Giants will listen, but they might confuse him with Arnold Schwarzenegger or even Kermit the Frog.
one of the contending prospects, or getting a long-relief spot, he will make his Giants teammates laugh.
The 32-year-old Ohio native is known for impersonations. He can do Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Farrell’s version of Harry Caray and Kermit the Frog. He’s working on Cleveland from “Family Guy” and is still trying to hone his craft.
“You’re just trying to keep
the clubhouse loose,” Holland said Monday before he allowed a Whit Merrifield homer but struck out four in two innings against the Royals at Scottsdale Stadium. “You just want to make sure everybody’s having a good time when they’re out there, on and off the field. It’s supposed to be a loose environment.”
Chris Stratton and Ty Blach are the front-runners for the final two rotation spots, with Tyler Beede and Andrew Suarez in the mix. To add experience to the competition, the Giants signed Holland to a minor-league deal just before spring training.
Holland and the Giants have met before. He had a forgettable inning for Texas in the 2010 World Series against the Giants but started for the 2011 team that twice came within a strike of beating the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series. He pitched a career-high 213 innings in 2013 before his career took a strange turn.
Holland was running up the stairs of his house in the offseason while goofing with his dog when the animal clipped his leg and he fell awkwardly. He needed microfracture surgery on his left knee, and he missed most of 2014. Shoulder injuries that did not require surgery limited him to 33 starts over the 2015-16 seasons.
The White Sox signed Holland for 2017 and he struggled, particularly in the second half, but he believes he took a big step by proving his health.
The Giants will extend him as a starter this spring, mindful that he could help them in relief.
“My No. 1 goal is obviously being in the rotation,” he said. “I’ve been a starter. I’d like to be a starter at least once in the National League to see how I can do.”
The Giants already know Holland is a ham.
Even as a toddler, he and his older brother Greg (not that Greg Holland) would mimic batting stances they saw on TV. Years later, Holland developed a Schwarzenegger imitation after he and a buddy heard the “Arnold’s Pizza Shop” gag (it’s on YouTube).
Holland has learned there is a time and place for doing voices. It can be awkward in the clubhouse when teammates are getting their game faces on, but entirely welcome amid the drudgery of the weight room.
He has found his new Giants teammates a receptive audience.
“Being in the clubhouse so far, I’ve gotten to see a lot of chemistry these guys have,” Holland said. “They all have the same personality. They’re all goofballs just trying to have fun and enjoy every bit of what’s going on here and have that same mentality of, ‘We want to win,’ but at the same time, keeping it loose and having fun.”