Holland gamble has upside
Notable spring face uRHP Greg Holland: Colorado’s bullpen had the worst ERA in baseball last season, and the team took a calculated risk in January by signing the 31-year-old, who was one of the best relievers in baseball from 2012 to 2015.
Holland missed all of last season after having Tommy John elbow surgery in October 2015 but seems to be in a good place nearly 17 months later. In spring training, the Rockies will be keeping a close eye on how he recovers between outings and if he’s able to pitch in consecutive games.
If Holland can stay relatively healthy and perform at a level anywhere near where he was before the injury, the Rockies have found the solution to their biggest lingering problem. Burning question How will the team handle David Dahl?
Trevor Story wasn’t the only Rockie who began his career with a bang last season. Dahl made his major league debut July 25 and had a hit in his first 17 games, finishing the year with a .315 average in 222 at-bats. Unfortunately for Dahl, his competition in left field is Gerardo Parra, who is due $18 million over the next two seasons — plus a $1.5 million buyout on a $12 million team option for 2019.
The club has a vested interest in Parra getting considerable playing time, but it’s hard to imagine him producing anywhere near the level that Dahl is capable of. Dahl made a convincing case that he was ready to be an everyday player, and the club will have to decide how it wants to balance Dahl’s devel- opment against the financial incentives of using Parra. — Jesse Yomtov