Colorado Rockies: Checking in on Tyler Chatwood and Greg Holland

Greg Holland’s Nightmare

Remember the first half of 2017? Greg Holland was sensational, opening his lone season with the Rockies by going 23-for-23 in save opportunities.

But Holland fell apart in the dog days of summer. In August of 2017, Holland pitched 9.1 innings, and had a 13.50 ERA while allowing 14 hits, 14 earned runs, four home runs and six walks. He recovered in September, but I was relieved when he signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Cardinals.

While the Rockies got Holland at his best, the Cardinals are getting the three-time All Star at his very worst.

Rolling through the numbers, Holland has a ghastly 9.45 ERA and a WHIP of 2.63. His field independent pitching (FIP) is still a very high 5.95, so Holland’s struggles are not just a product of poor luck.

He was brought to St. Louis to be the closer, yet his last recorded save was on September 22, 2017, when he was still a Rockie. Unsurprisingly, he lost his role as closer on May 1, after blowing a save in a 6-5 loss to the Pirates. And it’s only gotten worse for him, as he’s allowed two runs in each of his last four outings.

Yes, last year’s NL Comeback Player of the Year is being deployed to eat innings in blowouts.

"“It’s been pretty embarrassing,” Holland told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’ve taken the ball every time with the expectation of getting outs and keeping the score whatever it is. But when you’re used to doing something at a certain level and you’re not doing it, it’s frustrating.”"

Needless to say, Holland is used to pitching at an elite level. In 2017, opponents hit just .139 against his slider. It was glorious. But this season it’s ballooned to .344. His fastball is also less effective — opponents are hitting .333 compared to .282 last season. And he’s only managed 10 strikeouts.

Walks are an issue for Holland. He’s walked 15 batters in just 13.1 innings pitched, for a 20 percent walk rate. Combine that with a 32 percent hard contact rate and a lower ground ball rate, and Holland has been a bust with the Cardinals.

On May 25, ESPN reported the Cardinals placed Holland on the 10-day disabled list with a“right hip impingement.” It sounds like a nagging injury rather than something serious. Hopefully Holland can fix what’s ailing him. After what he did for the Rockies, it hurts to see him suffer like this.

Next: Trevor Story and the revolving door at second base for the Rockies

Despite the struggles of big reliever acquisitions like Bryan Shaw, bringing Wade Davis in to replace Greg Holland as closer might be the best move Bridich made in the offseason.