2009 Season: Once you get past the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, where you slot everyone else can be debated. But we'll go with Derek Holland as the No. 3 starter, since he made the most starts of the remaining group.
Holland, who turned 23 earlier this month, came up in late April for his major league debut. He had impressed the club in spring training and started the season in Oklahoma City, but got one start before heading to the majors. The plan was to ease Holland in by putting him in the bullpen. He had 13 innings of relief work before he made his first start on May 22 in Houston. He gave up three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings and had fans talking about his potential. He bounced back and forth between starting and relieving until late July, when he went in the rotation for good.
Holland, like many young pitchers, was inconsistent. He showed flashes of brilliance with good fastball and a slider that had some real bite. But commanding those pitches in every start was a struggle.
Holland's high point came right around the trade deadline. With talk swirling about a possible trade for Toronto ace Roy Halladay, Holland went out and threw 8 2/3 innings against Seattle on July 30. It ended all talk about Holland going anywhere. Toronto wanted Holland, but so did everyone else. Two starts later, against the Angels, Holland pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
But Holland struggled down the stretch. In his final six starts, he pitched at least six innings only twice. He was 1-5 with a 10.43 ERA in his final six starts. His final stat line: 8-13 with a 6.12 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 47 walks. Holland gave up 26 homers as well.
2010 Outlook: Holland's finish was disappointing. But he was a rookie learning how to succeed at the top level. And that means taking some serious lumps. The Rangers are confident that Holland's attitude means he'll be fine mentally and charged up to have an even better 2010.
I still think Holland showed enough good signs that he'll only get better. Did he live up to the lofty expectations in 2009? Probably not. But they were too lofty. He listens to coaches and wants to improve. He didn't know how to correct himself very quickly during games, but that should come with experience.
He has plenty to work on this offseason, and I'll be interested to see what he looks like when he arrives for spring training.
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Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
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Ben Rogers joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of the "GameNight with Ben & Skin" show, heard weekdays from 6p-9p on 103.3 FM ESPN.
