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Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
Derek Holland has one of the best fastballs of any lefthander in baseball. Its fast (2nd hardest of all lefty starters behind Price, IIRC) and it moves quite a bit. He also has a plus plus breaking ball and the ability to add and subtract from his heat. There's a reason the kid was considered an elite prospect for 2 seasons.
He threw 4 complete game shutouts last season on his own. Have the Royals managed that many in 2 years? Hell, did the Cardinals have that many all season? I know they didn't in 2010.
Derek Holland, when he's locked in, is as capable of shutting down a lineup as anyone in baseball. After the All-Star break this year, he was borderline dominant pitching in an environment that is absolutely brutal to pitch in (Arlington during the dry summer heat is a launching pad).
The kid isn't Anthony Reyes - Derek Holland is absolutely capable of showing up and shutting down this lineup again. That's not to say he will, but he absolutely could.
He's a damn good pitcher.
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Holland has the 4th best fastball on his team. It's a very good fastball, but you are wildly overrating it. A guy with a plus-plus breaking ball wouldn't have said pitch rate below Jaime Garcia's. That's a hyperbolic analysis.
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