McDowell's Holland hits Triple-A

By Dan Crawley,McDowell News Sports Writer

Published: August 4, 2009

For one McDowell County native, the dream of a lifetime is only one step from becoming reality.
Former McDowell High and Western Carolina pitcher Greg Holland has quickly made his way through the Kansas City Royals baseball organization, going from Rookie League ball in Idaho Falls, Id. in August 2007 to the Triple-A ranks in Omaha, Neb. in a matter of two calendar years.
Holland, a 2004 graduate of McDowell High, is trying to become the first McDowell High graduate to make the Major Leagues.
Holland had a strong short season in Idaho Falls in 2007, leading the Pioneer League in wins, appearances and saves. The hard-throwing right-hander followed with an equally impressive season last year for the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Royals. As both a starter and reliever, Holland posted a 4-5 record in 32 games and struck out 96 batters in 84 1/3 innings.
After the success he had in Wilmington, the Royals, in a postseason organizational evaluation, touted Holland as a player on the club's radar. That praise seems to have motivated Holland as he stepped his game up to another level.
At the Double-A level, Holland was converted to a full-time reliever and he quickly caught fire, going 3-2 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in 29 relief appearances. Holland had great command of his arsenal, picking up eight saves and averaging better than one strikeout (46 K) per inning pitched (45 1/3).
That body of work earned him a reserve spot in last month's Texas League All-Star game in Frisco, Tex.
Then, on July 20, Holland was once again rewarded for his hard work by being promoted to his current team, the Triple-A Omaha Royals. Holland has only made three appearances since his promotion but said he has learned a lot from his teammates, among them a handful of guys who have already played at the Major League level.
"It's exciting to be at this point," said Holland. "We've got a good team here at Omaha, everybody gets along. We're just a bunch of guys here with the same goal. I have to give credit to my coaches for helping me get to this point. Steve Luber and Larry Carter have been my pitching coaches the past two seasons at Wilmington and Arkansas. They are both good instructors of the game. I've been fortunate to learn a lot of stuff from them. Both guys really care about the kids they work with, and that's what makes those two great. I know that if I apply the things they have given me, that things will work out for me."
Omaha's home stadium is Rosenblatt Stadium, a facility well known for being the home of the College World Series.
"This is my first time playing at Rosenblatt Stadium," added Holland. "I never played here in college; it's exciting to play at a place you've seen all your life on TV."
Now that Holland is one step away from making the majors, he knows that he has to work harder than ever to perfect his craft.
"I've just got to go out there and throw strikes and throw them consistently," he said. "I've got to stay with my strengths. I will have to make great use of my throwing sessions to work on other things because the guys at this level are good and can hit.
"The Royals have about five or six from here that they'll call up in September, but I can't worry about that. I am still young and still have a lot to learn. I just need to work hard and hopefully remain on their radar."

 

It's been fun keeping track of Greg the past two years. When I interviewed him last week I could definitely tell he was really excited to be at the point he's currently at. He also kept going back to reflect on the help he has received from his pitching coaches and how he has used it to make himself better.


His path from McDowell County to Omaha has been quite the ride. He really flew under the radar when he played in high school. Then he continued to work hard at Western Carolina earning all he did over there. And now in the past 12 months he has went from Rookie Ball in Idaho to Triple-A playing at Rosenblatt Stadium.

I'm hoping there's at least one more story for me to write on this kid...that being the first McDowell grad to play in the bigs.

 

Great job on the interview BigDan. I hope you can extend this story next year from Kansas City.

 

UPDATE: I was informed a couple days ago that Greg is being considered to play in the Arizona Fall League which starts in October. Usually the prospects that are on the rise are chosen to play out there. Atlanta rookie Tommy Hanson caught the attention of many folks last year in the Arizona Fall League.