Royals Turn To Rookie Holland To Provide Bullpen Stability

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Reliever Greg Holland is summoned by Dayton Moore to supply much-needed bullpen help.

Jul 29, 2010 - The departure of left fielder Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers in Wendesday's trade to the Dodgers opened up a roster spot, and according to sources, that roster spot will be filled at least in the short term by Omaha righty Greg Holland.

The move is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. It makes for an unorthodox roster of 13 pitchers, eight of whom are relievers. Holland will be counted on to reduce the strain on the pen during an awful series against the Twins, where KC relievers served up a staggering 17 earned runs in 11.2 innings over three games.

It's also noteworthy because Holland is Dayton Moore's first amateur draft pick to crack the big league roster, which probably isn't the way most Royals fan pictured things panning out. As the Royals' 10th round selection in the 2007 draft, Holland has posted good numbers in his time as a pro, sporting a 3.62 ERA in 229 innings of minor league experience.

The 25-year-old started has spent the entire season with Omaha, where he has recorded 60 strikeouts in 56.2 innings. His arm is powerful, but as with most power arms early in their careers, Holland has some control problems, averaging nearly five free passes per nine innings.

At the time of the Podsednik trade, Moore pointed out the need for his staff to find a way to get Kila Ka'aihue to the big league club "soon," so the fact that Holland is on his way to Kansas City for this a long series against the Orioles instead of the Hawaiian is understandably frustrating to some Royals fans.

Some movement involving Jose Guillen is integral to putting Ka'aihue in a position where he gets to play regularly, so the sooner that Moore can remove that wrench from between the gears, the sooner the fans will see the slugging Hawaiian in action.