After Joakim Soria first went down (for the second time) earlier this season with the need to undergo Tommy John surgery, the Kansas City Royals had a few options. They had recently signed former closer Jonathan Broxton to a one-year agreement to help bolster the pen, and they also had young options like Greg Holland already in-house. Broxton eventually earned the spot for the bulk of the season, but now Holland is the man for Royals manager Ned Yost.
"We'll go with Greg Holland right now," Yost said. "I think that he's been very solid down there, and we'll give him an opportunity to close games out. "He was pretty obvious for me right now. He's been pretty consistent, and we feel that his stuff is all the way back to where it was last year when he was really successful."
Holland says he was able to learn a lot from Broxton and the incredible season he was having with a 2.27 ERA and 23 saves for KC.
"Just the way he carried himself, mainly. You didn't know if he had bases loaded or no one out. He saved more than he blew, but when he blew one he was ready the next day just being able to be even-keeled and just having that same mindset day in and day out," Holland said.
Holland is 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA so far this season for the Royals in 41 appearances.
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