Holland comes to Texas

The future of Texas Rangers pitching isn't exactly now, but it's getting closer.

Today the Rangers purchased LHP Derek Holland's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he had made one start this season. He gave up four earned runs in four innings in losing that start. For now, GM Jon Daniels will commit to using him only in relief. But starting is where the 22-year-old belongs and where he will be as soon as a starter is injured or pitches so badly the team has no choice but to slide Holland into the rotation.

That's what happened in Texas' beleaguered bullpen, where RHP Josh Rupe was the worst of a bad lot and was designated for assignment.

Daniels made it clear to media that he didn't expect Holland's promotion to be short-term.

"We're not looking to send him down, but he's going to have to perform. We feel he's ready to contribute to this team. Right now, that's in the bullpen."

In promoting Holland, the Rangers bypassed such other touted prospects as RHPs Thomas Diamond and Neftali Feliz. Daniels said Holland's lefthandedness was not a factor. "It's nice to have a third lefthander in the bullpen, but that wasn't the reason. We felt Derek was the best."

Daniels said Holland nearly made the team out of spring training, despite having made just five regular-season starts above Class A ball. "That was something we talked about in spring training, the possibility that he be moved up right out of the gate. We'd committed not to do it. There was some sentiment that the best team would have included Derek on it."

Though Ron Washington spoke highly of Holland during spring training, the manager apparently wasn't one who held that sentiment. When asked how close the lefty had come to making the opening day roster, Washington merely shook his head and said, "No."

As for Holland's role, Wash said, "We'll use him as a long guy. We'll try to get multiple innings out of him every time. He'll be coming in before the eighth inning. When a starter falters, we'll want him to get us where we need to get."

Washington praised Holland in these terms: "Maturity, aptitude, he wants to learn, pitchability, he has an idea what he's doing, he can take information and apply it."

Daniels had a similar list: "Makeup, aptitude, strike-throwing ability, his stuff."

My feeling is that Holland is the right choice. I saw both him and Feliz pitch several times last season, and again during spring training. Feliz is the more spectacular pitcher, with occasional radar readings in triple digits. But Holland is the more accomplished pitcher, taking the same stuff with him to the mound in the seventh inning that he did in the first.

The Rangers babied Feliz's arm last season. That and occasional high pitch counts were the reasons he averaged just 4.7 innings per start (to Holland's 5.8). I thought the organization might take the wraps off this year, but despite pitching well, he has gone just four and five innings in his two starts. I can envision him as a reliever -- a good one -- because he reminds me of the Mariano Rivera I saw in Triple-A.