St. Louis Cardinals: Cautiously, welcome back Greg Holland

The St. Louis Cardinals have called up a young prospect from Double A…wait, I apologize, that is just Greg Holland.

Corny joke, yes. But Do you recognize Greg Holland? Since he came back from his rehab, he looks really good. The wonderful fans of St. Louis Cardinals are not used to seeing him pitch well in a Redbird uniform.

It is not all that surprising to see him throwing well now. When he started the second rehab stint, there were clear signs that he could turn it around. But that was not all that was at work here. For now, let’s all hope that it keeps up.

Why Did Double A Work?

As was stated in my previous article, linked above, it was good for his confidence. He could find the big part of the plate with less on the line. Now, he gave up quite a bit of good contact down there, but it was calculated. A pitcher looking for the zone needs to throw strikes before painting corners.

If you ask some other of our great writers at Redbird Rants, namely my co-editor Dr. Miles, you will get a different answer. The pitching coach at that level for the St. Louis Cardinals organization is Jason Simontacchi, and he likely worked wonders with the former All-Star arm.

Night And Day

Holland went from being a cringe-worthy call to the bullpen in any situation, to throwing well in his first outing back. To avoid going negative, his previous outings can be ignored for now. But in his post rehab premiere the other day, he struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Will It Last?

I am prone to optimism, so I really believe that he will. It is tough to sell me that an established arm who is struggling will revert back to poor performance after a good one. It is all confidence. Holland has clearly found the plate, and that is good news. That being said, his next outing will show a lot.

Next: Ozuna's failed catch sealed the deal

Just think about it this way, Holland thrived in hitter friendly Coors Field. That was a year ago. He would not have regressed that much from year to year. So, that is why I can confidently say that the 14 million dollar man just might be earning his contract.  But, there is no need to be hasty after one outing.