Colorado Rockies reliever and key free-agent acquisition Greg Holland saw his second bit of live action of the spring on Monday at Salt River Fields, tossing a simulated game in front of coaches and reporters.
Holland sat at 91-92 mph with his fastball, a figure still well short of the 95-96 he averaged during his best years with the Kansas City Royals. However, Holland’s velocity is up a few ticks from the 88 mph at which he mostly worked during an offseason showcase, so it’s not worth worrying about quite yet.
From Rox Pile’s Kevin Henry, who was in attendance:
“Last time out, my timing was really good, and this time it got a little bit better, so I’m moving in the right direction,” Holland said. “This time of year, you’re still getting more consistent mechanically and still building arm strength and stuff. So I’m not worried about my velocity as far as that goes. I’m more worried about how I feel when I release the ball, if everything is working together and the ball’s coming out, spinning true. It’s been really good the last two outings.”
It’s still worth keeping a close eye on; Holland won’t be nearly as effective as he’s accustomed to if he’s working in the low 90s. But with a just about a month left until Opening Day, the Rockies can afford to take it easy with him and allow him to get back to full strength, whatever that may eventually be.
Colorado manager Bud Black believes Holland is still on track to appear in 7-8 spring training games, according to Henry. Holland will work in a more game-like atmosphere in his next appearances, Black noted.
Here’s video Thomas Harding took of simulated game:
This was a simulated game thrown by Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Greg Holland.
Posted by Thomas Harding on Monday, March 6, 2017