SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In one pen stroke, the Rockies in late January more than doubled their closer experience. Greg Holland, among the best ninth-inning pitchers in baseball in 2013 and 2014 for Kansas City, but coming off surgery that reconstructed his elbow, signed a one-year contract with Colorado.
Holland owns 145 career saves. The three full-time closers Colorado cycled through last season — Jake McGee (41), Adam Ottavino (11) and Carlos Estevez (11) — combine for 63 career saves. Holland on paper seems ripe for the job. But as a post-Tommy John surgery test case, there are questions to resolve in spring training.