Derek Holland Pitching on the Edge

Derek Holland pitched well in his first two starts, posting a 2.25 ERA.  He showed better control than in his first two seasons, but more importantly kept the ball in the park, having yet to allow a home run.  So far, the big change for Derek comes from working better on the edges of the plate. The following heat maps show his pitching against right-handed batters, which he sees much more often.

First, notice the location of Derek's fastball compared to his first two years in the majors (click all images for a larger version):

Derek Holland fastball location vs. RHB, 2009-2010 on the left, first two starts of 2011 on the right.Holland is working inside and on the outer half of the plate, instead of right down the middle.  This actually sets up his off-speed pitches well.  He used to leave his changeup over the plate:

Derek Holland change-up location vs. RHB, 2009-2010 on the left, first two starts of 2011 on the right.He still catches the plate with the change, but more toward the outside edge.  Thrown correctly, this pitch should look like his outside fastball, but coming in slower and lower.  The biggest change, however, probably comes from his slider:

Derek Holland slider location vs. RHB, 2009-2010 on the left, first two starts of 2011 on the right.In the past if the batter was caught by the slider, he could take the pitch and probably end up with a ball call. Now, with him hitting the corner, someone who lays off the slider finds himself down a strike.  Since he tends to work this pitch inside, it serves as a nice contrast to his inside fastball.

Holland improved all three pitches by moving them all toward the edges of the plate.  His challenge now is to keep this up for a full season.

Derek Holland set to anchor Texas Rangers Rotation

It looks like Derek Holland will be anchoring the Texas Rangers' starting rotation this season.  The left-hander has a nasty slider, by far the best pitch in his repertoire.  He had a 36.0% strike out rate on the pitch last season, and opposing batters hit a measly .128 against it with a .234 SLG%.

One of the reasons Holland has been so successful with the pitch is his ability to locate it.  Check out the pitch frequency on his slider last year:

Derek Holland's Slider 2010 (Click to enlarge)

Holland really came in on righties with the slider and managed to avoid leaving the pitch out over the plate.  The only HR he yielded on the pitch last season was to B.J. Upton where it hung right over the heart of the plate.  That one pitch had 4.6 feet per second of vertical movement, more than a foot less than he averages on his sliders.

Holland will really need to improve his fastball this season if he's going to have success in the Rangers rotation.  While his slider was clearly his out pitch, his fastball gave him a lot of trouble.  Righties really teed off on it, batting .355 off it with a .500 SLG% in 76 PA ending on the pitch.

Derek Holland's Fastball vs. RHB 2010 (Click to enlarge)

Holland located his fastball over the middle of the plate far too often last season. If he can tighten up his control a bit more, he'll have a much easier time setting up his slider on hitters.