Return to MLB Prospect index Derek Holland - LHP Derek Holland Scouting Report - Holland was drafted out of Wallace State Community College in 2006 during the 25th round. - Born October 9th, 1986 in Newark, Ohio and is currently 6'2" and weighs 185 lbs. - An under the radar prospect, who has very mysteriously increased his velocity since signing in 2007. His fastball is in the mid-90's and has good command. Holland features a developing slider, but that pitch still needs work to be reliable. - He gets a lot of ground ball outs and almost never yields the long ball. - Compact, effortless delivery. - Holland has maintained a very good K/9 and K/BB ratio in every minor league stop. He has actually struck out a greater percentage of batters he has faced as he moves up. - Holland was eighth amongst Minor Leaguers in 2008 in SWHIP, which measures strikeout efficiency against hits and walks allowed, with a mark of -0.040. - He was one of the leaders in strikeouts and ERA in minor league baseball in 2008. - Ranked 40th by Baseball Prospectus in their Top 100 Prospects for 2009. - Ranked 31st by Baseball America in their Top 100 Prospects for 2009. - Grew up a Braves fan and appears to be a fine student of the game. Updates RealGM will be tracking Holland throughout his minor league development and presenting updates here and within our Wiretap. Derek Holland Links - Latest Derek Holland news via Google - Interview with Grant Schiller - Derek Holland's Minor League Reference Page - Video of a bullpen session - Holland's FirstInning.com page - Holland's FanGraphs.com page - If you have updates on Derek Holland that warrant inclusion on this page, please email me at [email protected]