Greg Holland cites proximity to playoffs in choosing Colorado

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DENVER — At his official introductory press conference, the newest Colorado Rockie — relief pitcher Greg Holland — made it clear that he chose his new home for a multitude of reasons. Clearly, this is not uncommon but for those looking on from an outside perspective, a pitcher choosing to make Coors Field his home so he can join a team that won 76 games the year prior, raises some questions.

First, the two-time All-Star notes, he has relationships with some of the Rockies current pitching coaches going back to their glory days in Kansas City. “Fosty and Holmsy [pitching coaches Steve Foster and Darren Holmes] I know well. I knew that would be a good fit for me.”

Holland and GM Jeff Bridich talked extensively about the role Foster played in getting Holland to the Rockies and the long-standing relationship between the two. We will have more on this later today.

Additionally, like fellow new signee Ian Desmond, Holland remarked on the Denver area and his family’s preference for the place.

“I love it here in Denver, I’ve been here a few times, my wife loves it. It just seemed like a perfect fit for me.”

But the overarching question remained, from a competitive standpoint — and this guy is clearly a competitor — why Colorado?

“We got a young roster and a very good lineup,” Holland says. “Just looking at the way they played last year, I felt like they were really close to making the playoffs. I thought I could help add one more piece to the bullpen to make it successful.”

And for him, it was pretty much that simple. As far as the one talking point that gets driven into the ground every year? “No,” Holland says when asked if he gave any pause at the prospect of pitching in one of the offensive environments in baseball. “Once you get to know me, you know I don’t really care. Both teams have to play on the same field, that’s the way I look at it.”

When Holland talks about the Rockies chances, he doesn’t use words like “compete” or “contend” instead pointing out, over and over again, two goals. The first is personal; to get better every day, which is a baseball player mantra. The second? Two words: “World Series.”