San Francisco Giants: Who Should Win the Willie Mac Award?

Derek Holland

The other Derek for the Giants has been one of the most underrated pitchers on the team for most of the season.

A non-roster invitee to start training camp, Holland was a veteran pitcher, but still a long shot to make the team.

Giants fans remember the name because Holland was a young pitcher for the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series. In 2017, Holland struggled with the Chicago White Sox and it was a pretty low-risk signing to see if Holland could pitch like he did in Texas.

However, Holland was everything and more for the Giants in 2018. He started through June and had an ERA of 4.36. While he was one of the better starters, the team asked him to move to the bullpen. His versatility became an asset. By the end of June, he was permanently back in the rotation and hasn’t looked back.

He currently has an ERA of 3.46, knocking off nearly a run a game off his ERA in just 10 starts.

He has also brought in an incredible charisma and laugh out loud humor to the locker room that is palpable.

From his graphic tee game in the post game interviews to his spot on impersonations of Kermit the Frog or Macho Man Randy Savage, he has been entertaining on and off the field.

The soon to be free agent has pitched well enough to return in 2019, but if he doesn’t, the Giants will certainly be less fun.