San Francisco Giants Biggest Surprises in 2018

By Jake Mastroianni

Oct 24, 2018

PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 01: Nick Hundley #5 (R) of the San Francisco Giants high fives Derek Holland #45 after scoring against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on July 1, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 18: Derek Holland #45 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 18, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Derek Holland

Another Derek (although spelled differently) was a huge surprise for the San Francisco Giants in 2018.

After a disappointing year with the Chicago White Sox in 2017 in which he posted a 6.20 ERA in 135 innings pitched, the Giants were able to sign Holland to a minor league deal this past offseason.

The talented left-handed pitcher has had success in the past, and the Giants were hoping to find a bounce-back candidate.

That was certainly the case for the former 25th round draft pick as he posted a 3.57 ERA in 171.1 innings pitched with 169 strikeouts.

He pitched in 36 games and was able to make 30 huge starts for a Giants starting rotation that was devastated by injuries.

It was the second-best season of his career, and his best since the 2013 season when he had a 3.42 ERA in 213 innings pitched with 189 strikeouts.

The Giants ended up paying him just $1.75 million for his services in 2018, and I would say he was worth every penny.

The big season may turn into a solid contract for Holland this offseason; although we hope he finds his way back to San Francisco as we could use him at the back-end of our rotation in 2019.