00:00Right now, we bring to you former Texas Rangers pitcher, lover of charity, and lover of the K&C
00:07masterpiece. It is indeed Derek Holland. Happy opening day, sir. Happy opening day to you, too.
00:16But first, I do got to say, I hope everything's okay with Corey praying for him and his family.
00:20They just told me how he had to leave the show, and now you're solo today.
00:25The way it always was meant to be, you know what I'm saying?
00:28Yeah, it's just me and you time.
00:31All right. So, I have to know, and we talked with Kyle Gibson about this earlier,
00:38what's that feeling for opening day, and what do you think it is about MLB opening day
00:45that just feels like it stands out so much more than any of the other major sports?
00:51I wouldn't say it stands out more than any of the other major sports.
00:54I mean, I always get excited for, you know, hockey opening night. I think that's one of my favorites.
00:59But it's just like you get that feeling like a little kid, again, getting ready for Christmas,
01:04going to sneak down and open the presents. You know, you're just excited. No sleep.
01:07Especially when you get the opportunity to start. You know, I had our opening day when it came to,
01:12well, it wasn't our actual opening day. It was the home opener.
01:16But, you know, it's just one of those great feelings of being able to get out there in front of
01:19the fans
01:20and the season's starting, and you're amped up to see what's going to happen for this year.
01:24Again, like I could use, for example, this year's pretty hype around the Rangers with, you know,
01:29I feel like we have one of the best pitching staffs out there.
01:31And then, obviously, the offense. I think we're going to turn things around.
01:34You've got a few guys that help out with the leadership in the clubhouse, too.
01:37And you've got good guys like Danny Jansen back behind the dish, which, excuse me, played with him.
01:44And great leader, great catcher back there, too. Calls a great game.
01:48I think he's going to make a great addition to this staff as well, helping out.
01:53Now, you were firing off. I know they asked for hot takes.
01:57And you had plenty of hot Rangers takes this morning.
02:00Can we go through them again, one by one, if people missed them on your socials?
02:06Yeah, I'm going to try to make sure I get it right.
02:08I do know I don't want to take credit for one of them.
02:11One of them is from one of our coaches on the staff here with UTD,
02:14saying that Langford's going to be an MVP candidate.
02:18He's definitely going to be in the top five.
02:20I can see that.
02:21I think he's going to have a really good year.
02:24I think another thing is I'd like to see Smith is going to definitely have himself a year.
02:30He's going to put his name out on the map.
02:32He's been showing flashes of it, everything.
02:35You look at last year, I think he's going to definitely break out this year.
02:37It becomes a big target.
02:39I think he has a great year for the team, pitching staff-wise.
02:43Pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause, pause.
02:46Let me go back to Josh Smith for just one second.
02:48I'm not necessarily saying for you, but surely you have seen this over the years.
02:54What kind of pressure comes along when you have to take over for somebody who has built a hell of
03:01a career,
03:01like Marcus Simeon has?
03:03What kind of pressure does that put on somebody?
03:07I don't feel like he's going to put too much pressure on him.
03:09I mean, he's gone in there and filled in when needed to.
03:12You know, when guys were hurt, he was the guy that would step up and be out there.
03:15So I don't think this is going to be something where it's pressure for him.
03:19I think it's more of like, okay, now I have the opportunity.
03:21It's my everyday job.
03:22Now I'm going to go take care of it.
03:24Okay, okay.
03:25And then back for Langford real quick.
03:27The betting odds on him are only 23.5 home runs and 70.5 RBIs.
03:34Would you think those would be totals that he can not only maybe surpass, but maybe surpass by quite a
03:40bit?
03:41Yeah, I would definitely take the over if that was me.
03:44I think he will pass that.
03:45I would like to say for home run-wise, I think this is going to be a good year for
03:48him.
03:49I think we're going to see around 35 home runs.
03:51Woo!
03:52Love it.
03:53All right, pitching staff.
03:55Yes.
03:56Now, as I was saying in there before, I was rudely interrupted.
03:59Oh, come on.
04:02I got, I feel DeGrom's going to get back to the old video game style numbers.
04:07He's going to be carving up the world.
04:09Definitely Cy Young candidate.
04:11Same thing with Nasty Nate.
04:12I think you're going to have those guys setting the tone.
04:15Gore's going to do an outstanding job.
04:16Leiter, I think, is going to take a massive step forward.
04:19He's going to be huge for this rotation.
04:21That's why I feel, for me personally, this is going to be one of the best rotations in baseball, hands
04:25down.
04:25At the risk of, I'm not trying to make you upset, and I hope this doesn't count as an interruption
04:31again,
04:32can I ask you another Jack Leiter question?
04:35Yeah, of course.
04:36Okay.
04:37So, let's see what you got.
04:38Jack Leiter leveled up last year.
04:41When a starting pitcher makes a big improvement, like you did in 2011,
04:46how do you make sure you can keep that upward trajectory going?
04:51I think it comes from your staff as well, just having that chemistry with each other.
04:54Or don't try to overdo it.
04:56You know, you've seen what you've been able to do the previous year,
04:59and sometimes with tendencies, we want to make more.
05:01Or not make more, but we want to do more.
05:03It's just like, why not stick to what's been working for us?
05:06It's the same thing, you know, you kind of tell your pitchers as well.
05:09You know, you get two strikes, don't try to overthrow it.
05:11Stay within yourself.
05:12That's the hardest thing to do in this game.
05:14So, for Leiter, just go out there and just be Leiter.
05:16Don't try to be something else.
05:17Go out there and do your job.
05:19Take care of business one pitch at a time.
05:21He's already got an electric fastball.
05:22An electric.
05:27Oh, no.
05:28He just went away.
05:30Are you there?
05:30No, I didn't.
05:31Am I here?
05:32Yeah, you are here now.
05:34Oh, man.
05:35I just gave a whole lot of great stuff.
05:37Yeah, I'll bet.
05:39You want me to try it again?
05:41Yeah.
05:41I mean...
05:42Okay, cool.
05:43Either that or we're hanging up on you and calling Sean Tolleson.
05:46No, you're not going to do that.
05:47That would be awkward.
05:48But I think with Leiter, just go out there.
05:51Just be yourself.
05:52Don't try to overdo it.
05:53Don't try to put more pressure on yourself.
05:54Just stay within yourself and just stick to the plan.
05:58Stick to what's been working for you.
06:00You've got an electric fastball to begin with.
06:02It's going to play with his off-speed as well.
06:04You just said something along with all of that that was really intriguing to me.
06:08Kind of the pitching camaraderie or the staff camaraderie.
06:12Why is that important?
06:15You guys just feed off of each other.
06:17It's like a friendly competition of trying to be better than the other guy when he goes
06:20out there every single time.
06:22Your mate goes out and throws nine innings or eight innings as the next guy.
06:27It's like, man, I want to go out there and I want to go for nine.
06:29You want to try to compete against each other in that way.
06:32Or seeing, oh, he gives up two runs.
06:34Well, let me see if I can give up one run.
06:36It's those contests that you have as a starting rotation that helps you guys that much better.
06:41I know back when we were playing, Matt Harrison and Colby and CJ, they did such a good job
06:46of setting that tone for us all to compete against each other.
06:49I know every single person will, kind of with that in mind, do you ever feel like you've
06:55let some of those competitive people down or you've let your team down?
07:00Yeah, you're going to have moments.
07:02I mean, you're going out there competing and sometimes you just don't have your best stuff.
07:05I mean, I've gone out there and things definitely didn't go my way.
07:08And I know I let my team down, but the thing is, I also got picked up by my other
07:11guys
07:12that stepped up for me to maybe take away maybe a no decision or something like that.
07:17So it's just all about being there and supporting your guys, but also trying to set the tone
07:20to help the other guys out.
07:21Now, we're talking with Derek Holland right here on 105.3 The Fan.
07:25You have a ton of personality.
07:27Perhaps on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum is Paul Skeens, who was asked about
07:35opening the season in New York and if it was special to him.
07:38And he said, and I quote, maybe a little, it's kind of chilly.
07:46I mean, yeah, that's...
07:52I don't know how to really respond to that.
07:54Yeah, right?
07:56It's out there.
07:57I mean, he's just definitely one of those guys that's just so serious all the time,
08:01which is great.
08:02It works for certain guys.
08:03You know, I have to be somebody that's more laid back and goofy, but at the same time,
08:07I know we would both have the same mentality when we're on the mound is, you know, we want
08:12to get these guys out.
08:13Obviously, he has Cy Young stuff and I have not so much Cy Young stuff.
08:19You're a Cy Young in my heart.
08:20How about that?
08:21You're the best.
08:23There you go.
08:24And I loved you in Dumb and Dumber, too.
08:27So...
08:27See, that's something he didn't do.
08:29And that's a good point.
08:30That is a very good point.
08:32Now, I know some of these were hot takes, but when you look at the big picture, do you
08:36view this Rangers team as a playoff team?
08:40Yeah, that was one of the takes, too, as I put out there.
08:43It's really going to come down, in my opinion, to Seattle and them.
08:47I think Texas is going to end up taking it away, though.
08:49Our pitching staff is definitely better than theirs, is how I feel.
08:52They do have a strong staff, but I think it's going to come down.
08:55We'll probably get a couple key pieces towards the All-Star break that's going to add.
09:00I would say probably more to the bullpen.
09:02The back end of the bullpen is probably my biggest, I guess, question mark, seeing how
09:06that's going to go.
09:07But again, I think that the Rangers come down to the final series.
09:11They win.
09:11They get their up by one game against Seattle.
09:13But Seattle is the biggest threat, I feel like, in that division.
09:16I don't see too much from Houston.
09:18I mean, they'll be around.
09:19I think they'll fade away.
09:21I think Anaheim's completely out of it.
09:23And then I just don't see too much from Oakland as well, either.
09:27But they are usually good with their pitching.
09:28I think that's the bigger key.
09:30Now, since I like you so much, I'm going to give you the opportunity for a choose-your-own-adventure
09:35on this next question.
09:36Would you like a baseball question or a baseball question that might be filled with some emotions
09:43for you?
09:45You know, let's just give fans what they want.
09:48Let's give them some emotions.
09:49Okay.
09:50All right.
09:50You're excited about opening day.
09:53And I know, actually, right, you just hopefully finished your bus trip because you're coaching
09:58with UTD.
10:00But is opening day ever kind of a bittersweet moment for you?
10:04Because you did so much.
10:06But I know the competitive fire you still have in you.
10:08You still want to be out there.
10:11Oh, 100%.
10:12I would love to be out there.
10:13You know, I get to throw the kids here at UTD sometimes.
10:16And I've got that competitive edge at times.
10:19It's like, I've got to remember, you're not here to get these guys out.
10:22You're here to help them hit.
10:23So throw it down the middle and let them hit it.
10:26But it's, you know, at the same time, having the coaching size, you know, I'm trying to
10:30pass the knowledge on to these guys to help them to be successful to get to the next level.
10:33So it's still having that competitive edge.
10:36But then sometimes you've got to remember, you can't do anything.
10:38You're not playing.
10:39You just are giving them advice and you're trying to help them to be successful.
10:43Did you teach them how to fart into a bottle, too?
10:46100% we're going to do fart bottle roulette very soon.
10:49Okay.
10:50That's the good kind of information I'm here for.
10:52Hey, what do you think about, now that we're finally going to see it, the ABS system at the
10:59major league level in a regular season, in regular season games?
11:03I mean, it's great.
11:04You know, it's funny as I, you know, I saw the comment that the one umpire is like, well,
11:07this isn't cool.
11:08This is out here.
11:09We don't want to be embarrassed in front of 32,000.
11:12It's like, well, you know what?
11:13At the same time, we don't want to be embarrassed, too, by your terrible call to where it causes
11:17us to get sent down.
11:18Or maybe I give up a mammoth shot.
11:20Like, I'm not trying to be embarrassed on the mound either.
11:23That's part of it.
11:24You know, your job's called balls and strikes to try to keep it as close as possible.
11:27That's the key.
11:28And we're all going to make mistakes anyway.
11:30So, it's going to show how good some of these hitters are when it comes to calling, you
11:34know, or seeing the zone.
11:36Same thing with the catchers and pitchers, too.
11:38I think that's huge.
11:39And, you know, we're going to see as well as the strike zone, which, again, is something
11:43that I've had a lot of people talking to me about, is it's literally a belt to the knees.
11:48And, you know, it just shows that we've got to keep the ball down.
11:51That's the biggest key is, as a pitcher, keep the ball down, hopefully get the calls.
11:55But I love this new system.
11:57And we're going to see how it works out for them.
11:59But at the same time, it's going to be very interesting.
12:01You're going to see a lot of calls getting overturned.
12:05Could it make the umpires better?
12:08Yeah, I would think it would.
12:10It's kind of like, you know, starting to know the zone a little bit better.
12:13Like, oh, you call this one a ball.
12:14But next time it comes through, it's like, man, I knew it was close.
12:17But now I know that's actually a strike.
12:19So I think it's going to help them improve, too.
12:22All right.
12:22Now, I want to get your take on this.
12:24We haven't talked about this yet today.
12:26What do you think about the fact that the new name of the stadium for the Dodgers is the
12:34Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium?
12:40Politics.
12:42Oh, man, you better not.
12:45No, I wouldn't.
12:46I know better.
12:48I just miss the old names of ballparks.
12:51I think it would be cool if we could ever get back to that, you know, simple things like
12:55the polo grounds.
12:56And I know, you know, just names like Comiskey Park.
13:00You know, those are things that I feel like we're missing.
13:02Now it's, you know, I don't even know, Big Lots Ballpark or whatever.
13:08It's like we're just kind of taken away from the creative, cool side of it.
13:11What else do you miss from baseball?
13:14Playing.
13:15Okay.
13:16Being out there.
13:17Besides that, do you still hate the pitch clock?
13:22Have you realized you were wrong about that yet?
13:25I'm not, but yes and no.
13:27I'll stand my ground.
13:28I just, again, it shouldn't be a rush.
13:30I get it.
13:30It's for the guys that go slow, but the guys that don't, I mean, I'd rather be able to
13:35have a little bit of time.
13:36You know, if I fall behind 2-0, I can take a quick breather, throw strikes, throw a quality
13:40pitch, not a rush pitch.
13:42Or, you know, it's not about quantity.
13:44It's about quality.
13:45How's UTD's baseball team looking so far?
13:48We are awesome right now.
13:51We did take down the number 20 team in the nation, Angelo State.
13:55Nice.
13:56Now we're heading down to the border, and we're going to go play down there against Texas
14:02A&M International, and we're going to see if we can make sure to take care of business
14:06there as well.
14:06All right.
14:07I love it, man.
14:08And I love you.
14:09Thank you so much for jumping on with us.
14:12As always, you're great.
14:14I appreciate you guys.
14:16As always, again, praying for Corey and his family.
14:18I hope everything's okay.
14:20Happy opening day to the fans.
14:22I'm excited.
14:23Can't wait to talk to you guys.
14:24See you guys out there at the park.
14:26And let's go Rangers.
14:27When's the only been seen in the we плохо?
14:27Listen to that.
14:27I love you.
