What we need to see from Derek is CONSISTENCY.

CONSISTENCY PEOPLE.

STOP GETTING HAPPY BECAUSE HE GIVES US A GOOD START!

HE NEEDS TO GIVE US 5 IN A DAMN ROW!

The problem with Derek is that he is on the mountain after that start and then he is so high on himself that he screws up the next one, he loses focus, he loses his competitive edge just like he does when he gets two outs.

He needs to learn how to bring his WHOLE DAMN EFFORT EVERY DAMN GAME HE PITCHES so stop singing his praises until he puts a string together. Everyone knows he's a great guy with great talent. We have all seen what he can do, but we need to see him do it CONSISTENTLY.

It is not about believing in himself or in his ability.

It is not about just going out and doing your best.

It is not about not worrying about getting sent down, whatever, like anyone believes that shit when the guys say it.

It is not about comparing yourself to Colby Lewis and Brandon Webb like you are like them when you have a bad outing. You haven't done anything like they have done yet.

It is not about any of that shit.

It is not about having ace stuff or trusting your stuff our your team believing in you.

It is not about Wash believing in you! It isn't about any of this shit.

It isn't about your teammates supporting you. It isn't about "putting it all together."

Of course all of this stuff is important but none of it means anything without the fundamental and essential building block for a starting pitcher.

It is about keeping your head down and your nose to the grindstone. It is about working your ass off and getting it done. It is about giving your all and not being satisfied or happy with one damn start. It is about bringing everything you have every time out.

IT IS ABOUT BRINGING THAT BACK AGAINST THE WALL EMOTION EVERY DAMN TIME YOU RUN OUT THERE!!!!! IT IS ABOUT FOCUS!!!! IT IS ABOUT YOUR EFFORT AND YOUR WORK AND IT HAS TO COME FROM WITHIN YOU!!!!! FROM WITHIN YOUR DEPTHS!!!!!!!!!!

And you have most certainly not accomplished this yet so get to work on figuring out how to get out there on an even keel and how to bring that shit you bring when everyone is talking about sending you packing. Its not your ace stuff or your great teammates or your bullshit talking points that are going to get it done. Its got to come from deep down, its got to be real, and its got to be yours, something that you do, not something that you feel you already are or something that others believe you to be.

Only the very best pitchers, the studs of the game, are consistently excellent week in and week out. For the rank-and-file members of the MLB fraternity, the great is mixed in with liberal doses of the good the bad and the ugly.

He's not some complete head case out there or anything, he's just way closer to average than he is to a truly excellent pitcher. That's the cause of his results moreso than any psychobabble...

Pull T,

I don't expect you to get it.

You are one of the more saber-numbed of the saber wielders out there, you scientize baseball far too much.

Some will see that I am right others not. No matter to me, but I do hope that Derek brings that nasty shit start after start. And yes, that is more psychological than anything else.

Calm down, boyZ. Sabre what? I crunch numbers as much as the next guy. BUT, I also know talent when I see it. It;s okay to be an arm-chair GM. Do it! It is your puroggotive. Ask yourself this? Did you play? Not little league, junour... did you play? Did you play when you could've made more on the assembly line? At 7-11? Go play soft-ball and tweet. I am a numbers nut, yet I see talent. Holland has it. I guess you want to ship him off to be the next John Danks or Blake Beaven? Hind-sight is 20/20. I get that. But...

Ricky,

I never said I wanted to can Derek. Only that I wanted to see consistency.

Further, it would be foolish to decide now that we won't replace him in the rotation based on one start.

I want to stick with him but I also want him to be consistent.

I'm just restraining myself from ad hominem insanity right now because of your ridiculous post that totally mis-characterized mine.

@joe I appericate people like you who get fired up about baseball but you have to take a step back and look would you rather have a pitcher who is average consitently with a 4.50 era or a pitcher like derek who is erratic and has a 4.50 era but has 22 great starts in a season with 10 bad starts compared to mr average consistent who has 22 average starts and 10 mediocer starts?

Most of the time I would side with you Joe. I believe in the guts and fortitude that it takes to play the game. I pay attention to the new metrics so I can understand the arguements others are trying to make and challenge my own beliefs. I agree that being a consistent starting pitcher has nothing to do with many of the things you mentioned above. However I do believe being a consistent ACE pitcher has a great deal to do with AGE. I don't even think it's maturity as much as simply getting the repititions and learning.

Statistics show that a majority of pitchers don't begin to reach their potential until age 25 or 26. There are some out there like Danks who succeed at an early age but many of them aren't able to sustain that success into their mid thirties. They are the proverbial flash in the pan.

There is an excellent book out there by Malcolm Gladwell called "Outliers" that I highly recommend. It's main premise is that those in the world who are great at what they do achieve greatness do to circumstances that have allowed them to gain an edge over there contemporaries. Most of the time the edge is related to hours spent working towards the goal to be achieved. I won't go into details but I would highly recommend it to anyone. It provides some great insight into success stories like Bill Gates and helps to explain why atheletes in the NHL are predominently born in the first 3 months of the year (better than 80% are born between January and March). Many of the concepts can be adapted to everyday life as well as helping to explain why some players excel and some do not.

Holland is only 24 so he still has time to grow into his potential. Unfortunately inconsistency comes with the territory.

Why are you writing about Derek Jeter?

Do we really think Derek or any of the Rangers aren't working everyday to get better?
I complained about his consistency and such and R100 and I think Pull T among others pointed out some stats for me. For me this was informative. Holland as stats that show he is average to above average, he as stuff that is above average at times, he appears to be lacking something wisdom, experience, maturity whatever you want to call it.

However giving up on any of our top line guys is a bad idea. I don't like to trade prospects, always have and I always will. Especially left handed starting pitchers.

Here is the other thing we can take from these last few games; not only with Holland but with Nellie and Ian and any player that struggles throughout the course of the season. When they are having a bad go of it they can look really bad. That doesn't mean they suck, that is why advanced stats enhance the game because someone that understands them (not me not yet) can get a good feel for what is to come. For me I can go look at Holland or Harrison's improvement this year in xFIP slight it might seem and see a pitcher getting better. I can see CJ on pace to dramatically increase his WAR from last year infer that CJ might be a must sign this off season.
I think thats all these SABER guys are doing is looking at reality.

So I'm a "saber guy" because I think the reason he doesn't throw a shutout every start is something other than lack of "nose to the grindstone", "trusting his stuff", "BACK AGAINST THE WALL EMOTION" and other corny bromides?

Yea Pull T, you are stupid and don't get baseball because you use stats. If Joe tells you 'you don't get it' then you are like all the rest of us...no one gets you Joe. Even when you use all caps.

I wouldn't call Pull stupid.Just because we may not agree, baseball wise? It doesn't mean the man is dumb. Can we educate him? Sure. But I think he is a good dude. Obviously a fan. Who can hate that? And that goes for all on here. We are all fans, so when you get mad at someone? Keep in mind they are you.

Forum > First And Foremost...
I have lived, and still have family in Brownwood. It is a slice of Americana. Howard Payne. Allsups, and HEB. Country stuff. Some of you get it, some don't. I don't care what your opinions are, except a select few, but I have a daughter, not a son. She wanted me to drive her to her boyfriend's in Grapevine today... and I did. IF she were a boy, and knowing how much I love Josh (and even she see it) I would've done the same thing for her. Right, wrong... Nothing. After the last baseball strike, which Josh had nothing to do with, to endear the fans, they started tossing balls to the fans. Josh is the most approachable guy there is in the room. I pray. Hugs your kids if you got 'em. If you don't? Make 'em. Can't get enough Ranger fans.

Now on to baseball...I made a complete ass out of myself, suggesting Chad tracy could be the next Catcher here. Minor League numbers impress, and he was a stud Catcher at Pepperdine. But, Scott Lucas (Newberg Report) dressed me down on that. FYI - You want Ranger content? Good Lord Jesus, he and Jamey are it... but I digress.

The real future Catcher? There is one here. He has the lowest ERA when working. Let's say he works 120 games out of 162. Shall we project those numbers? It would equate to 26 HR or more. 70 plus RBI. And all from the #9.

Make Nap the guy NOW!

mhilgtx,

I appreciate the saber minded, but I part with those such as Pull T who are extreme in there statistical approach to the point where they fail to understand that baseball is fundamentally about the human element and not the statistical. Stats are great but we need to keep in mind that the human element reins totally supreme.

I don't think Derek sucks.

I don't want to replace him while I do keep an open mind about that possibility.

I think Derek needs to learn to focus his kick ass emotion every time out rather than going on the I'm up and now I'm down roller coaster.

I believe he has the ability to be an ace if he can figure out how to bring that kind of focused effort and emotion every time out. It is well documented that he struggles with two outs, that he has been wildly inconsistent mixing total brilliance with total suckage. That's because he hasn't learned not to get high on himself when he is up and he usually only brings his best effort when his back is against the wall.

Look at guys like Cliff Lee and CJ Wilson. The fundamental reason why they are aces is because of their awesome level of effort, their complete and total drive to pitch well every time out, their unwillingness to get to high on themselves when they succeed.

I think Derek if he does some soul searching could be like them, and I think he is saying a lot of important and good things, but he hasn't yet played with the fundamental element that would make him excel.

arp,

Nice post. It seems there is some good baseball wisdom behind it. I mostly agree but I think we need to set the bar high to net the best possible outcome. The reason I was so emphatic in my post here was simply to try to point Derek in a certain direction, a fundamental path, that he perhaps hasn't fully considered yet on account of his immaturity, and perhaps, on account of having so many different ideas informing his mental state. Those things are important but not essentially and fundamentally so. And I don't mean immaturity in a pejorative sense, only as a matter of fact. Derek is young as you said and has the disadvantage of having everyone telling him how great his stuff is for the last 5 to 10 years or so. All that comes with the territory of being a top tier prospect and especially these days gets you off of your game. I'm just trying to ask Derek to dig deep and find his own way to consistency because it has to come from him, not his teammates, not his manager, not his stuff, not his belief in his stuff or his talent and ability, but rather from his effort that avoids the fundamental mental downfall in the game of baseball, getting ahead of yourself only to fall flat.

Pride goeth before the fall, humility goeth before honors.

And I would add, humility and hard work, not getting ahead of yourself but rather keeping your happiness level more than a few steps behind the results that you see on the field. I believe that is the key to consistent success really in life in general.

We saw an awesome example of this with Dirk in his championship run.

He never celebrated until he had reached the top. Of course he has almost 10 years on Derek Holland too so you bring up an excellent point. But the higher the bar the bigger the net the better. All in all I'd say your post was a good call, especially the invocation of circumstances as an element largely outside of human control. The ultimate power is one that transcends all of our affairs. The main thing is to be grateful and to thank God who gives and who takes away as he sees fit.

What is this about being born in the first three months of the year making one more likely to succeed? Sounds interesting and I'm definitely sunk as I was born in the sixth month!

Proverbs 16

9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps......
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud........
33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/kjv/pro016.htm
http://bible.cc/proverbs/18-12.htm

Proverb 18 "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor."

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matt 23

"Sometimes, less is more". Peter Green- '58 Les Paul

and sometimes less is just less

Derek Holland is a joke.

"The problem with Derek is that he is on the mountain after that start and then he is so high on himself that he screws up the next one, he loses focus, he loses his competitive edge just like he does when he gets two outs."

Joe, what exactly are you basing these assumptions on? Or is that just the impression you get from Holland?

durrrrrr,

durrrrrr

Sincerely,

eurrrrrrr

So, nothing?

I'm shocked.

Durrrrr,

Check out my Michael Young MVP post. Pretty funny. I have a funny side you know. Sometimes you have to serve your funny side up. Why are you afraid to use your real name for this one? Just remember that you need to set the bar high to net a better catch.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pictures.mastermarf.com/blog/2008/080410-sunny-side-up.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mastermarf.com/2008/04/skull-sunny-side-up.html&usg=__UDx1MmpiWnhCDboMvnxlehUkYfw=&h=1281&w=1600&sz=309&hl=en&start=31&sig2=JUP1ODofZtq4T2EZMQVebw&zoom=1&tbnid=MhB1Q5ZQivxa_M:&tbnh=160&tbnw=208&ei=MY4aTpq4PLSEsALz3cjCBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsunny%2Bside%2Bup%255C%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D685%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=988&vpy=380&dur=40&hovh=201&hovw=251&tx=139&ty=100&page=3&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:31&biw=1280&bih=685

copy and paste the whole thing for best results

You still haven't answered my question. What has Derek Holland ever said or done to make you think he's cocky/arrogant/full of himself or that he loses his competitive edge?

It seems like you see his quality 'stuff' and inconsistent results and extrapolate that he must become complacent.

One thing that Holland is reasonably consistent at is giving up one 4 run inning per start... of course that hasn't happened in his last 2 or 3 starts so maybe he is starting to turn a corner toward consistently being better, or at least not consistently sucking... but that implies that inconsistency is better. I guess it's all relative.
If Holland could somehow shore up a trade for a true ace or even a solid #2, (i.e. someone of CJ Wilson's caliber) I would take that deal in a heart beat. In regard to expecting Holland to be more consistent, I think he's going to require more time (not that I'm saying he hasn't been given enough time - just that it's going to take more time).

"The reason I was so emphatic in my post here was simply to try to point Derek in a certain direction, a fundamental path, that he perhaps hasn't fully considered yet on account of his immaturity, and perhaps, on account of having so many different ideas informing his mental state."

I can see Dutch cruising the interwebs and finding this forum....then a light goes off and he decides to change his life! Because some guy he has never talked to has so thouroughly assesed his mental state of being he decides now is the time to change. I hope Derek's people get in touch with your people so you can really help him get pointed on the right fundamental path.