Former Rangers Great Officially Announces His Retirement

Although he's been out of the majors since 2021, former Rangers great Derek Holland officially announced his retirement from the MLB earlier this week.

Holland spent the first six years of his career with the Rangers and played a prominent role in helping them reach the World Series in 2010 and 2011.

During Holland's tenure with the Rangers, he quickly became a fan favorite due to his zany personality and his clutch performances in big games, especially in the postseason. 

After a myriad of injuries and a decline in performance, Holland's time in Texas eventually came to an end. His team option was declined following the 2016 season as the organization decided to move on from Holland and focus on younger talent.

After leaving the Rangers, Holland struggled to find sustainable success. He bounced around the league, playing for several teams, including the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and several other clubs in the minor and major leagues.

Holland's final MLB stint came with the Detroit Tigers in 2021. After an impressive spring training showing, Holland was included on the team's 26-man roster. However, he was not able to make a spot in the rotation and was moved into the bullpen for the first time in his career. 

Holland struggled to find consistent success in his new role with the Tigers. He finished the 2021 season with a 5.07 ERA through 49 innings and was not re-signed once the season ended.

After his stint with the Tigers came to an end, Holland was signed by the Boston Red Sox but was quickly released from the team prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Following his release from Boston he was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays but struggled to find any success with the team's Triple-A affiliate. He finished his brief stint in the minors with an unremarkable 5.53 ERA through 27 innings before he was released.

After the Blue Jays released him, Holland was not able to find any more opportunities in the big leagues and pitched in an independent league while trying to make his return to the majors.

After three years of being out of the majors, Holland officially announced he was stepping away from the game on Tuesday evening. Holland thanked the Rangers faithful for their continued support of him while he was with the Rangers.

"Ranger nation no words will ever express how grateful i am to have put on that uniform for you. The way you guys showed up for us from day one i got here. Specially in that 138372 degree heat."

- Derek Holland

Overall, Holland will always be remembered fondly by Rangers fans as a young and eccentric pitcher who gave everything he had to help the Rangers reach new highs for the first time in franchise history.