SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After reviving his career in San Francisco, Derek Holland made no secret of his desire to return to the Giants in 2019.
He finally got his wish in January, when he re-signed with the club on a one-year, $7 million deal. The guaranteed contract affords Holland a level of security he didn’t enjoy last year, when he came into camp as a non-roster invitee and had to win a spot on the pitching staff.
“I’m a little more relaxed here now,” Holland said after his Cactus League debut Monday in the Giants’ 4-4 tie against the White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium. “Last year, I had to make the team. That was the goal. I’m already on it, but at the same time, I still have the same mindset that I’m competing. I want to do all that stuff, but now I can actually work on a little more than I did last year.”
Holland, 32, yielded three runs on three hits over one-plus inning, but he said he was pleased with what he was able to accomplish in his first outing of the spring.
“The line is going to say I gave up a couple runs or whatever, but to me, there was not really any hard-hit balls,” Holland said. “I thought everything was working really well for me today. I definitely pitched very well away. Obviously, one of my strengths is in, so I felt like today we did a really good job of using all of my pitches.”
Holland, who was released by the White Sox after posting a 6.20 ERA in 2017, emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of the Giants’ season last year by logging a 3.57 ERA over a team-high 171 1/3 innings. He now believes fellow left-hander Drew Pomeranz can be the next “Derek Holland candidate” and re-establish himself with the Giants following a disappointing 2018 campaign with the Red Sox.
Pomeranz, who also signed a one-year deal with San Francisco last month, was an All-Star with the Padres in 2016, but he struggled to a 6.08 ERA over 74 innings with Boston last year. The 30-year-old was hampered by injuries and endured two separate stints on the injured list with a forearm flexor strain and biceps tendinitis in his pitching arm.
“In my mind, I completely throw out last year,” Pomeranz said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh man, I’ve lost it. I’m declining.’ It was just one of those years that everything went the way I didn’t want it to. I just try to erase all of it -- except for the World Series ring.”
Pomeranz said he purposely added 15 pounds during the offseason to better insulate his body and guard against future injuries.
“Sometimes you accidentally lose a few pounds just by eating cleaner food,” Pomeranz said. “This year, I was just eating everything and working out hard and worried about strength. I think that helps you stay healthy, too. Carrying a little extra fat around, I think that’s important for guys.”
Pomeranz, who will be competing for a spot in the Giants rotation this spring, pitched the third and fourth innings against the White Sox on Monday and gave up one run on two hits with two strikeouts.
“He’s healthy; you can tell,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s not as sharp as he will be, but you could see that he was throwing it free and easy. We’re glad to have him because I’ve seen him from other side. When he has that curveball and that life on that fastball, he’s tough.”
Solarte stars
Second baseman Yangervis Solarte enjoyed a productive day against the White Sox, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and collecting his first home run of the spring, off left-hander Manny Banuelos in the first inning. He also made a nice defensive play up the middle to rob Jon Jay of a hit.
“He had a real nice game today,” Bochy said.
Up next
The Giants will face the Reds at 12:05 p.m. PT on Tuesday at Goodyear Ballpark. Right-hander Dereck Rodríguez is scheduled to make his 2019 Cactus League debut and start opposite Cincinnati left-hander Brandon Finnegan. Right-hander Shaun Anderson, ranked the Giants’ No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, is expected to pitch after Rodriguez in his first outing of the spring.