There was a lot of anticipation among scouts for Greg Holland's first spring training outing in a Colorado Rockies uniform, and there was a lot of mystery. Holland had thrown for scouts in November, as he neared the end of his summer of rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery, and in the opinion of many who were there, he did not look good. His fastball velocity was way down from his days with the Kansas City Royals, with some teams clocking him in the mid-80s.
As such, there was some surprise when the Rockies signed Holland before he hosted another army of scouts, and the incentive-laden contract had more earning power than expected by some rival executives.