Sam Holland

Samuel Joseph Holland

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 200 lb.

• Born February 20, 1994 in Brisbane, Queensland Australia

BR register page

Biographical Information

Sam Holland has pitched in the minors and for the Australian national team.

Holland was 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four games for Australia in the 2012 U-18 Baseball World Cup; only Josh Guyer had a better ERA on the staff. He tied for 5th in the event in games pitched. San Diego Padres scout Trevor Schumm signed him that fall.

He had a fine pro debut with the AZL Padres, with 34 K to 6 BB in 32 IP. He was 2-2 with 8 saves and a 2.25 ERA. He led the Arizona League with 27 games pitched, 4 ahead of runner-up Wilson Santos. He was second in saves, two behind Ben Carlson. He went 0-1 with a 2.43 ERA for the '14 Eugene Emeralds and whiffed 53 in 40 2/3 innings. He tied for 2nd in the Northwest League in appearances, one shy of Eury Sanchez. He led the league's relievers in strikeouts. He pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in the 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup; six hurlers in the event had more innings and a 0.00 ERA, including teammate Sam Gibbons.

Sam had a 3.24 ERA for the Brisbane Bandits in the 2014-2015 Australian Baseball League. In '15, he toiled for the Tri-City Dust Devils (2-1, Sv, 1.59 in 22 G), Lake Elsinore Storm (2-1, 6.51 in 24 G) and San Antonio Missions (fanning his only batter). For the summer, he had a 1.03 WHIP with only 13 walks in 56 1/3 innings. His 47 games pitched tied Chris Nunn for 7th in the Padres chain. He had a 5.40 ERA in four games for Brisbane in 2015-2016.

Released by San Diego, he was picked up by the Los Angeles Angels. He was superb with the Burlington Bees (3-1, 8 Sv, 0.57 ERA in 19 G) and Inland Empire 66ers (2 Sv, 1.50 in 10 G), with only a .67 WHIP and .83 ERA for the year. Opponents hit .151 against him. He was 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in the 2016 U-23 Baseball World Cup. He was 3-2 with a 4.41 ERA for his hometown Bandits in the 2016-2017 ABL.

He was on Australia's designated pitcher pool for the 2017 World Baseball Classic but was not activated. He ended his US career with the 66ers in 2017, despite a good season (3-1, 7 Sv, 3.22 in 45 G) in a high-offense league. He was 4th in the Angels chain in games pitched, between Justin Anderson and Nathan Bates. He tied Colby Blueberg for 5th in the California League in appearances. He had finished his minor league career 12-7 with 26 saves and a 2.70 ERA. With Brisbane that winter, he was 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA.

Holland was 3-0 with a 4.25 ERA for the 2018-2019 ABL Bandits; his 19 appearances were 5th in the loop. He signed with Germany's Mannheim Tornados for 2019, going 3-1 with a 4.32 ERA then was 0-2 with a 4.85 ERA in the postseason. He was 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA that winter for Brisbane.

Sam made Australia's squad for the 2019 Premier 12. He debuted against South Korea, relieving Steven Kent in the 4th with a 3-0 deficit. Eui-ji Yang grounded out, Hyun-soo Kim walked, Byung-hun Min hit into a force, Kyoung-min Hur singled and Min-woo Park flew out. In the 5th, he went 1-2-3 against Ha-seong Kim, Jung-hoo Lee and Byung-ho Park, fanning former major leaguer Park to end the inning. Todd Van Steensel took over in the 6th. He also pitched against champion Japan; taking over for Jon Kennedy with Australia down 3-2 in the 8th, the bases loaded and two out, he helped keep it close by retiring Nobuhiro Matsuda to end the inning. Only Peter Moylan had more innings with a 0.00 ERA for the Aussies in the event.