Will Holland Finally Finished A Season On His Terms

St. Paul – As the season wound down, Will Holland was happy he was able to accomplish something he couldn’t last year. He was healthy. In 2024, his season ended in late June due to a fractured fibula, and he missed the entire second half of the year.

A hamstring strain delayed Holland’s season a month before he played in a game with the St. Paul Saints because he started the year on the IL. But if Holland had to pick one over the other, he’d prefer to start the season late and healthy, rather than have it end early and be out for three months.

“I feel like that is always step No. 1 is being available and staying healthy,” said Holland. “On this back half of the season, I’ve done a pretty good job of that, so I’m proud of that.”

While Holland has played with a clean bill of health for the last five months, the results at the plate have not been near what he’s hoped for since May.

Holland returned to the field with a hot bat, posting a .296/.355/.519 slash line with three home runs and 13 RBI over 17 games in May. However, his momentum stalled after another hamstring injury on May 25.

Since his return in mid-June, his bat has been anything but hot. Holland hit .164/.274/.284 with just four home runs and 15 RBI in 164 plate appearances over the summer months, which he believes is the result of something changing in his swing mechanics after he returned from the IL.

“Results haven’t been there pretty much after my hamstring injury,” said Holland. “Just trying to get back to my strengths and get feeling back to feeling a lot like myself. I mean, you can’t really care about results too much in this game, even though it’s in front of your face every day. Just working on trying to get to the best version of myself every game, and just going out there and competing.”

And the results haven’t declined from a lack of hard work. If anything, Holland is one of the hardest-working players in the Saints clubhouse. He’s doing everything he can to refine his swing during BP and in the cages.

“[Holland is] a tireless worker, and whether it’s going good, bad, or indifferent, you wouldn’t know the difference when we’re in the cages,” said Saints hitting development coach Danny Marcuzzo.

“He’s in there trying to be a problem solver and trying to figure out the way to move and get himself going right, to give himself more adjustability. So he just continues to come, and when you have as special of a talent as he does at shortstop, at center field, and out on that field. It’s great.”

“Hitting is tough, man,” said Holland. “When you feel like you’re doing something mechanically wrong, and you really can’t fix it in the moment of a game. That’s something you can work on in batting practice, cage work, and stuff. When you get in the box, whether you’re feeling 100% or 1%, you’ve just got to go in there and compete and swing at good pitches.”

While Holland wishes he had been more productive at the plate, his defense hasn’t declined this season. Holland has been a super-utility man for the Saints since his promotion to Triple-A in 2024, providing many highlight catches and plays at almost every position, but especially at shortstop and center field.

Holland didn’t flourish at the plate in September, hitting .171/.293/.286 in 41 plate appearances. However, he had one last big day at the plate at CHS Field during their final home game on Sunday, Sept. 14.

The Saints were down 4-0 in the bottom of the third. Holland worked a six-pitch 1-2 count in his favor, smashing a solo home run over the left field bullpens to get the Saints on the board 4-1, giving their offense a much-needed jolt.

Not one, but TWO solo shots in the third. @Will_Holland2 smokes his 8th of the season. Two batters later and Gabby Gonzalez continues his torrid season with his 6th with the Saints and 15th of the season between three levels. A laser beam over the left field wall pic.twitter.com/7JDEWaEvQt

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) September 14, 2025

Holland came through again in the next inning, hitting a two RBI double to tie the game 4-4. He’d finish the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and 3 RBI as the Saints won it 11-7.

“It felt great. I feel like we came with good energy today,” said Holland after that game. “We fell behind early, but I mean, we’re relentless. We never give up, and I feel like everybody played hard today, and momentum went our way when we needed it.”

“Holland was awesome,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “He had a great day, and it was a huge home run, and then went out there and got another big hit later. Will was awesome, so it was good for him to have a big day.”

Holland enters an off-season with many unknowns. He will be eligible to be a minor-league free agent this offseason. Even with the uncertainty of where he could be playing next season, Holland will be keeping himself ready for wherever he lands.

He’s determined not to let 2025 be the year that defines his career and do whatever it takes next season to make his major league debut.

“This off-season, I’m just going to watch a ton of video and just get behind the computer screen, watch a bunch of video, and really try to see what changes I’ve made because feels come and go,” Holland said on his off-season plans.

“Because you can feel something one day and the next day it might not be there. But just really get back to the basics of what I do well and try to master what I do well, like I did last year and the beginning of this year. And just find a few really key points that stick, so what I know to go back to when I don’t feel good. I feel like that’s the main thing.”

“Will Holland is still 27 right now, so he has plenty of time to keep getting those at-bats, continue to figure out how to keep himself healthy over the course of a year, and just make that next adjustment as the game continues to get more and more difficult,” said Marcuzzo. “But man, he’s a special one for sure with what he can do. So it’s just a matter of time before the ball clicks for him.”