Derek Holland knows the perception people have of him and he's fine with that.
The quirky left-hander is recognized by a lot of people for his bad mustache, awful mullet, great impression of Harry Caray and bad attempt at being a weatherman.
To the Texas Rangers, though, Holland is much more than that. He represents where the organization is heading, and they showed that Tuesday by signing Holland to a five-year contract that includes to club options that could keep the 25-year-old with Texas through the 2018 season. The first five years will pay Holland $28.5 million.
Texas will gladly take all the goofiness that surrounds Holland because they know that when he gets on the mound, all they see is one of the best young pitchers in baseball.
"We encourage people to be themselves," veteran Michael Young said. "Derek likes to get out there a little bit. He likes people to get to know his personality. Derek's a great kid. He loves the fans. The fans really love him. Come game time, Derek's out there to win games. That's all we care about. He's on the same page when the game starts."
Holland realizes he walks a fine line and he's OK with that. He knows when it's time to have fun and when it's time to focus on baseball.
"When I go out there and practice and pitch, I work hard," Holland said. "I don't go out there and goof off. I take my job seriously and they know that. Stuff that happens off the field or me being me in the clubhouse, that doesn't change anything. For something like that to be a distraction is odd. I don't want people to make excuses for me. I'll let my pitching speak for that."
It's that pitching that led the Rangers to lock up Holland, who wouldn't have been arbitration eligible until next year and not free agent eligible until 2016.
Holland, who will likely open the season as the team's No. 2 starter, had a huge 2011 season. He won 16 games and recorded an American League high four shutouts. The 16 victories were the fourth-most in the AL, and he ranked third in the AL in winning percentage.
While the regular season was outstanding, it was his efforts in Game 4 of the World Series that put his talents on a national stage. With the Rangers trailing 2-1 in the Series, Holland delivered arguably the greatest pitching performance in the franchise's 40 years. He pitched 8 1/3 innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven as the Rangers tied things at 2-2.
After that start, team president Nolan Ryan said he thought the Game 4 effort could raise Holland to another level in the pitching stratosphere. Ryan was happy Tuesday to have Holland locked up for what could be the first three years of his free agency.
"The exciting part of this signing is that Derek represents what we try to do in this organization, and that's sign and develop kids that come up and can have an impact on a major league ball club," Ryan said. "He represents that. As an organization, we feel really strong about that."
Ryan also lauded Holland for his ability to get past bad games and focus on his next start. That is one area where Holland will look to improve on again this season. But there are others.
"Location is the key for me," said Holland, who last season set a club record for wins in a season by a player under 25. "That's a big thing. Consistency is also a big thing for me. You have to learn from the highs and lows. I learned a lot from last year. It feels good to be doing the things I'm doing now. You don't let a bat outing hurt you. You have to learn from it and make it better for the next one."
Holland has lofty goals set for this year. He wants to win 20 games. He wants to get back to the World Series.
"I just have to give as much as I can to help the team," he said. "I want to earn the title as the team's top starter. But I know my job is to go out there and perform. This can be taken away from me at any moment."
Despite his new status as one of the faces of the Texas future doesn't mean Holland is immune from criticism. On the first day pitchers worked on fielding in Surprise, Holland was erratic and got a lecture from manager Ron Washington.
That's the kind of treatment Holland hopes for and expects. He wants to do whatever he can to get better and will listen to whoever is doling out advice, whether it be Washington, Young or pitching coach Mike Maddux.
But once he's on his own time, he will still march to the beat of a very unique drummer.
"I've talked to Wash several times, and he wanted to know if I was going to continue to do my stuff during baseball season," he said. "Of course not. I'm not going to change who I am, but I also know when it's time to play baseball. This is what I've been waiting for, trying to get back out there and win the World Series."
Away from the park there may not be any changes, but there could be some physical differences. Holland's mullet will be gone by the summer because he has wedding pictures to shoot and his fiancé isn't a big fan of the hairdo. The mustache, which he gained fame for last year -- and it even has its own Twitter site -- will be gone, too.
But aside from the grooming, Holland will still be himself.
That's fine with the Rangers.
"We've talked to Derek to make sure what the perception is," Young said. "At the same time, he's confident enough to know that if he's himself, he's confident in everything that comes with it. I respect that. As long as he's comfortable being himself and he's winning games, that's all that matters."
Tuesday made sure he should be doing that in Texas for a long, long time.
