ARLINGTON - At age 29, Rangers left-hander Derek Holland is in his prime,' general manager Jon Daniels said on Thursday.

The Rangers want to see Holland respond accordingly to this stage of his career.

"Embrace who he is, what his strengths are, work hard and not make it any more complicated than that," Daniels said during a pre-spring training media session at Globe Life Park.

Holland is coming off two injury-plagued seasons during which he pitched only 97 2/3 innings. The end of last season embodied Holland's performance over a longer stretch.

After dominating Baltimore with a three-hit shutout on Aug. 30, Holland went 2-3 with a 7.28 ERA in his final seven starts. That included a disastrous showing against Toronto in Game Four of the American League Division Series.

"We got a look of what he's capable of against Baltimore," manager Jeff Banister said. "The big question for me is the consistency, seeing it every fifth day. He's ultra-aware of that. We've had conversations about it."

Holland has faithfully worked this off-season at staying healthy, Daniels said. As a player heads into his 30s, that becomes a harder task. Holland put on weight but has begun slimming down toward his listed weight of 215 pounds.

"I know that he has lost some weight," Banister said. "It's a different workout in the off-season. As you see these guys go through spring training, that body shape starts to change a little bit. I'm not overly concerned in that area."