Jim Holland resigns as Princeton Rays GM

Jim Holland, who has served the last 24 consecutive Appalachian League seasons as General Manager of the Princeton (WV) professional baseball franchise, has announced his intention to step down from the position in the near future. He informed the team's Board of Directors of his decision on November 17 as part of their most recent meeting in Princeton.  

Holland, who just celebrated his 58th birthday on November 13, said his future plans are yet to be determined but in no way should the announcement be considered his retirement as he will be looking at future employment opportunities both in and out of baseball. His last day on the job with the Princeton team is expected to be sometime before the end of this year at the latest. 

"Obviously, to have lasted 24 years here, I have an unending list of people to thank that include my family, co-workers, local team directors, the entire Tampa Bay Rays' organization, our volunteers, advertisers, sponsors, the Princeton High School Baseball team, and Mercer County Schools among others. It has been a blessing to perform this job every day all these years for the great people of Princeton and the surrounding region," said Holland. He added that he considers himself a very lucky man to have enjoyed this opportunity for such a long time and also to work alongside all the great general managers for the league's other teams throughout the years.

Holland, a native of Dunbar, WV, was hired as General Manager at Princeton on November 1, 1991. He will depart as the longest-tenured GM in franchise history, serving at the helm for 24 of the franchise's 28 years in existence. Occurring during his term were Princeton's only nine winning seasons, four postseason playoff appearances, and one league championship (1994).

It was Holland, in 1992, who originated the idea of the Mercer Cup, a trophy to be awarded annually to the winner of the Princeton-Bluefield regular season series. In 1993, he was named Appalachian League Executive of the Year for that season. He is the only five-time winner of the Appalachian League's Promotional Award of Excellence, winning the award in 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2012. He was the Corporate Secretary for the Appalachian League from 2002-2012 and is a former member of the league's executive committee. Away from the field, Holland was named "2012 Citizen of the Year" by the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce at their annual banquet that year.

P-Rays' team president Mori Williams issued the following statement about Holland's departure:

"I have known Jim since joining the Princeton Baseball Association Board of Directors in the early 2000's. Now, as President of the Board, I hate to see Jim leave from a selfish standpoint, but I am happy for him and his family as they move forward in to the next chapter of their lives. Jim and I have been through many up and downs throughout the many seasons, and I am honored to call him a friend. I can say without hesitation, that Jim loves baseball and in particular the Princeton franchise which is evidenced by the time, energy and effort that he gave for so many years. He will be sorely missed in our organization."

Now the Princeton team's next step is to hire Holland's successor. The team is accepting inquiries immediately and hopes to have a qualified person in place as quickly as possible and resumes' will be accepted through November 30, 2015. Interested parties are asked to submit their resumes' via e-mail at [email protected].