Matt Holliday, Left Field, Retired


Date of Birth: 1/16/1980
Birthplace: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Nickname: Big Daddy

Matt Holliday, retired left fielder, was drafted straight out of high school by the Colorado Rockies in 1998. In 2004, he was called up as a replacement player and he ended up as the Rockies starting left fielder, playing in 121 games that season. He had a strong season, batting .290, with 116 hits, 31 doubles, and 14 home runs.

After four good seasons with the Rockies, they gave Holliday a two-year contract in January, 2008. He had a strong 2008 season, batting .321, with 173 hits, 38 doubles, 25 home runs, and 28 stolen bases. However, the Rockies traded him after the season to the Oakland Athletics.

After just 93 games with them, the Athletics traded Holliday in July, 2009, to the St. Louis Cardinals. He became a free agent after the season and in January, 2010, he signed a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Cardinals.

Holliday has won four Silver Slugger awards (2006-2008, 2010). In 2007, his best season, he won the National League Championship series MVP award and the NL batting title. That season, he batted .340, with 216 hits, 50 doubles, 36 home runs, and 137 RBIs.

Holliday finished the 2014 season with 156 hits, 37 doubles, 20 home runs, 90 RBIs, and a .272 batting average in 156 games. In the postseason, he had 9 hits, including a double and a home run, and 3 RBIs in 37 at-bats in 9 games.

Holliday spent part of the 2015 season on the DL with a quadriceps strain. He finished the season with 64 hits and a .279 batting average in 73 games. He hit his sixth career grand slam on July 21st. As a left fielder in 64 games, he made 85 putouts and no errors. In the postseason, he had 2 hits and 1 RBI in 16 at-bats in 4 games.

Holliday again spent time on the DL in 2016, this time with thumb surgery. He finished the season with a .246 batting average, 94 hits, 20 doubles, 20 home runs, and 62 RBIs in 110 games. Defensively, as a left fielder, he made 111 putouts and no errors in 85 games.

At the end of the 2016 season, Holliday was told that the Cardinals would not exercise his option for 2017. He signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the New York Yankees on December 4, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 86 hits, 18 doubles, 19 home runs, 64 RBIs, 114 strikeouts to 46 walks, and a .231 batting average. In the postseason, he had no hits in 3 at-bats in 1 game.

Holliday elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He returned to his first team, the Rockies, on July 29, 2018, on a minor league contract. He played in 25 games with the Rockies and he had 15 hits and a .283 batting average. In the postseason, he had 2 hits, including a double, and 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in 8 at bats in 4 games.

Holliday became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He retired later that year.

Statistics for Holliday in fifteen seasons (2004-2018) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .340 in 2007
  • 8 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 216 in 2007
  • 10 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 50 in 2007
  • 10 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 36 in 2007
  • 5 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 137 in 2007

Career batting statistics for Holliday through 2018 include:

  • 1,903 games played
  • 2,096 hits
  • 468 doubles
  • 316 home runs
  • 108 stolen bases
  • 1,220 RBIs
  • 1,362 strikeouts to 802 walks
  • .299 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Holliday as a left fielder through 2018 include:

  • 1,712 games played
  • 2,842 putouts
  • 50 errors
  • .985 fielding percentage

Charitable Work

Holliday has worked with local St. Louis charities, including the Pujols Family Foundation and Homers for Health, an organization that aids children's hospitals.

Personal Life

Holliday and his wife Leslee have three sons and a daughter.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Matt Holliday
ESPN Sports - Matt Holliday