Matt Holliday: The march continues
Matt Holliday is a four-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner. He has won the National League Most Valuable Player Award. In a career that spans for over a decade now, he has achieved what most of the baseball players dream to materialise. Yes, you have
guessed it right, he is ‘Big Daddy’, Matt Holliday, of the St. Louis Cardinals.
In his career, he has seen at least two teams who have made their way into the World Series finals, and has never disappointed them with his performance. The Colorado Rockies which was in the best-of-the-seven series final, got the series with a lot of help
coming from this left fielder in the year 2007.
In 2011, he did exactly the same for the St. Louis Cardinals which routed the Texas Rangers. The player has shown majestically wonderful performances with remarkable consistency, all this while. He might have faltered somewhere, he might have not lived up
to the expectations of the team, but he never ceases trying. That is what distinguishes the player from his contemporaries.
The left fielder whose career average stands at a magnificent .315 average is further refining his style by adding more flair to his play. In the 1136 games he has played, the player has scored 751 runs in the 4279 at-bats, having had 202 home runs with
770 RBIs, maintaining an OBP of .388 with .541 SLG.
He remained 6th in National League OBP this year with .388 and 7th in OPS with .912 as he played 124 games, representing the St. Louis Cardinals with 446 at-bats. Scoring 83 invaluable runs, he had 22 homers to his credit, having had
75 RBIs and 132 hits with .296 average.
Until last year, he knew where his team which won the World Series title this year was headed when he said, “In the second half last year, we played better, and we should build off that. We have a lot of second-year players. I know for myself that, in your
first year, you go out wondering if you really belong, and your second year, you come back knowing you can play at this level. You are looking for ways to step forward as a team.”
Even though the player in the strict sense of the word is an accomplished entity owing to the consistency of his performance and the victories he has brought for the team, he is someone who has always taken training quite seriously. In fact, he now maintains
and takes it even more seriously.
“I’m taking (the training) a little more seriously than I normally would to speed up the process. I don't care if people say I was a surprise pick. I feel like it's an honor and the people who made the decision to put me on the team know what they are talking
about.”
In 2007, Holliday was the Batting Champion, the National League RBI leader, National Double Leader coupled with that of National League Hits leader, National League Total Bases leader and Extra-base Hits leader. In 2010, after a $120 million deal with the
Cardinals, he has not only empowered the team, but also paved the way for the player to win the glory for the club.
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