Matt Holliday, model of consistency, closes in on history
By Tim Haberin
When you play for a franchise as storied as the St. Louis Cardinals and achieve something no one else has accomplished while wearing that uniform, it’s naturally a pretty big deal. Yesterday Matt Holliday reached base safely for the 43rd consecutive game to start the 2015 season, a Cardinals record. The streak is also the longest in the National League since 1914, and the outfielder now sits ten games behind the major league record set by Derek Jeter in 1999.
Holliday was characteristically modest when asked to comment on the milestone: “Yeah, that’s cool. A lot of players have played in the National League. That’s pretty good, I guess.”
Yet if anyone was going to make their mark among so many hallowed names, Matt Holliday would have been a fairly good bet. Since his debut with the Rockies in 2004, Holliday has established himself as one of baseball’s quiet stars, a paragon of consistency and reliability without a great deal of flash. He is the rare type of player that you know what you are going to get from year after year.
Cardinals relief pitcher Mitch Harris summed up that stability quite well yesterday. “It seems like every day he gets on base,” he remarked. “So to us, we were like, ‘Oh, OK, he got on again.'”
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From 2004-2014, Holliday hit .308 while averaging 25 home runs and 96 RBI. Those are All-Star totals, and he has maintained them for over a decade. His 2007 season with Colorado was one for the ages, as he spearheaded the club to its first-ever World Series appearance. He captured the NL batting crown with a .340 average while also leading the league with 216 hits, 50 doubles and 137 RBI. He arguably should have taken home the MVP award as well but was barely edged out by Jimmy Rollins.
Since joining the Cardinals in 2009, Holliday has not disappointed, serving as an integral member of 2011’s championship squad. He appears headed toward yet another productive season in 2015, though perhaps not in the way we’re used to seeing from him. Holliday has not quite found his power stroke this year, belting just three homers so far. His fly ball rate is down 8% from last season, and his 8.3% HR/FB ratio is well below his usual mark.
He seems to be hitting the ball with a bit less authority in general, but at 35 years of age that’s not entirely unexpected. With only two months in the books, Holliday still has a chance to experience a power surge and collect at least 20 round-trippers by year’s end (a feat he has accomplished nine years running).
What Holliday is doing this season, however, is drawing more walks. He sports a 15% walk rate so far, up from 11.1% last year. In fact, he has gone hitless in 12 games this year but has been able to sustain his on-base streak by working a walk or getting hit by a pitch. He has five multi-walk games to date and is seeing a solid 3.80 pitches per plate appearance. It’s no surprise then that Holliday currently boasts a .433 OBP, fifth-best in all of baseball. His .320 batting average (7th in the NL) isn’t too shabby either, and he is hitting .444 with runners in scoring position.
St. Louis Cardinals
Holliday’s impressive on-base prowess has made him an influential presence in the three-spot of the Cardinals lineup. Flanked by the likes Kolten Wong, Matt Carpenter and Jhonny Peralta, Holliday is once again playing a major role in making St. Louis one of the league’s best teams. The Cards’ 31-16 record and +59 run differential are tops among MLB clubs.
The sign of a great athlete is the ability to adapt to the shifting realities of one’s physical skill set. Even with diminished power, Matt Holliday is finding ways to bring significant value to his team. His increased judiciousness at the plate is making him a factor in every game for the Cardinals thus far in 2015. Regardless of whether or not his current on-base streak sets a new MLB record, Holliday figures to remain the backbone of the Cardinals offense all season long. Given his steady track record, he may very well retain that distinction for a few more years to come.