Colorado Rockies: Reunion with 7-Time All-Star Matt Holliday

The Colorado Rockies are currently 56-47 on the season.  They are 2.0 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West Division and they are 0.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second NL Wild Card spot.  As they are right in the middle of a race to “Rocktober,” they are looking at all possible options, including former Rockies stars.

According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, the Colorado Rockies have signed Matt Holliday to a minor league contract.  The current plan is for Holliday to work out with the Grand Junction Rockies (the Rockies Rookie Affiliate) for a few days before joining the Albuquerque Isotopes (the Rockies AAA Affiliate) for in-game action.

Holliday shared his excitement of the minor-league pact with MLB.com:

“I always enjoyed my time in Colorado,” Holliday said. “Even during the 10 years that I’ve been gone, I always kept in touch with a lot of the people and players. I’ve always had an affection for the organization. I’ve always thought if I had the chance to go back, it would be real special.”

Holliday spent five seasons with the Colorado Rockies from 2004-2008.  He made three All-Star teams during his time with the Rockies and finished second in the MVP voting in 2007.  His ’07 season was incredible.  He had 216 hits (including 92 extra-base hits), 137 RBI, and a 1.012 OPS.  This performance earned him a National League Batting Title after he posted a .340 average.

Despite the incredible season, there is a certain play that Holliday is remembered for in a one-game playoff with the San Diego Padres at the end of the season.  The Rockies current manager, Bud Black, was the coach of the Padres at the time.  In the one-game playoff, Holiday scored the winning run, but he never touched home plate.

In a time where replay challenges did not exist, this play put the Rockies into the postseason and sent the Padres home.  The Rockies then made it all the way to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.  Although they swept their way through the National League, they were swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

Holliday remained with the Rockies through the 2008 season, but he was moved to the Oakland Athletics following the ’08 season.  The trade with Oakland brought the Rockies Greg Smith, Huston Street, and fan-favorite who is still a member of the Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez.

Holliday was traded to the St. Louis mid-way through the 2009 season and he ended up spending 8 years with Cardinals.  He made four All-Star teams during his tenure with the Cardinals.  He won an NLCS MVP and he was a member of their 2011 World Series Championship team.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Following his time with the Cardinals, Holliday spent the 2017 season with the New York Yankees.  In what was originally meant to be a rebuilding season for the Yankees, Holliday served as a mentor to young players, such as Aaron Judge.

He was also a very productive member of the team up until he tested positive for Epstein-Barr virus which derailed his season.  This led to Holliday rarely playing towards the end of the season.  Even though the Yankees played 13 playoff games in 2017, he only received 3 at-bats in the postseason in which he went 0-3.

Although Holliday did not sign with a team over the offseason, he addressed concerns of his ability to still play with MLB.com:

“I had a couple of people call during the winter, but I thought that there were just a few teams I’d want to play for if the opportunity came along,” he said. “I am good to go.”

If Holliday performs well in Albuquerque following his work outs in Grand Junction, it would be a great story to see him return to the team that drafted him in the 7th round of the 1998 MLB Draft.

Despite missing a good portion of the season last year, Holliday still managed 19 home runs and a .432 slugging percentage in his 373 at-bats.  Due to this, Holliday could provide the Colorado Rockies a veteran presence that may have some pop left in his bat.  He would also bring a good amount of postseason experience for a team that has their sights fully set on “Rocktober.”