Colorado Rockies: Could Matt Holliday factor in 2018?

The Colorado Rockies have been playing excellent baseball, pushing them all the way to just a 1/2 game back in the National League West. Could they have a veteran aid in waiting?

When Matt Holliday signed with the Colorado Rockies in late July, many thought that it would be for a token callup that would allow Holliday, who is 38, to retire as a member of the team where he arguably had his greatest success. Instead, Holliday is making a big push to garner some playing time for the Rockies down the stretch.

Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of high school in Oklahoma in 1998. He was a “slow burn” sort of prospect who figured things out late, debuting in 2004 at age 24. Once he got to the majors, however, he did nothing but hit.

His first two seasons, Holliday provided excellent gap power with a good average, slashing .299/.356/.497 and averaging 16 home runs and 28 doubles. He broke out in his third season for the Colorado Rockies, however, pounding out 45 doubles and 35 home runs.

In 2007, he’d lead the National League in hits, doubles, RBI, and win a batting title, coming in 2nd in the MVP balloting. Holliday even scored the winning run in a game 163 off of future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman that sent the Rockies to the playoffs, where they’d make it to the World Series before being defeated by the Boston Red Sox.

With his salary escalating quickly, the Colorado Rockies traded Holliday after the 2008 season in a deal that netted them the cornerstones of their team for years to come in outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and closer Huston Street (Greg Smith was also acquired in the trade).

His time in Oakland was short lived, as he moved to the Cardinals in midseason, where he would play for 7 1/2 seasons as a cornerstone in the Cardinals lineup before injuries began to slow him down in 2015.

He played with the New York Yankees in 2017, hitting a modest .231/.316/.432, but still exhibiting power, as he hit 19 home runs over 105 games.

Holliday is currently slashing a combined .346/.460/.615 in the Colorado Rockies farm system. Granted, it’s just 15 games, but he’s posted a 10/8 BB/K ratio and shown excellent power in that short time. He could be a valuable right-handed complement off of the bench for the Rockies down the stretch, especially to pair with the guy who was once acquired for him, Carlos Gonzalez.

Whether he has any impact or not on the Colorado Rockies, it sure seems that Matt Holliday has earned his way back to the major leagues in some capacity. Rockies fans will enjoy watching him help the team fight for the postseason over the next two months!