Holliday hopes to come full circle with Rockies
Veteran outfielder goes 2-for-4 in his first game with Isotopes
Matt Holliday was not sitting around waiting for his phone to ring.
A seven-time All-Star with a superb résumé, Holliday was enjoying his first summer out of professional baseball in 20 years. He was spending time with his wife and four children, working with his eldest son’s travel baseball team and serving as a part-time analyst for MLB Network.
Not exactly a dreary existence.
Still, the 38-year-old was more than happy to take a call from Colorado Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich in late July. The conversation ultimately led to Holliday signing a minor league contract with the Rockies. He joined the Albuquerque Isotopes for Friday’s 8-6 win over visiting Round Rock and hopes to spend the season’s home stretch as part of a postseason run in Denver.
“It was going to take the right call,” Holliday said during a media conference Friday. “I had some other interest but I
have a passion for the Rockies organization. Jeff asked if I was interested, and the potential to contribute to another playoff run was too good to pass up.”
Holliday, who went 2-for-4 and drew a walk in his Isotopes debut, has been part of some great teams over the years. He helped the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title in 2011 and won National League pennants with the Rockies in 2007 and the Cardinals in 2013. He helped the New York Yankees reach the American League Championship Series last season.
The individual accomplishments Holliday has posted are equally impressive. He’s a career .299 hitter in the major leagues with 314 home runs and four Silver Slugger awards. Holliday won a National League batting title in 2007, when he was named NLCS MVP, finished second in the NL MVP voting and led the Rockies to their lone World Series appearance.
Holliday said he still follows Colorado, the organization that drafted him in 1998 and was his home for 10 seasons. He likes the idea of coming full circle with a return to the Rockies — especially with the team in playoff contention.
“How well they’re playing had a lot to do with this,” Holliday said. “I have a lot of good memories about first getting called up to Colorado. The idea of doing that again is pretty cool.”
But for the moment, Holliday is excited about playing with the Isotopes. He warmed up on the field with sons Jackson, 14, and Ethan, 11, on Friday afternoon. Both were sporting new Rockies T-shirts.
“Ethan is probably the most excited about all of this,” Holliday said with a smile. “He’s just glad to be getting Nike gear. He’s all about the swag.”
Holliday once played in a Rockies exhibition game at Isotopes Park, his only appearance there prior to Friday. He has one former teammate on the Albuquerque roster — reliever Santiago Casilla, also 38, who played with Holliday for the Oakland A’s in 2009.
“He’s the only guy I know,” Holliday said, “but I’ve played against some of these guys and there are a lot of connections. We’ll have easy conversation-starters.”
Holliday played just one game this season prior to arriving in Albuquerque, a 1-for-3 performance Sunday for rookie-level Grand Junction. He doesn’t have a specific time frame in mind for his stint in Albuquerque but getting in physical shape won’t be necessary. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound outfielder/designated hitter appears as chiseled as ever.
“I love to work out and train,” Holliday said. “That’s something I do whether I’m on a roster or not.”
Holliday admits he’ll be eagerly awaiting another call from the Rockies in the coming weeks but he also plans to enjoy his Triple-A assignment.
“I’m just a guy on the team,” Holliday said. “If I can help any of the other players in any way, I want to be available. I enjoy the camaraderie of just being around other players and talking baseball. I missed that.”