When I first moved to Denver, back in 2007, numerous media members told me about this young ballplayer in town, a preordained prodigy with a professional pedigree.
The kid was 3.
Before Rockies games, Matt Holliday’s son would take swings in the Colorado clubhouse, crushing kid-friendly balls across the room. Father and son would also play out on the field and onlookers wondered — is Matt Holliday’s toddler the next Matt Holliday?
“He’s really always had a very fundamentally sound swing, as far back as I can remember him being able to walk,” said Holliday, who had a 1.012 OPS in 2007, by phone this past week. “I remember my dad hung a whiffle ball on a string up on our porch, tying it to the roof. And even at 2 years old, he’s out there hitting it as it would swing back and forth — hitting this moving target at 2 years old, no problem.”
Jackson Holliday is now 18. He just completed high school in Stillwater, Oklahoma. And he’s the possible No. 1 pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. On one hand, it’s extraordinary — out of the tens of thousands of ballplayers in his age group (and of all draft-eligible college players), Jackson didn’t just become one of the better ones, but the possibly pick No. 1.
On the other hand, it all checks out.
“I just remember watching him as a young kid — and we have pictures of him — in really good positions to hit,” said Matt, who had an OPS of .874 in eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. “He’s always had a pretty naturally gifted swing. And just always wanted to be at the field and around the guys: ‘Pitch to me. Play catch with me. Hit me grounders.’”
Knowing Matt, he’d be proud of Jackson even if his son couldn’t hit jack. That said, this all couldn’t have happened to a more-deserving dad. Matt is simultaneously serious about the sport, but caring and compassionate. And by the time Matt comes to St. Louis this August for his induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, Jackson will be a professional ballplayer.
“The thing we’re most proud of,” Matt said of himself and his wife, Leslee, “is he’s a really good kid and a very humble kid. He’s handled this all with grace. And so, it’s been fun to watch.”
This year, the three-day draft begins on Sunday, July 17, in Los Angeles, the site of the All-Star Game two days after. The horrible Orioles have the first pick, followed by the Diamondbacks, Rangers and Pirates (the Cards pick 22nd).
Numerous mock drafts have Jackson as the No. 1 pick, while another son of an All-Star is also in consideration. That’s Druw Jones, the son of Andruw Jones, who hit 434 homers and won 10 Gold Gloves. Incidentally, for us of a certain age, we’re sure getting old, aren’t we? It was one thing when the players of your childhood started having sons who played pro baseball, but it’s another thing when the players of your adulthood start having sons play pro baseball.
Two other names that could go high — Brooks Lee, a shortstop for Cal Poly, and Jacob Berry, who tallied a .630 slugging percentage for Louisiana State.
So, what makes Jackson Holliday such an enticing choice?
“He’s a left-handed hitting shortstop, he can run, and he can help win in a lot of different ways,” said Matt, who was a seventh-round pick by Colorado in 1998, the year Holliday graduated from Stillwater High, now his son’s alma mater. “I mean, he hit 17 homers this year and drove in 80 runs and stole 30 bases. And so, the thing for me is, he’s very instinctual. Especially on defense, as far as knowing where to throw the ball and how to get in positions. He knows how to read hitters.
“I think the one overwhelming thing when you watch him play is — he just knows how to play the game at a young age. Obviously he has a good swing and mechanically he’s very good, but I think his instincts, his knowledge of the game, is really, I’ve got to think, a separator.”
Asked for a player comp, Holliday suggested an old rival from his National League West days — longtime Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew. J.D.’s brother also homered against Holliday’s Cards for the Red Sox in Boston’s title-winning Game 6 of the 2013 World Series.
“He kind of has a similar game to the Stephen Drew-type — a left-handed hitting shortstop that can run a little bit and has some pop,” Matt said. “I’ve had some other people bring up other names, but that one kind of sticks out. …
“He likes Corey Seager — he’s not going to be that big, and he runs a little better — and he likes to watch Trevor Story and the big-name shortstops. But if you wanted to play a comp, I would say probably Stephen Drew.”
For Stillwater High, Jackson wore No. 7, his dad’s number for the Cardinals. Perhaps someday Jackson will wear No. 7 against the Cardinals. In the immediate future, this year’s anticipated draft is on the horizon. And so, the legend of Matt Holliday’s son, born almost right after the kid was born, will soon grow.
