Getting to Know Matt Holliday

Let's talk about Matt Holliday today.  I talked with Matt a few weeks ago when he was in New York to play the Yankees right before he got traded.  There were two big things that we discussed.  One was his slow start and two was a possible trade to St. Louis and getting back to the National League.

The one thing I noticed he had changed at the start of this year was his swing.  He said what he did was quit using his leg kick.  His leg kick was a trigger mechanism to get his hands into place, but during the offseason he went away from it.  He brought it back though around the end of June and he started to get hot.  Bringing back that leg kick allowed him to get his hands in the right place to drive the baseball. 

The second thing we talked about was the possibility of him going to St. Louis and getting back to the National League.  He loved the idea at the time.  I asked him what has been the biggest challenge going to the American League after being in the National League for so many years.  He said it's not just the fact that they throw more breaking pitches in the American League, but it's recognizing those pitches as well.  In the National League he may anticipate a breaking pitch, but he also knew how it was going to break.  In the American League he would also anticipate a breaking pitch, but he didn't know how it was going to break.  That was the biggest challenge for him.  As the year progressed and he saw pitchers for a 2^nd time he was able to adjust. 

Now going back to the National League he's been off to a hot start, but he's seen these pitchers before so he has a better idea of what these guys will throw him and how it's going to move.  It was pleasure to talk to Matt that day at Yankee Stadium.  It's tough to pick against the Cardinals now in the NL Central with him and Pujols in the middle of that lineup.