Part of the reason Matt Holliday moved his family to Jupiter for the off-season was so that he could train at the St. Louis Cardinals facility at Roger Dean Stadium. Another part was that his boys are becoming old enough that they were able to play baseball during the winter as well.
"I got a chance to watch them and work with them a little bit more," said Holliday. "It was a great opportunity to spend time with the kids outside. Fish, kayak, some of the things they really like to do–get them away from the I-Pads and video games. It was a lot of fun."
And while he's not ready to publish a "Holliday Manifesto" the left fielder does mirror some of the same beliefs as his manager.
"Really the one thing that I'm always worried about is whether they're hustling, they're attitude on the field. Making sure that they don't do anything to show up their teammates. I want them to play hard. I want them to respect the game and be a good teammate. You can learn that as a young kid–you learn that at a young age. Those are the things I'm worried about, I'm never worried about if they get a hit or if they win or those things as a little leaguer. But how they play the game and their attitude on the field is very important."
Besides working out with his children, Holliday also had a number of workouts with his teammates at the Cardinals complex. Among those in attendance was newcomer Jason Heyward.
"Good guy, he's fit in really with the clubhouse," said Holliday, who also appreciates the size Heyward and Matt Belisle, Jordan Walden, and some of the other new faces bring to the team. "Yeah, we got some big boys–some double X's in there. We're a little bigger this year. Big guys, we have a lot in common. I like talking to them–they take care of themselves, they eat healthy, and workout hard."
Holliday remains to top physical shape–a topic which seems to be more frequently brought up this season.
"Apparently when you get to 35, people want to talk about your age a lot more," shrugged off Holliday. "I'm not worried about it. I take care of myself. I think age is based on how you take care of yourself. I take a lot of pride in training and eating healthy and things like that. Some things you can't control. But I feel good physically. I had a good second half last year–the numbers would've been a lot better if I would've been decent the first half."
After batting .264 (79-299) with five home runs and 39 RBIs thru June, Holliday hit .280 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs the last three months of the season. He also played in 156 games–tying the third highest amount of his career.
"I'm not worried about my skills diminishing," continued Holliday. "My skills aren't diminishing. I'm anxious to get out there and play. I love the game. I love the team comradery part of it and getting back in here and hanging out with your buddies. The ribbing and all the things that go into being a teammate. I don't look at it too much. I don't need that motivation–that doesn't drive me. What drives me is getting the best I can out of myself every single day."
