Yet again, Cardinals’ Matt Holliday putting up great numbers

For more than a decade, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday has been one of the most potent bats in all of Major League Baseball. However, despite nearly 300 home runs and driving in over 1,000 runs over that 12-year span, he’s still one of the most underrated players in the game today.

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So far this season, the 35-year-old Holliday is off to another impressive start. He’s batting .354 and he leads Major League Baseball with a staggering .472 OBP. In 28 games, the veteran has already driven in 17 runs, although he’s hit just a pair of long-balls in the process.

Regardless of how the runs are being produced, Holliday is setting the tone for a St. Louis team that finds itself sitting atop the National League Central at 22-8 – 6 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Cubs and seven games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

When a team is playing as well as the Cardinals are to start the season, it’s hard to pinpoint one key factor – but you can definitely make the case that it’s Holliday who sets the bar for a team that’s boasts the third-highest average in all of baseball at .274.

Since he was traded to St. Louis by the Oakland Athletics in 2009, the former seventh-round draft pick has been the epitome of consistency for the Redbirds. He’s hit at least 20 home runs and driven in at least 90 runs in all but one season, while earning a trio of All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger award in the process.

Last season, Holliday hit 20 bombs and drove in 90 runs for St. Louis, appearing in 156 games – something else that has made his tremendously valuable to the organization. In his seven years in the Cardinals’ outfield, he’s averaged roughly 130-something games per season, a testament to his grittiness and durability.

Sure, he’s has his share of bangs and bruises over the years, but in his mid-thirties, Matt Holliday is still one of the biggest run producers in the Cardinals’ lineup. His current contract runs through next season – and with a team option for 2017 – he could man a corner outfield spot for Mike Matheny for several more years.

It may have been a few years since he earned himself an All-Star selection, but make no mistake. The most dangerous weapon in the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup is not Yadier Molina or Matt Adams: it’s longtime staple Matt Holliday.

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