St. Louis Cardinals’ Top 20 Hitters

Oct 9, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder

Matt Holliday

hits a RBI single against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning in game one of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

#6 – LF Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday holds the largest contract in franchise history right now, and he’s received a fair amount of criticism from Cardinal Nation for not being good enough for that contract. As far as I can tell, he’s done everything he can to live up to that contract. If he’s being paid to hit, then he’s definitely doing that, as his 144 wRC+ in a Cardinal uniform is the sixth best mark all time.

His .298/.386/.498 line may not stand out immediately, but when you pair that with solid power (136 home runs) and consistent performance, you realize just how good Holliday has been. It’s easy to forget that offense has been down around the league over the past years, but when compared to his peers, Holliday’s production stands head and shoulders above the rest of the league.

The St. Louis Cardinals have enjoyed watching an underrated hitter day in and day out, but Matt Holliday is as deserving of his spot on this list as he is of his contract, which is to say very deserving. It seems unfortunate the attention he’s getting these days, at the end of his career.

Unfortunately, many fans feel as if one bad injury year makes him useless, but I believe that Holliday is still writing the pages of his Cardinals’ story. If Holliday has a good year this year, I would say that management will likely extend him on to the next season and let him have one final ride in 2017 and retire a Cardinal as he should.

Next: Big Mac