In a great sit-down conversation with Brian Stull of St. Louis Baseball Weekly, veteran outfielder Matt Holliday talked about moving his offseason home to Jupiter, getting to know newcomer Jason Heyward, and his continuing love and motivation towards the game. Here’s a few of the highlights:
On moving his offseason home to Florida:
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.”
On newcomer Jason Heyward, who will be joining Holliday in the Cardinals outfield this season, as well as the other new additions:
“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.”
On his age and love for the game:
“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’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…What drives me is getting the best I can out of myself every single day.”
Read Stull’s great full interview with Holliday from St. Louis Baseball Weekly.
Holliday hopes to stay:
Holliday also told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports on Monday that he hopes the Cardinals pick up his 2017 option, saying, “I’m not too concerned about the money. I like it here.”
Holliday said he’d like it if cards eventually picked up ’17 option. “I’m not too concerned about the $. I like it here.”
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 2, 2015
Feature image used under Creative Commons from Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
