Matt Holliday at Coors Field for Orioles at Rockies series with Jackson Holiday, August 30, 2024

the Rockies magazine where he's sitting on my lap yeah that would be funny you mentioned that a couple years ago you thought about this and if you had held out your career a little longer you guys could share this space at the same time now that you're sitting here does that feeling come back even a little more yeah I wish he' have told me he was going to be up so fast uh I think I could have maybe you know I saw uh um oh gosh what's his name the guy with the red so is back I richill rich Hill's back I'm rich Hill's my age so like if he could do it I don't know why I couldn't but uh I watch then I watch the Dodgers Bullpen throw and I think probably not going to come back so I I it would be cool it would have been amazing obviously but um six years probably a too big a gap at this point how how would you compare you know watching him watching your son on the field and going through his first time as a major leager compared to your own experiences mean what's it like watching as a parent as opposed to doing it yourself you know I I think it's it's obviously harder because they have absolutely no control about what what happens you know I think as a at least as a player um you're controlling the outcome to some extent so um it's hard it's hard because I want him to do well because I know how bad he wants to do well so um it's uh it's it's a little more taxing makes my gut probably a little more nervous than when I played but um you know it's fun to watch too I I love watching baseball so um I love watching him play I know how much he loves it so that makes it easy but yeah it's it's much different than than playing yourself hey Matt do you think that is Jackson's love and Ethan's love too for the game you're not just your career but the fact that you brought them into the environment brought him into the clubhouses in the field do you think that's part of the reason why they grew up to love the game like you love the game I can't imagine that it didn't you know I don't I don't know um that that's the only reason but I I assume that that the fact that they were with me and on the fields and around great players and got a chance to see um behind the curtain of a lot of things and and uh got a chance to to to see this and and so that I think that it made that dream I think more tangible or maybe more realistic um and and I do know that that they grew up loving to be here and so obviously when you love to practice you have a much better chance um and you love being around the game and you like to talk the game um it gives you a chance to get all the god-given ability you have out and so I think it definitely had something to do with with each uh at what point in time did you realize their talent wasque pretty early um pretty early just cuz you know you watch their actions and and you watch them do things and their swing mechanics that they sort of have naturally and don't know why and just kind of are imitating probably what's going on in front of them um I knew that they they they had some pretty unique skill sets um so you never know what that means and so I just want to you know as a parent you just kind of want to fan that flame of you love baseball here's here's what you got to do if you want to try to play at the next level and then at the next level after that and so um i' i' I known quite a while they had the ability to play at a high level now I didn't know Jackson would play in the Major League 20 years old but um I knew that that he had some skills love game out of all the images of you and Jackson we'll likely show on our Rocky's broadcast tonight is there is there one that's your favorite I I think the the video that sort of resurfaced where he was hitting and running around uh on the field um that one's pretty vivid um obviously the one he mentioned earlier about after we won the national league on on the stage um holding him um and then you know I think even on into my career a little bit just having them travel with me and having them around having them in the cage shag and batting practice um all of those things were very special to Matt between you and Jackson at his age who do you think had more pop when you were his age I had more raw power but I mean he has a way better swing than I did at 20 so um I would say I probably had more raw power than than he did I could probably hit it further than he could he can but he's way more advanced than I was question with Ethan now that that's a different story Ethan Ethan's hitting the ball in the the 110 112 range with a wood bat at 17 years old so um he might he might have me un raw power I don't know we'll see we'll see he's got to hit a few more hom before I relinquish that how much is how much is Jackson going to for advice particularly now that he's in the majors and now that he's playing here in Colorado um we talk about baseball a lot um we talk about what's going on I try to let him initiate the conversation when it comes to like mechanical stuff or like approach stuff um I don't want to be over over the top with trying to give him too much information I know how hard the game is I never want to forget um how hard baseball is particularly nowadays um so we talk about baseball a lot and uh but like I said we it's a good balance I don't want him to ever think that you know that all I care about is how well he's doing on the field because that's not true when did you realize that he was that he could be such a dynamic Fielder especially he's always loved Fielding like even when he was 12 13 14 he always told me he want to win a go glove like that was something he always talked about um he loved to practice fielding and he's you know he's always loved to play infield so um I've known for a while that that he would be a good Defender um and he's really athletic and can do all the things throw from different angles so um he's always had a pretty good time feeling balls and making play back when he was uh running around here in the clubhouse did you ever have in your mind's eye even back back then that he'd be playing on this field I don't know I I I don't think I ever thought that far ahead of it you know I think probably more in 18 when I came back and he was 14 at the time um that was probably something you think more about like you know in a few years you know he could he could be playing here um I don't think you know back when he was my first time through here you I probably ever thought about that but it's obviously really cool to see him on on the field here his rookie season didn't get off the start he wanted but how do you feel like he's handled everything this year option A little bit of an injury com back up and experienced all the highs and lows this year yeah he's a really mature kid um at 20 years old he's handled it really really well um he's very even kill he doesn't get too high or get too low um he's very mature he's um he handles failure and success really well um and so I've I've been really proud of how he's handled it but not really surprised because that's who he is and who he's always been he's you know classic firstborn very responsible he's a better parent to the younger kids than than me you know he's always like Hey where's Reed I'm like I don't know like she's dead I don't think you should know re is I'll go find him you know so he's uh he's he's a very um he's he's he's been an adult for a while and so he's handled it like an adult this year how surreal has it been to see Jackson facing and sharing Clubhouse with guys like mat Bowman who you faced and shared a clubhouse with yeah I think Bowman's the first first major league teammate he's had that we share so he either feels really old or you know no I I just think it's it's it's cool like you know and uh he had a couple I think one or two in the minor leagues gar Cooper who I played with in New York um they were teammates in Triple A but I think mat bellman's probably the first one but yeah playing against pitchers and guys that I faced is that's pretty crazy you offered any scouting reports on those guys was somebody the other day that I oh uh Shan manah with the Mets I was like you is fastball sneaky I think he struck me out a few times you mentioned his maturity but when he was 17 you guys were having discussions with him about Family Planning being a leader in his own home do you take any Pride looking back you guys have prepared him for this kind of adulthood for a while um I yeah I'm look I I'm I'm really proud of who he is as a person as a kid and um I feel like uh you know we've I feel like we've we've done a good job of preparing him for for this lifestyle obviously having been part of it for a long time U we have a a leg up on most parents and what this is going to be like um so I think I think we've done a good job but he's a great kid I mean he's he's taken it all in and um and he's handled it really well so um I'm not much on to my own horn on parenting he's still alive like tell people all the time the kids are still all alive so I feel like we're doing all right but um there's days where you wouldn't want any of my the way that we behave I wouldn't want anybody to think that I had parenting figured out but I'm proud of him so far so he's he's done great when you um you know people REM remember him really fondly from when he was around the clubhouse and as what two or three years old I guess um what did that mean at that time for you to be able to have him there and to you know be on the in the clubhouse on the job with you I mean I guess those were always after wins I'm not 100% sure but um yeah they they you know they were they were allow I mean obviously there more time passes if you lose they can come in later but yeah I mean um it was it was very critical that they got to come in and I got to be around them for for being a dad and it probably allowed me in the fact that my wife was so flexible in traveling and teams that I played with were so flexible and letting me be around my kids I probably played two or three years longer than than maybe I would have had I run into some teams where I couldn't be around my kids just cuz you know being a husband and a father was that important to me that I wanted to be around my family and um having teams that would would allow that was was very beneficial and help me I think play longer maybe by the time you think gets drafted any thoughts on that holiday joining an organization coaching managing any of that stuff the problem with that is is just how much time it takes um and just I I tell people I don't know if there's ever going to be a time where I don't want to be have the freedom to go around and travel and watch my kids do their activities and when you sign on for full time Major League coaching or managing um as you guys know it's a it's a it's a lot of hours and it's a lot of missed things with my kids and so um I you know as I sit here today I I can't imagine that that's something that's around the corner just because like I said I I love the freedom to come in Colorado and watch Jackson play today and if I want to go to New York next week or when they go to New York or if I want to go to the playoffs and you know if I was coaching or managing somewhere I wouldn't have those kind of freedoms so um I really appreciate the opportunity to go and watch my kids do what they love hey Matt if you could pick out like one Stark personality difference between Ethan and Jackson what would it be I I would say uh Ethan wears his emotions on his sleeve and Jackson you have no idea if he's over for four four for four Ethan you know exactly how things are going um so they're just you know they're just different in and uh how they respond to things um so that's probably their biggest difference thanks man you're welcome