Matt Holliday

2013

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2012

Holliday looked like the Holliday of old in the first half last year, slugging his way to a .324/.418/.577 slash line while Albert Pujols was surprisingly struggling. However, his pedestrian second half - fueled by one injury after another (including a bizarre moth attack) - led to a rather disappointing season, especially when considering his price tag in fantasy drafts last year. Holliday will be 32 on Opening Day, and his power may be declining a little, but there's no doubt he can hit if healthy. With a few months to rest up from his various ailments, expect him to bounce back in 2012.

2011

Holliday was worth every penny in 2010, following up his outstanding late-2009 run with a full season that most outfielders would die for. After a shaky start to his post-Coors career, Holliday has proven that he can hit at sea level. He is 31, but he's poised for at least a few more years as one of the top outfielders in the National League. Aside from a spiraling stolen-base count after failing to reach double-digit steals for the first time in his big league career, there's minimal regression in his skill set thus far.

2010

Holliday's years in Colorado were looking like an altitude-aided mirage until his July trade to St. Louis. Holliday hit .353/.419/.604 with his new team and led them to the playoffs. Batting behind Albert Pujols will do that for you. For a power hitter, Holliday has decent speed and an above-average batting eye, but at 30, there's a good chance he'll be much less productive at the end of the seven-year, $120 million contract he signed with the Cards to return to St. Louis in January. He can't sustain that second-half pace over the course of an entire season, but Holliday should be much better than he was with Oakland during the first half of 2009.

2009

In many ways, Holliday's 2008 season was better than its near-MVP predecessor. While you can expect his numbers to decline in the move across leagues and from one extreme to another in terms of his home park's impact on batting average, Holliday's core skills are that of a star. With the weak AL outfield, he could be one of the most valuable fantasy players in his new circuit.

2008

Holliday had an MVP-caliber season in 2007, hiting .340/.405/.607 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI while leading National League in batting average, RBI, hits, total bases, doubles and extra-base hits. He also threw in 11 stolen bases and has 20-steal potential if he's given the opportunity to run more. He'll be 28 at the start of 2008 so there is no reason to believe he will slow down. The batting average and RBI numbers might drop a bit but he is a top-five outfielder and should live up to that title.

2007

Playing in a career-high 155 games, Holliday had the best season of his career and made the NL All-Star team to boot. Astute observers saw this coming when he batted .318/.374/.551 with 15 HR over the second half of 2005. With a 1.145 September OPS, Holliday finished strong again, and will be 27 this season, entering his prime. He could turn in a magical season, and even chips in double-digit stolen base totals.

2006

Holliday started quietly in 2005 and hit the disabled list with a broken finger before coming on strong in the second half, hitting 14 of his 19 home runs. He also showed flashes of speed, stealing 14 bases in 17 attempts. Holliday will start 2006 as the Rockies left fielder and will bat cleanup behind Todd Helton.

2005

Holliday's solid second half impressed Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. With the loss of Jeromy Burnitz, he should contribute on an everyday basis in 2005 and be a staple of NL-only leagues. He should be good for some power, but as major league pitchers make adjustments, the sophomore, who hit only .264 over two seasons in Double-A, should have trouble repeating his .290 mark of 2004.

2004

Holliday's power hasn't come around the way the Rockies had hoped, but he's shown the ability to play a solid outfield and stay relatively healthy. He projects as a fourth or fifth outfielder in the big leagues, without enough power or speed to help your fantasy team.