Matt Holliday might finally get a chance to touch home plate at Coors Field to Bud Black’s liking. The free agent slugger who spent the first five years of his career in Colorado told MLB Network Radio’s Casey Stern he would consider a return to the Rockies to play first base.
Asked Holliday about playing 1B potentially for #Rockies "I'd consider it for sure. Great young team. I'd be interested for a # of reasons"
— Casey Stern (@CaseyStern) November 9, 2016
Black, who joined the Rockies’ staff as manager on Monday, joked in his introductory press conference that he believes Holliday “still hasn’t touched home plate,” referencing Holliday’s famous slide into home plate to win the play-in game in 2007. A decade later, Holliday appears open to touching the plate at Coors Field again in purple pinstripes.
The move makes quite a bit of sense for both sides. Colorado is currently without a first baseman, as Mark Reynolds (so far as we know) has not been offered another contract following his one-year deal in 2016. Holliday became a free agent Nov. 4 when St. Louis decided not to exercise his 2017 option.
The hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field helped make Holliday a star in his early days and could revive his bat in the twilight of his career just as it did for Justin Morneau. Holliday is coming off a season in which he posted a career low in batting average and produced home runs and RBIs below expectations. Despite his declining average, Holliday still produced some better power numbers than Reynolds did and in eight less games. Holliday’s 20 home runs, 62 RBI were both improvements over Reynolds, although he trailed Reynolds in doubles and OPS.
It’s an intriguing idea mostly because Colorado lacks depth at first base. Ben Paulsen earned an extended chance at first base in 2015 and looked ready to take the job, but struggles at the play early in 2016 while platooning with Reynolds sent him back down to Albuquerque.
Their top “true” first base prospect, Brian Mundell, was in Asheville (A) last year and is still several years from being major-league ready. Jordan Patterson earned a September call-up, but he’s an outfielder by trade who plays first when needed. Ryan McMahon, who spent last year at Double-A Hartford, is the same but at third base. A year or two with Holliday would buy Mundell time to develop or give the team the chance to make another move.
Complicating the matter on Colorado’s end, however, is their excess of talent in the outfield and the thought that either Gerardo Parra or Carlos Gonzalez could be converted to first base. Charlie Blackmon has a lock on center field and David Dahl made a case to be an everyday player in left field with his stellar rookie season.
Parra played first in some or all of 19 games down the stretch this year after Reynolds went down with a broken hand; he was serviceable, going error-free in 127 chances. Talk of moving Gonzalez to first has mostly been media speculation. Given his status as a Gold Glove finalist in 2016, there’s little reason to move him out of right field.
Signing Holliday to play first base would put Black and general manager Jeff Bridich in a tough spot with their four outfielders, but would also free them to move one of them for a badly needed quality bullpen arm (or two).
It’s just talk for now, but it’s a conversation worth having for Bridich.