With two weeks left in the regular season and the playoffs yet to be decided, it's still a little premature to start making proclamations, but it's sure hard to argue against what Matt Holliday's done since being acquired by St. Louis Cardinals. All you have to do is look at his stats since the trade to know he's made an impact. In just 49 Games, here his statline: 35 R, 12 HR, 48 RBI, .363 BA. Pretty darn impressive considering he'd been floundering for most of the season with the Oakland A's.But, believe it or not, his impact goes even beyond the stats. Perhaps his most significant contribution to the Cardinals has been his presence behind Albert Pujols. For most of the season, Pujols has had to carry the St. Louis offense on his more than capable shoulders, but now he's finally got some protection in the lineup. Not only that but having Holliday bat fourth in the order allows guys like Ryan Ludwick and Mark DeRosa to slide back into their more natural spots in the order. To put it simply, having Holliday in the middle of that lineup makes everyone else better around him.
The final chapter of this season has yet to be written, and the Cardinals owe a lot of their success to their dynamic pitching duo of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, but if they do manage to win the World Series, I'm going to proclaim that they wouldn't have done it without the acquisition of Holliday. And when deciding who was the best trade deadline pick-up is there any other criteria?
Fantasy Impact: There are some very happy fantasy owners out there who persevered through 3+ months of lackluster production and who are now reaping the rewards. His production since the trade reminds many of his days with the Colorado Rockies when he was one of the top fantasy producers in the league. And for those who had the mental fortitude to stay the course in the middle of a dismal season, I salute you!
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