Bleeding Yankee Blue: HOLLIDAY BEING A MENTOR

Monday, March 6, 2017

HOLLIDAY BEING A MENTOR

Photo: Newsday

Nothing makes a person more suitable to be a mentor than experience. With the retirements of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez and the trading away of Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann, the Yankees lacked an experienced power bat and, the power they had was young and raw. They needed a veteran who has been through and around a lot. Enter.....Matt Holliday.

Photo: Getty Images

Now there is no question we appreciate Holliday here at BYB. Chris Carbonaro just wrote about him and leadership in YANKEE SPRING STORYLINE 6: A NEW LEADER EMERGES. If you haven't read it, click and read, it's great.

And let's not forget, writer Barry Millman also did an excellent piece on this subject too. The thread of mentoring and leadership of this guy is important. Couple that with the New York Post and this portion that I found incredibly insightful.

"Q: A message to Yankees fans about what kind of player and person they’re getting in Matt Holliday.

A: Somebody that has a passion for baseball, that loves to play the game, to compete, and winning is very important to me and being part of a team and doing whatever it takes to win the game whether on the field, off the field, helping younger players, teaching them things that I’ve been taught, and just helping build a culture or continue a culture of winning is something that I take a lot of pride in."

Photo: Getty Images

I have always liked and respected Matt Holliday. That started for me when he was with Colorado. While some fans wanted the big signing like Edwin Encarnacion, I'm perfectly content to see Holliday be the one in pinstripes. With him, he brings no drama to drama hungry New York. A work hard, I'm here if you need me attitude. NJ.com writes of Holliday:

"Holliday was 25 years old. Aaron Judge, turning the same age in April, has made the same realization, the same change. And the Yankees have put them in the same corner of the George M. Steinbrenner Field clubhouse."

While simple, it's a significant quote. Remember the great teams from the 90's and, who they had on the field. They had the kids like Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. They also had the veterans, the mentors as you will. Guys that every team needs to help mold the kids. Guys like Paul O'Neill, Joe Girardi, Scott Brosius, and Tino Martinez, etc. All good players getting ready to pass the torch as they help the kids become men.

Photo: Jonathan Dyer / USA Today

Look, I believe all players in the Bigs are good no matter how much you may suggest they suck. Some players are more talented than others...bottom line. What really makes a player great though is learning from someone who has been there before. Someone who will teach and not tell them what to do. Someone they can call a mentor.

Holliday is that player, and not only that, he's a leader. It's gonna be exciting to watch him work and mold in 2017!