Jackson Holliday’s dad Matt names 19x All-Star Orioles legend as his baseball idol
Baltimore Orioles star Jackson Holliday is the son of Matt Holliday, a seven-time All-Star who played in the majors from 2004 to 2018 and became a World Series champion in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Just as Jackson grew up looking up to his dad and teammates, Matt Holliday recalls the baseball idol from his own youth.
During an interview with Sports Spectrum, featuring all three Holliday members, Matt recalled his own baseball idol from his youth. Although he mentioned a few names, he ultimately concluded that former Orioles star Cal Ripken Jr. was his favorite player:
"I used to love Cal Ripken, so, you know, he probably had 150 batting stances," Matt said (Timestamp: 2:30). "You would imitate him all the time. He had the violin stance, and he seemed to have a different stance every at-bat."
Ripken, a 19-time All-Star and two-time AL MVP, is known for playing a record 2,632 consecutive games.
Matt Holliday also remembers being in awe of Bo Jackson’s otherworldly athleticism:
"I remember being enamored by Bo Jackson’s athletic ability," he said. "That was right in that era where he was running up walls and jumping over fences—guys like that."
However, he concluded that Ripken remains his favorite:
"But yeah, I’d say Cal Ripken was probably my favorite player growing up," Matt added.
Jackson Holliday reflects on childhood memories of Matt Holliday's playing days
During the same interview, Jackson Holliday, who will enter his second season in the majors in 2025, reflected on the earliest baseball memories with his father, Matt Holiday, when he was with the Colorado Rockies from 2004 to 2008:
"Yeah, I mean, I remember being in Colorado, being in the family room, and, a little bit, going into the locker room after games," Holliday said (3:30 onwards). "Going back to Colorado, I kind of got to revisit some of those memories and see all the old videos that pop up — being a little kid in the clubhouse. But I remember more of just being in the stands."
One of the most vivid memories that stuck with him was hearing the crowd chant for his father:
"I told a lot of the people that interviewed me — I remember all of the MVP chants and stuff like that. That kind of sticks with me," he said.
Holliday even drew a parallel to his experience playing in Los Angeles, where the crowd chanted "MVP" for Shohei Ohtani.
Holliday's legacy in the majors isn't fading anytime soon. After a successful major league career, both of Holliday's sons likely have promising futures ahead of them.