Jackson Holliday was the Gatorade Oklahoma prep star of the year in 2022. But is Jackson Holliday also related to a future Cardinals Hall of Famer?
Jackson Holliday is expected to be one of the top picks in this year’s MLB First-Year Player Draft, which begins Sunday. Holliday, the son of future Cardinals Hall of Famer Matt Holliday, is one of several second-generation baseball players who could be drafted this weekend.
Holliday is a recent graduate of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. While it’s unlikely he will make good on this, the younger Holliday is committed to play at Oklahoma State University, where his uncle Josh is head coach. Matt Holliday is a volunteer assistant coach Oklahoma State as well.
Jackson is a lefty bat who has taken some advantage of his genetics to get stronger and faster. That work led to a senior season in which he had 89 hits in 41 games while batting an impressive .685/.749/1.392. The younger Holliday plays shortstop, but with his speed, he could easily develop into a center fielder.
Matt Holliday was the 1997 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of Year
As far as family legacy goes, Jackson Holliday has some big shoes to fill, but he already seems to have a solid start in that regard. As fate would have it, Jackson won the same award as his father did 25 years ago when Matt Holliday was named the 1997 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of Year.
Matt Holliday was later drafted by the Colorado Rockies, although he also played with the Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. Holliday was a seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner. He was also a key member of the Cardinals’ 2011 World Championship team.
While Matt Holliday has been a devoted family man since his retirement from baseball, he has also kept busy — not only helping his brother at Oklahoma State, but also by remaining very active in charitable organizations.
Holliday and his wife, Leslee, have been very active in the St. Louis community since his retirement, specifically with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Holliday has helped to raise millions of dollars to benefit pediatric cancer research with the Homers for Health program. He’s also known for visiting patients at Shriner’s Childrens Hospital in St. Louis.
Matt will be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Aug. 27.
The Holliday family has a huge few weeks ahead of them.