(Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)
Matt Holliday was one of Troy Tulowitzki’s best friends when both were teammates with the Rockies. The Rockies shortstop considers the Cardinals outfielder as his mentor when he was called up in 2006. He credits the Cardinals All-Star, Jason Giambi and Todd Helton for helping him being the hitter he is today.
Tulowitzki figured he and Holliday would be Rockies teammates for a long time. Being a young player in the majors, it was easy to understand him being naive at the time. He did not understood Holliday’s interest of playing meaningful baseball games in September and playing for a championship while he was at his prime. After playing for the Rockies and enduring losses, he finally gets what his friend was thinking in leaving the Rockies to pursue a championship dream elsewhere.
Holliday has moved on to bigger and better things with the Cardinals while Tulowitzki is stuck playing for an awful team that does not figure to get better anytime soon. The former Rockie is enjoying life after the Rockies by winning a championship with the Cardinals and playing in two World Series for baseball’s premier franchise.
One can only imagine the conversation the Rockies All-Star has with his friend when they talk about the Rockies. It’s a good bet the shortstop isn’t happy with his situation.
All Tulowitzki can wonder what could have been if the Rockies traded him to the Cardinals this offseason. Not only he would have been reunited with Holliday, but he could have played for a World Series contender. There were rumors the Rockies would have traded him to the defending National League champions for Shelby Miller, Pete Kozma, Matt Adams and either Kevin Siegrist or Trevor Rosenthal.
The Cardinals were desperate for an upgrade at shortstop after Kozma struggled defensively in the World Series. In the end, they figured they would get a productive shortstop through free agency rather than trading their core players to get an All-Star. They signed Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $52 million deal in the offseason.
Tulowitzki is stuck with the Rockies for the foreseeable future whether he likes it or not. It’s hard to believe the Rockies will trade him now considering he is the only reason to watch the Rockies on TV and at Coors Field. He is their best player, and his skillset is hard to replace. Yes, he is injury-prone, but the Rockies are not inclined to trade both of their stars.
If the Rockies are trading one of their stars, it will be Carlos Gonzalez. He is replaceable if Corey Dickerson plays well the entire season. The Rockies can have the same production from Dickerson that Gonzalez gives at a cheap price, not to mention he can be healthy.
Just Tulo’s luck, eh.
Tulowitzki’s frustration has been brewing for awhile as the losses pile up for the Rockies. He has spent more time arguing with the umpires. He has often looked like a guy who wants to go after his teammates. He expressed his disgust to Rockies starter Christian Friedrich on Saturday after walking to home plate at a snail’s pace that enabled Jean Segura to steal home from third. That play was part of the Brewers scoring three runs on Friedrich’s wild pitch. He gave Wilin Rosario a death stare after not tagging a runner on Sunday afternoon.
His behavior has bothered some Rockies fans. He is called selfish and a miserable lout. There are folks that want him to be a leader by being more nurturing to the young guys. They want him to stop arguing with the umpires often.
It’s odd there are Rockies fans bothered about a star player showing emotion when the team is falling apart. Shouldn’t this be a good thing?
It’s hard for him to be happy when the team continues to lose and not make an attempt to get better year after year. It’s the same old story where guys get hurt and take their sweet time coming back from the disabled list. Guys seem content with losing rather than being worked up.
Like most Rockies fans, Tulowitzki knows it won’t get better. Rockies owner Dick Monfort has no interest in firing employees that work in the Rockies front office. He treats the organization like a family business. It’s going to be the same old story year after year. Holliday knew that, and that’s why he did not want to waste his great years playing for a bad team.
Holliday had free agency to his advantage, so the Rockies had no choice but to trade him before he left them and Rockies having nothing to show for it. The Rockies shortstop has no choice since he is stuck with the Rockies until 2020.
Tulowitzki would love to see the Rockies contend for championships. He would want to be part of that. He would trade his All-Star appearances and accolades for a World Series championship. He is at an age where he wants to win a championship before his best days are behind him.
His best chance of that happening is being traded elsewhere. Maybe it happens this offseason or next.
Until then, he is stuck in baseball’s purgatory while he can only envy Holliday playing in a baseball paradise.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
