Cardinals Prospect Chases His 1st Bowman
It was a surreal experience for Brian Holiday when he sat down a month ago to sign about 4,000 of his 1st Bowman cards.
To see himself on a card—decked out in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform while exhibiting his patented high leg kick on the mound—was something Holiday will never forget. The Cardinals selected the right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State University in the third round, 80th overall.
On Wednesday, December 4, release day for the 2024 Bowman Draft Baseball, Holiday signed another one of his cards. But this one was more special. It carried sentimental value.
Brian Holiday signing one of his 2024 Bowman Draft Baseball base cards
A friend had just pulled Holiday’s Bowman Chrome card moments earlier. Dan Backhus had coached his son and Holiday about a decade earlier. Backhus requested Holiday sign the pack-fresh card; of course, Holiday obliged.
“Dude, that’s so awesome,” Backhus said. “Christmas came early for me.”
Dan Backhus showing off his 2024 Bowman Draft Baseball Brian Holiday card while Brian Holiday looks on
Article Checklist
New Collectors
Returning Collectors
Active Collectors
Backhus had been texting Holiday earlier in the day while ripping packs at Baseball Card Clubhouse in Tampa. Holiday decided to make the 45-minute drive to the hobby shop from his parents’ place in Land O’ Lakes to partake in Bowman Draft release day.
Holiday, 21, was a big card collector when he was younger.
“I had a binder for almost every MLB team [team collector],” Holiday said. “[My friend] and I would sit there and try to organize them.”
It’s pretty wild for Holiday to see himself on a card.
“It’s just surreal. I don’t know how to explain it,” Holiday said. “You dream about stuff like that happening. The fact that you can open a pack and see your card there is pretty cool.”
After coaching him for so many years as a youngster, it’s mind-blowing for Backhus to see Holiday reap the rewards of being one of the top college pitchers this past year.
“It’s so awesome,” Backhus said. “I’ve thrown thousands of pitches to that kid, so to see him get drafted is amazing.”
Backhus spent hours at the card shop on release day ripping packs he bought and watching fellow collectors open the product. Any Holiday cards that surfaced in the store that day ended up in Backhus’ collection via some crafty trading. He ended up with a stack of Holiday base cards, Chrome cards, and a parallel numbered to 150.
“It’s crazy because I’m a [University of Florida] Gators fan, but I had to trade Jac Caglianone to get Holiday,” Backhus joked.
“Anything he’s got, I’m probably going to try and purchase,” Backhus said. “You know how everyone tries to get the rainbow? I’m definitely going to try and do that.”
Dan Backhus showing off his expanding Brian Holiday card collection
Brian Holiday Looks at His 1st Bowman
Holiday saw his card when a Topps representative met with him to complete his on-card autograph obligation.
Holiday didn’t know it was possible to edit an image to put him into a Cardinals’ uniform for his 1st Bowman card in 2024 Bowman Draft Baseball. But that’s what Topps did. The image used on Holiday’s 1st Bowman card came from his one season playing at Oklahoma State.
“We were playing at the Texas Rangers’ stadium, Globe Life, and I want to say that was the Big 12 Tournament,” said Holiday. “That was either at the Big 12 Tournament when I threw against UCF or at the beginning of the year against Arkansas.”
Holiday had a solid season for the Cowboys, registering a 7-3 record and a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts. He struck out 128 batters in 113 innings; his 6.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio was sixth best in NCAA Division I last season.
The Cardinals liked what they saw out of Holiday to invest a high draft pick in the pitcher. Months after he signed his professional contract with St. Louis, he signed a contract with Topps to have signed cards in Bowman Draft. Signing thousands of copies of his cards was a busy process.
“We did it over like three days,” Holiday told several collectors gathered around him at Baseball Card Clubhouse. “I would sign about 1,200 or so a day. It was just cool seeing all those [cards]. My signature’s long, so I had to sit there and write it out. I wanted to take the time and not just scribble whatever.”
Holiday Prospecting Players He Knows
As Holiday traded off opening packs with Backhus, he paused each time he hit a card of a player he knew.
First, it was his former teammate at Oklahoma State, Carson Benge, a first-round pick of the New York Mets. Next was his future teammate Ryan Campos, a fourth-round selection for the Cardinals. Then came a card of Jac Caglianone—the No. 6 overall pick in July’s draft. Holiday faced Caglianone in a regional tournament game against Florida. Holiday got him to strike out, ground out, and fly out before the power hitter got the best of him.
Brian Holiday showing off 2024 Bowman Draft Baseball prospecting (and Ryan Clifford)
Before the ninth inning, Holiday briefly chatted with his pitching coach. Despite being at nearly 120 pitches, Holiday begged to return to the mound.
“He was like, ‘You’ve already had enough pitches. We’re up 7-0,’” Holiday recalled. “I said, ‘Let me finish it.’ He sends me back out there, and he’s like, ‘If anybody gets on, you’re done.’ I get a standing ovation going back out for the ninth. I was all fired up. The first two pitches were balls to Cags. I was like, ‘Oh, gosh. I’ve got to give him something he can hit now.’ I threw a fastball right down the middle; he didn’t swing at it. I was like, ‘What’s he looking for?’ Threw another fastball right down the middle, and he just [popping sound effect] right over the center field wall.”
The Oklahoma State pitching coach stayed in the dugout, and Holiday promptly retired the final three hitters—two via strikeout.
Jason Weintraub, who owns Baseball Card Clubhouse, was a sixth-round pick of the New York Mets in 2001. He was fascinated to hear Holiday recall his appearances against Caglianone so vividly.
Brian Holiday and Jason Weintraub at Weintraub’s Baseball Card Clubhouse
“It was impressive that he could go back through his sequences and remember all the pitches he was throwing,” Weintraub said.
Holiday hasn’t played a competitive baseball game since Oklahoma State’s season-ending loss in the NCAA Tournament in early June. Holiday is ready to start his professional career; he can’t wait to do it with the Cardinals.
“It’s a historic organization. It’s a cool organization,” Holiday said. “Of course, being at Oklahoma State and Matt Holliday being there—he was like a legend with the St. Louis Cardinals as well. It’s pretty cool.”
