"Almost one year and another 100-RBI season removed from a hesitant start to life as a franchise fixture, Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday has a better understanding of the weight he felt from his contract and the nausea that came with such increased expectations.

Even opening day feels different this time.

"I think I feel like I'm not the new guy anymore," Holliday said after Wednesday's workout at Busch Stadium. "I don't feel as much of that expectation. What I'm trying to say is I probably won't try to hit two or three homers (this time) hoping the fans climb aboard. Hopefully, I can treat it a little more normal."

Normal, like how last season ended.

Fresh from signing a seven-year, $120 million contract — the richest in Cardinals' franchise history — Holliday labored through April. He had only three hits in his first 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and through his first eight games in front of the home crowd he hit .148. Normality took hold in May as he stormed to a Silver Slugger season as the only National League outfielder to finish in the top 10 in batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.532).

In hindsight, Holliday acknowledged there were times he felt compelled to earn his new salary with one, six-RBI swing. Once that pressure melted Holliday became Holliday — a savage, high-average hitter. He hit .364 in his final 31 games and got 65 of his 103 RBIs in the last three months of the season. He found confidence and calmness, and that's the hitter his teammates saw this spring.

"In my opinion, this is going to be an enormous year for him," said second baseman Skip Schumaker. "It's not a contract year. It's not an anything year. It's just another year. Now he can just play. He doesn't have to prove his worth anymore. He doesn't have anything that's on his shoulders.""