Last night, the Norfolk Tides won their Opening Day matchup against the Durham Bulls by a score of 12-8 from Harbor Park.
In that game, we saw huge offensive performances from Oriole top prospects like Connor Norby and Heston Kjerstad. However, we also saw a lights out performance at the plate by the league’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday.
With this performance, questions about Holliday not making the Opening Day roster for the Orioles are renewing. Some fans believe that it’s because of service time manipulation. Others believe it’s just that he is too young.
Let’s take a deep dive into the whole situation on this edition Battery Breakdown.
Holliday started the night off with a leadoff home run that was hit 103 mph off the bat at a distance of 403 feet. He then followed up with a sacrifice fly for his second RBI of the night.
His next hit was a two-RBI single to score his third and fourth RBIs of the night. Finally, he wrapped things up with a double, completing his three-hit night.
While Holliday’s performance at the plate was stellar, his defense at second was a little suspect. Holliday had a throwing error in the game, and while errors happen in this game, this enters into the situation that Holliday is in.
The Orioles have a very large problem, but it’s the best kind of problem you could have. The depth of talent the O’s organization has is through the roof, and when you have someone like Holliday who hasn’t ventured away from his natural position, then you have to fully evaluate the situation.
Before the season started, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde mentioned in an interview that Gunnar Henderson was going to see most of his playing time at short for the 2024 season.
Now remember, even though Hyde is the manager, he does not make the final decision on his own. The Orioles front office has also been involved with the decision and has openly said that they want to play Holliday against as many left-handed pitchers as they can.
That leads to the main point. Holliday is not in the majors yet because of defensive reasonings. Orioles GM Mike Elias was asked why Holliday was sent to minor league camp towards the end of spring training, and his answer primarily centered on defense. Remember, Holliday has been a shortstop his whole life, and while the shift to second base doesn’t seem that drastic, it’s a lot easier said than done.
Elias stated the following during a press conference this spring: “I think a plan of having him play in Triple-A and playing second base five, six days in a row to start the season is going to do a lot, both for his confidence and ours.”
Every fan wants to see Holliday in the big leagues. However, it’s better to make sure that he’s fully comfortable at second base before making that big jump. He didn’t look fully comfortable at second today, and that’s OK because he’s still learning and adjusting.
Hyde, Elias and the rest of the Orioles’ fantastic staff are professionals. They know exactly what they are doing. Elias hasn’t led this organization a stray yet.
What are your thoughts on the Jackson Holliday situation? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
Like Zack’s content? Follow him on X – @Zackattack8211 and @OsMilbUpdates for all the latest news and updates on the O’s farm system! Also, check out the latest episodes of The First Flight podcast!
The Baltimore Battery 
Leave a comment