When spring training ended, many thought it was a travesty that Jackson Holliday was not going to make the Opening Day roster.
After all, by age 20, Holliday had stormed through four levels of minor league ball, slashing a combined .323/.442/.499 through the minors. He collected 101 walks to 118 strikeouts while scoring 113 runs and driving in 75.
Holliday would win the Orioles’ Minor League Player of the Year as well as MiLB’s Player of Year last season. The sky was the limit, and Birdland rejoiced as they expected Holliday to join a lineup that featured reigning AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson and All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman.
Through spring, Holliday got off to a slow start, striking out five times in his first 11 at-bats. He especially struggled against left-handed pitchers, going 2-for-14 with nine strikeouts, though those two hits were a double and home run.
“This is about an organization that prides itself on developing elite talents, putting a player in the best position for his own long-term success and for the short and long-term success of the team and the roster that he’s on,” GM Mike Elias explained during a press meeting this spring.
“This is a 20-year-old that has played 18 games in Triple-A and is also in a position change and has not faced or had the opportunity to produce a ton against upper-level minor league left-handed pitching, in particular. This is where we’ve landed for now.”
Many people thought it was a roster manipulation, expecting Holliday to be up in the next three weeks. However, things changed quickly.
Holliday was destroying Triple-A pitching, slashing .333/.482/.595 through 10 games. On the other hand, the Birds’ eight and nine hitters combined to hit .217 (15-for-69) with nine runs, six RBIs, 13 strikeouts and three walks.
The Orioles made a decision to designate Tony Kemp for assignment and bring up MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect. After all, he couldn’t do much worse than what the veterans were providing. The upside from Holliday was far more exciting than what the team’s established veterans were contributing.
As excited as Birdland was for the arrival of Holliday, the freshness wore off, and now some are clamoring to send the top prospect back down to the minors.
Holliday has played in seven games, scored four runs, batted in one run and has only collected one hit. What is alarming to many fans is that the young phenom has struck out 14 times to just one walk.
Here’s where looking a little further is going to open some eyes.
First, Holliday is seeing 4.2 pitches per plate appearance. During the 2023 season, the MLB average was 3.9. At 20 years of age, Holliday is already above league average in plate discipline.
Nine of Holliday’s strikeouts have come with nobody on base, where only five have come with runners on. It shows a better patience for the right opportunity to swing in those moments versus a more aggressive approach with clean base paths.
Of course, you can also look to previous top organizational prospects to see how their careers started
Adley Rutschman hit below .200 until the middle of June in 2022, and he finished second in ROTY voting. Gunnar Henderson was hitting below .200 until May 29 last season before winning AL Rookie of the Year. And Colton Cowser hit .115 last season and was demoted to the minors, and going into the Royals series, he is hitting .400 with a 1.229 OPS.
There is an adjustment period that occurs between levels, especially between Triple-A and the big leagues. Holliday is surrounded by a strong support system between teammates, managers and family that it will all come together in due time.
He was part of a rally against the Milwaukee Brewers that saw him collect his first big league hit and score the game’s winning run with smart baserunning.
It’s a sign of what we can expect more of as Holliday grows and becomes the five-star talent we saw coming through the organization.
One thing is certain: Jackson Holliday has arrived and is here to stay. It’s now up to Birdland to embrace that and watch this Baby Bird join the ranks and soar with the rest of the flock who have taken flight.
The Holliday Season is here. Now, it’s time to enjoy the bountiful gift that is him.
What are your thoughts on Jackson Holliday thus far? 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!
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