It’s safe to say that the 2025 Baltimore Orioles postseason opes are as good as dead and have been for weeks.
While that is obviously a bad thing, the silver lining for the O’s is that they have all of September to evaluate their young pieces and get an idea on who can contribute in 2026 and who they can deem expendable.
One player who has taken full advantage of the opportunities he’s been given has been Jeremiah Jackson.
Jackson was selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels before eventually being shipped to the New York Mets. After his stint in New York, Jackson would elect free agency and would end up signing a minor league contract with the Orioles for the 2025 season.
Despite never appearing on any of the Orioles’ top 30 prospects lists or the minds of Birdland fans everywhere, Jackson’s numbers at Triple-A Norfolk were eyepopping. In 40 games at that level, the 25-year-old slashed .377/.400/.673/1.073 with 11 long balls.
With the injuries piling up in Baltimore, Jackson got his chance, making his big league debut with the Orioles on August 1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Even with his gaudy minor league numbers, the expectations for Jackson were not all that high, but has he ever exceeded those and then some.
Jackson is now up to 121 at-bats in his big league career and is slashing .314/.346/.521/.867 with five home runs, good for a 20-home-run pace. While his defense isn’t spectacular by any means, he has the ability to play second base, third base and right field, making him the perfect utility player.
In his 34 big league games, Jackson has accumulated 0.7 fWAR. To put that into perspective, San Diego Padres infielder Luis Arraez has accumulated 0.3 fWAR in 138 games. Jackson’s 128 wRC+ would also be top 30 in all of MLB, ahead of superstars like Manny Machado and Francisco Lindor.
Now, for the record, I will say that it’s unlikely that these numbers are sustainable for Jackson based on the batted ball profile.
An xwOBA of .319 and an xBA of .249 with a strikeout rate over 24% and a walk rate under 5% suggests some regression in the future, but there are certainly some things to be excited about.
Jackson hits the ball hard, with an average exit velocity of 91.1 and a 48.4% hard-hit rate. The potential is there to be a plus bat in this league.
If there is anything I’d like to see improvement-wise from Jackson, it is more pulled fly balls and less chasing. His current pulled fly ball percentage is nine, while his chase rate is 36%.
If he can speed that bat up and pull more balls in the air, I think that will tap into the power potential he’s flashed already and make him a valuable asset for the 2026 Orioles.
I don’t think Jackson is going to be a star, but if he can give you average defense at three positions while maintaining a wRC+ in the 105-110 range, with sneaky power, that is a massive upgrade over what Jorge Mateo was giving you.
The Orioles have their next utility option, and his name is Jeremiah Jackson.
What are your thoughts on Jeremiah Jackson’s performance this season and his future with the organization? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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