In April, Jackson Holliday seemed to be the biggest story in baseball. The biggest storyline in spring training was whether he’d begin the season with the Orioles.
He didn’t, but he wasn’t in the minor leagues for long. Once he came up, on April 10th, Holliday was engulfed by questioners and buried by experienced pitchers.
After 10 games and a 2-for-34 start to his career, he went back to Triple-A Norfolk on April 25th.
Holliday needed to work on hitting left-handers and playing second base and didn’t return until July 31st.
The media crush surrounding him wasn’t anything like it was to start the season.
Holliday came back the day after the trade deadline, and he replaced Connor Norby, who was traded with Kyle Stowers to Miami in the deal that brought left-hander Trevor Rogers to the Orioles.
In his first game, Holliday hit a grand slam, his first home run. It came immediately after Jordan Westburg was hit by a pitch, breaking his right hand, and changing the Orioles’ season.
Holliday would end up playing more than he would have had Westburg stayed healthy, and while his stat line in his second stint wasn’t impressive, it was far better than it was in April.
He hit .218 with five home runs and 22 RBIs with a .650 OPS. He struck out 51 times in 50 games. Holliday struck out at least once in each of his first 24 major league games and walked 13 times.
Striking out nearly four times as often as he walked wasn’t a good ratio, but it was better than April when he struck out 18 times and walked only twice in 34 at-bats.
His five home runs all came quickly. Holliday didn’t homer after August 10th and had only two multi-RBI games after August 7th.
There’s a lot to work on, but there’s a lot to work with. ‘
At 20, Holliday was one of the youngest players in the major leagues. At 21, he will still be one of the youngest.
Under executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, many of the Orioles’ best prospects have been returned to Norfolk after a rough start in the majors.
While Westburg, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman all made smoother transitions to the majors, Holliday joined Norby, Stowers, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, DL Hall, Coby Mayo, Joey Ortiz and Grayson Rodriguez, all of whom needed more time at Norfolk.
Cowser had a 7-for-75 (.115) start to his career in 2023 but rebounded in 2024 and is a Gold Glove finalist as a leftfelder and a top contender for American League Rookie of the Year.
When Cal Ripken Jr. debuted in 1981, he played rarely after his August recall and hit just .128 (5-for-39). Ripken walked only once in 40 plate appearances. The next year, Ripken was the AL Rookie of the Year, and walked nearly as often as he struck out in his storied career.
Holliday will not be a rookie in 2025 because he had 190 at-bats, exceeding the 130 at-bat limit.
Holliday hit well during Grapefruit League games but facing left-handers in big league games was a major challenge; he hit just .100 (4-for-40).
Ideally, the Orioles would play Holliday against right-handers with Westburg at third, and move Westburg to second and play Ramón Urías at third against left-handers. Urías hit .295 against left-handers.
After drafting many middle infielders from 2019-2022, the Orioles traded Norby, Ortiz, Darrel Hernaiz and César Prieto, who was signed as an international free agent in deals for pitching, leaving no major league ready middle infield prospects in the high minors.
The Orioles have Jorge Mateo, who missed the final two months of the season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, and Liván Soto on their roster. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they signed an additional middle infielder or two, perhaps to a minor league contract.
Holliday’s best time came in the final two weeks of the regular season when he hit .368 (7-for-19). He didn’t play in either game of the Wild Card Series, but he could have been used as a pinch-runner. He was successful in all four of his stolen base attempts.
There’s a clear path for Holliday to start 2025 at second base, and the Orioles hope he’ll take advantage of it.
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