Question: If Jackson Holliday blossoms into the player they hope and expect him to be, do you think he’d make an ideal leadoff hitter? From: Dave Gruber
Answer: Dave, in 2023, when Holliday played at four levels of the minor leagues, he had a .323 batting average with a .442 on-base percentage. He walked 101 times and stole 24 bases in 33 attempts.
Last year at Norfolk, Holliday batted leadoff and hit .271 with a .431 on-base percentage and 77 walks and a .908 OPS in 73 games.
If he can approach those stats in the majors, I think he could be a good leadoff hitter.
Question: Wondering if you have heard anything regarding O’s minor league pitcher Carter Baumler. He was a promising fifth-round pick in 2020 and was signed over slot, I believe, to forgo his college commitment. I know he was injured soon after being drafted but haven’t heard many updates about him or whether he’s on the front office’s radar. From: Ben from Frederick
Answer: Ben, the reason you haven’t read many updates on Carter Baumler is that he’s only thrown 49 innings in the last three years. Last year, he pitched 20 1/3 innings.
This year is a big season for Baumler. The Orioles knew they had to be patient with Baumler, but he needs to be healthy and pitch well in order to re-establish himself as a frontline prospect.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.