For the second consecutive year, a Baltimore Orioles prospect has won Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. Jackson Holliday, the Baltimore Orioles’ and MLB’s number one overall prospect is named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year for the 2023 season. Holliday, 19, follows Gunnar Henderson who won the 2022 Minor League Player of the Year. This is the Baltimore Orioles’ third player of all time to win this award with the first being catcher Matt Wieters in 2008. Holliday, who was drafted first overall in the 2022 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles directly out of high school, becomes the fourth player of all time to win Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year and Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year award. He joins outfielder Byron Buxton, catcher Joe Mauer, and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to receive both awards.
Most of players drafted out of high school will stay in Low-A or High-A their first season, but Holliday in his first full season started in Low-A with the Delmarva Shorebirds and was promoted through all four minor league systems to the AAA with the Norfolk Tides. Holliday has played 125 games in the 2023 season throughout all four of the minor league systems, and has 154 hits with 51 of those hits being extra bases, 133 runs, and 101 walks. He has batted .323 with an OPS of .941 during the 2023 season. Holliday also has 12 HRs and 75 RBIs. Holliday also showed off his speed by stealing 24 bases. He has also made plenty of spectacular plays at shortstop which shows his fielding range and his arm strength.
Jackson Holliday will finish the season in AAA with the Norfolk Tides. Holliday will be a key factor with his batting and fielding skills for the Norfolk Tides in the playoffs this season. MLB’s top prospect will presumably be on the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day Roster to start the 2024 season.
The post Jackson Holliday Named Baseball America’s 2023 Minor League Player of the Year first appeared on Marylandsportsblog.com.
The post Jackson Holliday Named Baseball America’s 2023 Minor League Player of the Year appeared first on Marylandsportsblog.com.