Like everyone else, I can’t wait to see super prospect Jackson Holliday in a major league uniform, but now is not the time.
Orioles executive VP/general manager Mike Elias hasn’t entirely ruled out adding the shortstop to the late-season roster, so it certainly has to seem like an exciting possibility for a rejuvenated fan base that would love to see him in September.
The 19-year-old wunderkind has absolutely dominated minor league pitching at three levels and was recently promoted to Triple-A Norfolk, leaving him one step away from a meteoric rise to the big league roster, but there are all sorts of reasons why that should not happen until next season.
For one, Holliday might be as much a distraction as an attraction on a team that is barreling toward the playoffs and – at least at the moment – doesn’t really have room for another terrific young infielder.
The kid could be ready. He could be one of those once-a-decade Ken Griffey Jr. types who can play like a superstar while still in his teens, but there is no need to try to figure that out during the last week or two of a season that couldn’t have gone better for last year’s top overall draft choice – or the O’s, for that matter.
He needs to go home bathed in the glow of being named the team’s Minor League Player of the Year in his first full professional season. During his climb through baseball’s top farm system, Holliday (through Thursday) has amassed 505 plate appearances and batted .325 with a .444 on-base percentage, a .506 slugging percentage and a OPS of .950.
No sense taking the risk of him leaving this season with any doubt in his mind about his readiness for the major leagues. That’ll be the hot topic next spring, when the team can determine whether he’s really ready for prime time and likely will have more room for him on the currently crowded infield depth chart.
The kid will be in the picture soon enough.