From Adley Rutschman to Gunnar Henderson and many more, the Baltimore Orioles have a top-notch farm system and a history of handling their young prospects masterfully. The most recent example can be Gunnar Henderson winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2023. But did Baltimore miss the trick with Jackson Holliday? Or was the 20-year-old prospect overblown, and he’s simply failing to live up to those sky-high expectations?
In 2024 spring training, Holliday batted .311 in 6 runs, smashing two home runs. At first, when he wasn’t part of Baltimore’s opening-day roster, many believed that they missed a trick. But a little over one month into the league, maybe they didn’t. After reaching the majors, in 36 plate appearances, Holliday could get away just two hits and two walks batting .059. And now, his woes have continued beyond his major league stint too.
Eventually, Baltimore couldn’t afford such a slow bat in their division race and had to demote Jackson Holliday back to Triple-A Norfolk.
“We decided to call him up and see how the translation to the major leagues would go on a short-term basis. What we have seen here led me to the evaluation and opinion that he would benefit from going back and adjusting there rather than doing it here in real time,” said Orioles GM Mike Elias.
Before being promoted to the big leagues, Holliday was hot with Norfolk, where he batted .333. But now, since the big major league debut and his return to Norfolk, that’s significantly gone down to .200, and he’s hit just 4-20.
Even after his brutal MLB debut, Holliday still remains No.1 in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects. Luckily, Jackson Holliday is not alone among the top prospects who are severely struggling too. Right behind Holliday, Jackson Churio (.212) and Evan Carter (.225) aren’t hitting at all, emphasizing the importance of a smooth and timely transition from Triple-A to the major leagues without hampering a player’s development or confidence.
How did Jackson Holliday’s father, Matt, began his journey to the major leagues?
Unlike his son Jackson, Matt Holliday wasn’t a top draft pick. He was selected in the 7th round of the 1998 draft. He spent a full 5 years grinding away in the minors before getting his shot. In fact, Matt Holliday was ticketed to spend most of 2004 in the minors too, but injuries to starting outfielders pushed him at a rather quick pace to the big leagues, and since then – his major league debut in 2004 with Colorado Rockies, he barely looked back. Matt Holliday went on to make seven all-star appearances and won his only World Series in 2011 before retiring in 2018.
Only time will reveal if Jackson Holliday truly lives up to the enormous hype that preceded his MLB arrival. Baseball America remains positive on Jackson’s MLB debut, viewing his MLB debut as a mere setback in a rather long, and successful baseball journey. What do you think?
