Just a day after top MLB prospect Jackson Holliday was called up from Triple-A, Jackson Holliday made his big-league debut for the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Playing second base and batting ninth in the Orioles lineup, Holliday played his first major league game at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
It was a mixed bag for Holliday on Wednesday night.
In the top of the third inning and a man on base, Holliday struck out on five pitches in his first MLB at bat.
With the Orioles trailing the Red Sox in the top of the fifth, Holliday reached on a fielders choice. He advanced to third base after a Gunner Henderson walk and infield single by Anthony Santander, but was stranded there when Ryan O'Hearn grounded out to first.
In the top of the sixth inning with men on second and third and the Orioles trailing 5-2, Holliday notched his first career RBI when he grounded out to second, scoring Colton Cowser.
In the seventh, Holliday struck out swinging following a Jordan Westburg 3-run home run that gave the Orioles a 7-5 lead that they would never relinquish.
With the glove, Holliday looked smooth turning a double play on a ground ball from Masataka Yoshida in the second inning.
He also had some trouble on a bloop single from Tyler O'Neill in the third. It wasn't the easiest play, as Holliday ventured out into the shallow outfield, but with more experience at the position, the speedy prospect should be able to make that catch in the future.
Top prospect Jackson Holliday's journey to the Orioles
To the surprise and dismay of fans everywhere throughout the baseball world, Holliday was not selected to be on the Opening Day roster for 2024.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias simply wants to bring Holliday along slowly. Although he is very pleased with what the 20-year-old has done, Elias wanted him to get more experience before becoming a full-time big-leaguer.
“He is way, way ahead of the curve,” Elias said. “He’s 20 years old, he just turned 20 a couple months ago. Reached Triple-A, he’s moved through the minors at a pace we haven’t seen in a couple of decades, arguably. And when we think about development and completing the development of a player of his talent, and it’s something we have some experience doing – we’ve done it now with Adley (Rutschman) and Gunnar, and guys like Jordan Westburg – there’s a lot of considerations involved so that when they do start their major league careers, you want them to be able to stay. And guys of that marquee caliber, you want them to be able to start their careers in full-blown, full-time roles…”
After starting off the 2024 campaign with a record of 6-4, the Orioles have seen enough. Holliday, who is the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, is giving the organization no other choice than to make this move after hitting .333 with two home runs in 10 games in Triple-A Norfolk.
The high expectations set for this club in 2024 and beyond are about to soar to even greater heights. Although this decision was anticipated since the Orioles began their season, Holliday is due to receive an electric reaction when the team returns to Camden Yards this weekend.
His keen eye at the plate, impressive bat and balanced skill set gives him a strong chance to make an impact for the Orioles right away. Holliday's success in Norfolk comes after he put together a .311/.354/.600/.954 slash line in 15 spring training games.
Not only are the Orioles presently constructed to compete at a high level, but with Holliday, Henderson, and Adley Rutschman still so young, the future is incredibly bright in Baltimore.
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