The Baltimore Orioles recalled top prospect Jackson Holliday to the big league roster on Tuesday. Holliday rewarded the Orioles by hitting his first-career home run on Wednesday, as the infielder blasted a grand slam in the 5th against against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Video via ClutchPoints:
Holliday entered the season with lofty expectations placed upon him. He was MLB's top prospect and many fans expected him to immediately become a superstar. Instead, Holliday struggled mightily at the plate.
Holliday, the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, slashed just .059/.111/.059/.170 across 10 games played. He failed to record an extra-base hit and tallied only one RBI.
The Orioles obviously did not lose faith in Holliday after only 10 games. Still, they decided to send him back to the minor leagues so he could continue to develop. Holliday simply was not quite ready for MLB.
“It comes with a lot, being the No. 1 prospect, going up there and having all sorts of other stuff to deal with,” Holliday said in June, via Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. “I don’t think that’s the reason I struggled, but it was a lot. To be able to go up there and experience the 0-for, or 1-for-whatever, I don’t think there’s any bad takeaway from that. I think it’s all part of learning. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
“I think it can always be looked at as a good start to learning how to fail, because this game is the worst sometimes. To be able to go up there and fail at a high level, in the long run, I think will be very beneficial for me and my career.”
Jackson Holliday's bright future
Holliday may not have been ready during his first MLB stint, but he's already accomplished something in his first game back that he failed to do in his first 10 MLB contests. Holliday's home run on Wednesday will be the first of many in his career.
The Orioles had a busy trade deadline. However, if Holliday can play well then his promotion to the big leagues will feel like an acquisition of its own.
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