Despite suffering a 12-10 defeat to the Boston Red Sox Friday night, one player was a beacon of hope for the Baltimore Orioles. As the team looks to make the postseason for the second consecutive season, young infielder Jackson Holliday showed why so many MLB analysts and pundits rated him as the top overall prospect in baseball. Holliday is now the youngest player in Orioles history to record three hits and score three runs in a single game, according to Birdland Insider on X, formerly Twitter.
The loss dropped Baltimore to second place in the AL East, one game behind the New York Yankees. The Birds are looking to capture their second straight AL East crown, after winning the division last year en route to the top overall seed in the AL. Even though that mission would not be completed if the season ended today, the second baseman who was taken first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft still took another strong step forward in his budding MLB career.
Jackson Holliday, Orioles look to continue playoff push
Even after tonight's defeat, the Orioles are only a game behind the Yankees. They are also at the top of the AL Wild Card standings, so they are in control of their own destiny as long as they continue to perform like they have all season long. Remember, two Wild Card teams made it to the World Series last year. That includes the eventual champion Texas Rangers, who defeated Baltimore en route to capturing their first World Series trophy in 2023.
With scores of young talent, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Baltimore make a long run in October and beyond. The performance of Holliday was just a small piece in what he has done since his return to the majors a few weeks ago. Tonight's game was the first four hit performance of his career. Yes, he's only hit .200 with five home runs and 15 RBI so far, but his effort since returning to the big-league club after the All-Star Break has been particularly impressive.
Holliday has hit .239 with four home runs and nine RBIs since August 1st, and the game before that was his first one in the majors since late April. In the July 31st win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the former top overall pick hit a grand slam to help the Orioles win 10-4. The promise is there, and it has been more and more apparent since Holliday has returned to Camden Yards. If he can continue to improve, then there is a slightly better chance of the Orioles capturing a Fall Classic crown in late October.
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