Getty Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday.
It is enough to make even the most-grounded 20-year-old head’s spin.
Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is getting a massive amount of hype this spring. The Baltimore Orioles infielder is universally regarded as the top prospect in baseball and is projected to be the defending American League East champion’s opening-day second baseman.
Holliday is on the cover of magazines. He has been the subject of countless feature stories on the internet and television.
It can be a lot to take in, especially considering Holliday was just finishing his senior year of high school in Stillwater, Okla., less than two years ago. However, he understands great expectations.
Holliday’s father Matt played in the major leagues for 15 seasons from 2004-18 and was selected to seven All-Star Games. So, Jackson Holliday has a strong grasp of life as a professional.
“It helps a lot to have grown up in baseball,” Holliday said.
Jackson Holliday Handles The Hype
Many professional athletes like to say that they ignore “the outside noise.” They claim they don’t pay attention to what is written or said about them in the media – or on social media.
However, Holliday knows that his every move is being watched at the Orioles’ spring training camp in Sarasota, Fla., especially in an era when prospects receive more media and fan interest than ever. It comes with the territory of being the first overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft then reaching four levels of the Orioles’ farm system last year, culminating with an 18-game stint at Triple-A Norfolk.
So, how does Holliday handle all the hype?
“I think that has a lot to do with how I was raised,” Holliday told Heavy.com. “My faith is very important to me, and I think that has a lot to do with me having success. Baseball is a very challenging sport and you’re going to fail a majority of the time. So, I think not having your identity solely be about baseball makes it a lot easier and a lot more fun and you realize at the end of the day it’s just a game.
“My faith and then obviously being able to spend so much time in the clubhouse and being raised in baseball has been very helpful.”
Jackson Holliday’s Outstanding First Full Season
Holliday showed immediately why the Orioles selected him and gave him an $8.19 million signing bonus in 2022. He began his pro career by hitting .297/.489/.422 in 20 games combined with the two farm clubs at the lowest level of the minor leagues.
That performance was just a precursor to his phenomenal 2023 season.
Holliday began the year at Low-A Delmarva, where he finished 2022. He then received three promotions, going to High-A Aberdeen then Double-A Bowie and finally Norfolk.
By the time the whirlwind ended, Holliday had played in 125 games and posted a slash line of .323/.442/.499 with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases. Baseball America named Holliday its Minor League Player of the Year.
The first professional season is often the most difficult one for young players. They are playing an extended schedule for the first time and often tire late in the year.
However, Holliday never felt the rigors of a minor-league schedule and plans to take little – if any – time off this season if he makes it to the major leagues.
“It was pretty easy honestly from going to school to just focusing on baseball last year because baseball is what I love to do,” Holliday said. “I’ll hopefully play in 160 games this year. It’s not too much of a challenge because of growing up in baseball. That’s all I saw my dad do for a long time. So, I don’t think it is as much of an adjustment as you might think.”
Jackson Holliday Getting Comfortable at Second Base
Holliday is making a strong case to be in the Orioles’ opening-day lineup. In 31 Grapefruit League at-bats this spring, he is hitting .323/.344/.613.
With each passing game, Holliday’s confidence is growing.
“I’ve been blessed to start a lot of games and face a lot of big-league guys,” Holliday said. “The pitchers know how to set you up in certain counts and it’s pretty cool to be up there at the plate, even when you fail against them. It’s been a good experience and I’m starting to get a little more comfortable facing these guys who have had success in the big leagues and I’m getting a grasp on what it takes to succeed.”
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding Holliday is if he can make the transition to second base from shortstop. Second base isn’t completely foreign as Holliday has started 25 games at the position in the minor leagues. However, 110 of his professional starts have been at shortstop and the other two as a third baseman.
Ideally, the Orioles would play Holliday at second, Jordan Westburg at third base and 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson at shortstop. Holliday says the biggest adjustment in playing second base is turning double plays, which is a point of emphasis in the Orioles organization.
“I think the throw to first is pretty easy, it’s a lot shorter than the throw from shortstop,” Holliday said. “Making sure our feeds are good and making sure we turn the double plays has been a big focus and generally just working on my footwork around the bag and playing consistent overall defense.”
At 20, Holliday’s body hasn’t filled out. He is listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds and is likely to get bigger.
“I think I still need to have more physicality and I’m trying to get stronger,” Holliday said. “There are guys in the big leagues who are a lot stronger than I am and I’m going to need strength to succeed in the big leagues.”