The Baltimore Orioles have faded down the final stretch of the regular season.
Still, they hold one of the best records in baseball and a significant lead in the Wild Card race. As they look to right the ship, they can hope to return to the playoffs for the second straight year and for many more years to come thanks to one of the best young cores and one of the deepest farm systems of any organization.
The prize of that system is Jackson Holliday, a 20-year-old infielder who was widely regarded as the number-one overall prospect coming into this season. Holliday is sure to have a bright career ahead, but his debut campaign earned a harsh grade from Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report.
“Outside of a stretch in which he homered four times in six games in early August, Jackson Holliday’s rookie season has largely proven to be a flop,” Kelly wrote, giving Holliday a “D-” grade. “Clearly, expectations were too high for the former No. 1 overall pick entering the season. He’s still only 20 years old, and he’s adjusting to a new position at second base. There’s plenty of time for Holliday to get right, but he didn’t provide the immediate impact expected of him this season.”
Holliday was the number-one pick in the 2022 draft and was first called up in April, but went 2-for-34 before being optioned back down to Triple-A. He was brought back up to the majors in July and has served as the team’s everyday second baseman since, but has yet to seem totally comfortable at the plate.
In 177 at-bats across 54 games for the big-league club this season, Holliday has slashed .175/.230/.299 with 31 hits against 65 strikeouts. That’s well below the .323/.442/.499 line he posted across the minors last season.
As the team looks to rediscover its groove, it’s unclear if Holliday will be a part of the postseason roster. But as one of the most promising talents in the game who has long dealt with the highest of expectations, Holliday’s less-than-stellar debut is unlikely to faze him.
“It’s not a concern for him,” Orioles hitting coach Ryan Fuller said, per MASN Sports. “His background is so amazing and he’s such a great kid, that a little storm here and there is not shaking him.”
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