Jackson Holliday performed well in spring, but not well enough to make the Baltimore Orioles’ opening-day roster. Baltimore Orioles’ opening-day roster.
The Orioles moved Holliday to their minor-league camp on March 22. The 20-year-old is expected to start the season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he ended last season.
Jackson Holliday had a .311 batting average in Grapefruit League play, with 14 hits in 45 at-bats. He also had two home runs, six RBIs, two stolen bases, a .354 on-base percentage, and a .954 OPS.
It was widely expected that Holliday would be the Orioles’ second baseman for their season opener on March 28 against the Los Angeles Angels. However, he will now return to the minors.
Orioles GM Thinks Holliday Needs More Experience
Holliday was the top minor league player last season according to Baseball America, and every major media outlet ranks him as the No. 1 prospect in the sport. However, Orioles general manager Mike Elias believes that Holliday needs more experience in the minor leagues. last season. Every major media outlet ranks him as the No. 1 prospect in the sport.
However, Orioles general manager Mike Elias believes that Holliday needs more experience in the minor leagues.
“This is about an organization that prides itself on developing top talents, putting a player in the best position for his long-term success and for the team's success,” Elias told reporters at the Orioles’ spring training camp in Sarasota, Fla., including MLB.com Jake Rill.
“This is a 20-year-old who has played 18 games in Triple-A, had a position change, and has not had the chance to produce much against upper-level minor league left-handed pitching.”
Holliday played at four levels of the Orioles’ farm system last season, starting at Low-A Delmarva and then making stops with High-A Aberdeen, Double-A Bowie, and Norfolk. He hit a combined .323/.442/.499 in 125 games with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases.
Elias did not give a timeline for Holliday making his major league debut, but he sounded like it might not be long into the season.
“He’s very, very close,” Elias said. “He’s very ahead of schedule. He’s done remarkably well. We couldn’t be more excited about his future. But you’re talking about the development of a player who has the opportunity to be one of the better, if not best, players in the league.”
The son of seven-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday has drawn praise for his maturity and explained to Heavy.com earlier this spring how he stays grounded despite receiving a lot of attention.
How Orioles Infield Compares
Jordan Westburg will be the Orioles’ second baseman to start the season. The second-year player would likely have played third base if Holliday had made the team.
Westburg, 25, had a .260/.311/.404 slash line as a rookie last year in 68 games while hitting three home runs and stealing four bases.
Veteran Ramon Urias will play third base. Gunnar Henderson will play shortstop after splitting time between that position and third base last season when he was the unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year.
Henderson also earned an AL Silver Slugger award as he contributed to the Orioles succeeding in winning 101 games and securing their first AL East championship since 2014. He achieved a batting average of .255, an on-base percentage of .325, a slugging percentage of .489, along with 28 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 150 games.
