Jackson Holliday, the #1 prospect in MLB, is on a tear, putting up back-to-back two-hit games over the weekend in Cleveland as the Baltimore Orioles battled back to achieve a split with the Guardians.
Since being called back up on July 31, Holliday is 7-for-18 at the plate with two homers and seven RBIs, for a slash line of .388/.450/.778, and an OPS of 1.228.
It’s a small sample size – five games – but still noteworthy for a guy who struggled in his first callup, going 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts in a 10-game stint in April.
ICYMI
- Jackson Holliday called up to Baltimore: Second chance for minors’ top prospect
- O’s top prospect Jackson Holliday: ‘I don’t think I’m far off’ from a return to MLB
- Jackson Holliday sent back to Triple-A Norfolk after 2-for-34 start with O’s
“I think definitely just having my feet under me [helps],” Holliday told MLB.com. “Being able to come to the ballpark and have a normal schedule, and just being able to go out there and play, have fun and kind of put everything else to the side … just enjoy being out there.”
Holliday went back to Triple-A Norfolk after that rough patch with a checklist of what he needed to do when he got the next call from the O’s, and made the most of his time back down on the farm.
In 73 games with the Tides this season, Holliday slashed .273/.431/.477, with 10 homers, 38 RBIs and an OPS at .908.
Remember, he’s just 20 – Holliday was the #1 pick straight out of high school in the 2022 MLB Draft, and worked his way up from Low-A Delmarva all the way to Norfolk last season, slashing .323/.442/.499 with 12 HRs, 75 RBIs and a .941 OPS in 123 games across four levels of the minors in 2023.
The difference in Holliday from April to August, to O’s manager Brandon Hyde: “Showing a lot more confidence. The way he can stay on the baseball is much improved,” Hyde said. “He’s going to have some ups and downs. He’s a really, really young player. But it’s great to see him swing the bat this way this series.”
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Chris Graham
