‘QUITE A DAY’
Holliday is here, and so is the hype that follows him
BOSTON — Jackson Holliday set a goal of reaching the majors in two years after the Orioles drafted him first overall in 2022. He beat it by four months.
The Orioles’ new second baseman arrived Wednesday, infusing one of baseball’s most decorated prospects in years into a lineup already stocked with young talent. Holliday isn’t the first consensus top prospect the Orioles have developed — they’ve been through this before with Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson the past two years — but he carries with him a level of hype neither of his now-teammates ever endured.
“I really enjoyed watching guys like Bobby Witt and Adley and I knew that they made it up to the big leagues pretty fast. So I knew that I would try to set myself on a similar path, and that was my goal,” Holliday said. “And if you give yourself goals, sometimes you reach them every now and then.”
Holliday, the son of seventime All-Star Matt Holliday, is no ordinary prospect. He grew up in major league clubhouses, playing catch on the side of the
field at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium and wowing onlookers such as ESPN reporter Buster Olney, who predicted Holliday would be an All-Star when he was 10 years old. He’s set to make his MLB debut at Fenway Park, a stadium that already has his signature inscribed within the Green Monster in left field. Among the people to reach out to congratulate him was 23-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge.
Holliday’s quiet demeanor would never suggest he’s looking for the spotlight, but it followed him nonetheless as he rocketed through the Orioles’ farm system. When he arrived in Boston for his MLB debut Wednesday, a large contingent of national reporters awaited him in the dugout. His name was trending on the social media site X, formerly known as
second base as reasons. Orioles general manager Mike Elias was heavily criticized for the decision after he said during the offseason that Holliday had a “very strong possibility” of breaking camp with the club.
The reasons Elias cited weren’t absurd. Holliday had struggled against lefthanders, and he was still learning to play second base. But the economics of baseball and the incentives for the Orioles were clear: Leave Holliday in the minors through April 12, and the organization would likely gain another year of his services before he hits free agency — the 2030 season, to be exact. This tactic — known as service time manipulation — is one that Elias said was not a factor in his decision, calling the topic a “specter.”
Elias was accused of either lying during the winter about Holliday’s chances of making the team or manipulating his service time. This decision proves neither accusation was true.
Elias could have waited just three days, and the Orioles would have had their cake and ate it, too. In that scenario, Holliday would have been an Oriole for the vast majority of 2024, and by waiting, the club would have gained his 2030 season.
But winning the next three games — as well as the 149 after that — was more important. As it should be. The Orioles are 6-4 through 10 games, and despite a solid offensive performance Tuesday in a 7-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, the bats have mostly been cold. After putting up 24 runs across their first two games, the Orioles are hitting just .207 and scoring 3.7 runs per game.
Mainstays during the past few seasons, such as Austin Hays and Ramón Urías, are struggling mightily. Hays is 2-for-26 and Urías is 2-for-22. It’s not just them, though. Aside from Ryan Mountcastle, Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser, virtually every hitter is performing below expectation. Meanwhile, Holliday hit .333 with a 1.077 OPS in Triple-A — and went 4-for-10 with three extra-base hits against left-handers — as virtually every prospect in the Tides’ lineup put up video game-like numbers.
Holliday will probably play second base almost every day — maybe getting the occasional day off versus lefties — and the lack of production he’s replacing is perhaps why he’s joining the team now. Infielders Tony Kemp, Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo and Urías are a combined 13-for-76 (.171) with one home run. Take away Mateo, who is 5-for-14, the remaining members of the group have combined to go 8-for62 (.129) at the plate. Kemp was designated for assignment to make room for Holliday on the roster.
Notably, since Holliday is being called up before April 13, he could earn the Orioles an additional draft pick as part of MLB’s prospect promotion incentive program. If he remains in the majors for the rest of the season, he would net Baltimore a pick at the end of the first round by either winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2024 or placing top three in AL Most Valuable Player voting before qualifying for arbitration. Henderson was named the AL’s Rookie of the Year last season, and Baltimore was awarded the 32nd pick in this summer’s draft.
One of the reasons the decision to start Holliday in the minors was surprising to many was that it felt counterintuitive. After ending the rebuild in 2022 and becoming a playoff team in 2023, the hope was that 2024 would be the season the Orioles became World Series contenders.
The acquisition of Corbin Burnes — an ace capable of putting the club over the top in the postseason — was the type of move a team going for it in 2024 makes. Burnes is a free agent at the end of the season, and it took two highly touted prospects to acquire him.
But that is the cost of doing business when the goal is winning a championship, and Elias pushed his chips to the middle of the table by doing so.
It appeared he pulled some back when Holliday began in the minors, but that was wrong.
The Orioles — and Elias — want to win now, and Holliday will help them do just that.