Jackson Holliday wants to prove that he belongs on the big league roster for the Baltimore Orioles to begin the Major League Baseball season. It will be hard for the club to send him back down.
The 20-year-old shortstop is leaving it all on the field!
Holliday, the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, was drafted first overall in 2022. If he does not make the 26-man roster to begin the year, a call-up is expected no later than July. However, there is a compelling case for his promotion prior to Opening Day.
A hustle play on Tuesday is the perfect example.
Holliday lined a 3-2 pitch right back up the middle. It bounced right into the glove of Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who fielded the ball cleanly and made a leisurely throw to first base.
Meanwhile, Holliday got on his horse. He hustled down the line and beat the throw to be called safe!
Jackson Holliday content for the timeline pic.twitter.com/cOlkp8ss4t
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) March 19, 2024
What was going to be a sure-thing first out of the inning became a base hit. Not because of an error. Not because of a tough play. Because Holliday made it so.
The highly-touted (soon-to-be) rookie wanted to show the front office that he deserves a roster spot. He doesn’t want to land back on the Triple-A level. It is his time to shine!
Holliday hit .300 with six extra-base hits and two stolen bases in the first 13 Grapefruit League games of the year. Baltimore is going to have to make a difficult decision about his standing on the team in the next week or so, and it would be hard to leave him off of the roster.
If he does break camp with the Orioles, he will likely see more time at second base with Gunnar Henderson and Jorge Mateo expected to lock down his natural position. In the meantime, Jackson Holliday is doing everything he can to earn a spot!