Despite being considered MLB's top prospect ahead of his first call-up to the Majors, Jackson Holliday took a while to adjust to big-league pitching. He had a .565 OPS in his rookie year, and got off to a slow start to the 2024 campaign as well with the Baltimore Orioles. But since consulting with his father, seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, things have changed in a big way.
“Occasionally, when something doesn’t feel right, he’ll say, ‘Hey, something doesn’t feel right,’ or, ‘I don’t feel like I can do this or that' or, ‘Something’s off,’” Matt Holliday said. “Just wants to talk about maybe hitting or see if I see anything that might be helpful.”
Holliday has the cheat code of having a father who knows hitting as much as Matt Holliday, a seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, and he's now making sure to take advantage of the resources he has.
“For me, it was just feeling free to move was kind of the main thing. I felt a little stuck,” said Holliday. “That was the biggest adjustment, was just getting into a position that allows me to feel free whenever I’m moving in the box. Free and confident.”
Holliday went 2-for-3 with a walk in his first game since implementing the changes his father wanted him to, and is slashing .407/.484/.630 with two home runs and three RBI in his last 10 games overall. He's hitting higher in the order as a result of his hot streak, and is justifying Brandon Hyde's confidence in him. Not much has gone right for the Orioles this season, but Holliday's emergence is something O's fans can hang their hats on.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Jackson Holliday is finally emerging for the Orioles
A 10-game sample in the grand scheme of things isn't much, but how can Orioles fans not be encouraged right now? Holliday has always had the talent, he simply hadn't shown it at the MLB level. Now, the best stretch of his young career has Orioles fans dreaming of what's to come.
It's easy to forget since he's been in the spotlight for several years, but Holliday is only 21 years old. If he didn't choose to enter professional baseball straight out of high school, he'd be a junior in college.
It takes many players, even high-end prospects, time to adjust to MLB pitching. Holliday, clearly, is no exception. However, with his father playing a big role, Holliday has broken out and is finally looking like the player Orioles fans were expecting.