Jackson Holliday knows what he needs to do to improve for Orioles in 2025

Jackson Holliday was the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Son of former standout Matt Holliday, Jackson was expected to be the next big thing, especially after tearing up the Minor Leagues. But after blazing his way to big-league club, Holliday proved to all of us that the Majors are a difficult place to be successful.

Holliday made his MLB debut in April of last season, but it didn't take long before he was sent back down to the Minors. He returned to Baltimore's roster towards the end of the season and showed signs of improvement, but he's yet to look like what the organization was envisioning when they drafted him. In 60 games last season, Holliday hit .189 with 5 homers and 23 RBIs. The most astounding statistic of Holliday's season is a flaw he aims to address in 2025: strikeouts.

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Jackson Holliday acknowledges room for improvement ahead of crucial 2025 season

The most alarming part of Holliday's MLB debut was his strikeout rate: In his 208 plate appearances in 2024, Holliday went down on strikes a total of 69 times. For a lot of players in this era, striking out 33 percent of the time would not bother them. For a player who projected as a plus hitter like Holliday, though, he knows he has to put the ball in play more to be at his best.

According to Jake Rill of MLB.com, Holliday seems well-aware of what needs to change, and he let Orioles fans know that he is ready to step up his game in 2025.

“I understand pretty much what happened last year," Holliday said during a stop on the O’s Birdland Caravan tour. “I know I need to cut down strikeouts and continue to hit mistakes and hit fastballs, and that’s something that I think a lot of the guys who get to the big leagues understand, kind of, their swings."

With an absolutely loaded American League East division, the Orioles will need to be at full strength if they want to take the division title back from the New York Yankees. Baltimore is already a young, talented team but if the 21-year-old Jackson Holliday starts playing to his potential, we could see something special at Camden Yards this upcoming season. For what it's worth, the team believes in him enough to clear the runway for him to win a starting job this spring.