This wouldn't be the first time – and certainly won't be the last – that the Orioles let Jackson Holliday down. Holliday is a former first-overall pick by Baltimore who was called up to the majors as a teenager. There were some growing pains, which shouldn't be surprising given his age, but Holliday is finally starting to round into form with the Orioles. This season, he is second in All-Star voting for the American League at second base. There's a good chance that changes with the next voting update set to be announced this week.
However, all is not well in Baltimore. The Orioles fired Brandon Hyde earlier this season, and while interim manager Tony Monsalino has righted the ship to some extent, Mike Elias will still likely be forced to sell off some assets this July in a lost season. Considering how talented and young this core is, that should scare Orioles fans. So should this note from Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who nearly no-hit Baltimore on Wednesday night.
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Orioles failed Jackson Holliday against Jacob deGrom
The Orioles were befuddled by two separate Rangers pitchers, but the same fashion. Let MLB.com's Paige Leckie explain:
"The night prior, Latz had used his changeup more than the O’s scouting reports had indicated, which made it harder for them to game plan. deGrom did the same thing, breaking out his changeup (which he tends to use more heavily his third time through the lineup) earlier -- including four of the offspeed offerings in the first inning," Leckie wrote.
deGrom even admitted as much, saying “looking at how lineups were attacking me, it’s a lot easier when you can sit two pitches, so just mix it up early and try to continue to mix it throughout the game." For the Rangers to fool the Orioles once is one thing, but one would hope their scouting department would pick up on such a trend for their next game against the same freaking team. Nope! deGrom had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning before it was broken up by Colton Cowser. Holliday was 0-for-3 in that game with a walk, so he was victimized by the Orioles poor scouting as well.
The Orioles have work to do this offseason
If anything has become clear this season in Baltimore, it's that the organization needs a revamp, starting in the dugout. The O's got a head start on that by firing Hyde, but there are more problems brewing beneath the surface.
Holliday will mask some of those problems as he develops. He's just that talented of a player, as was his father Matt. However, All-Star bids and personal accolades will only go so far. The Orioles have one of the best young cores in the sport, especially offensively. They are wasting a season of their primes, which should not be tolerated. Period.