Everyone can see that Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday is blossoming right before our eyes -- except his team. This year's All-Star ballot standings as of June 23 and Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN's top-50 rankings of trade candidates bear that out.
The fans acknowledge Holliday's breakout campaign. Only Gleyber Torres of the Detroit Tigers has more votes among American League keystones, but the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve isn't far behind. Meanwhile, McDaniel and Passan's list features several competent Orioles players who could be on the move ahead of the July 31 deadline.
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Orioles aren't giving Jackson Holliday the respect that All-Star voters are
Some are reportedly more likely to be dealt than others, according to McDaniel and Passan, but six Orioles are mentioned. One of them is slugging designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn, who's comfortably pacing his position in the All-Star polls. Yet, despite the veteran (and Holliday) garnering attention for being productive, the insiders give him an 85 percent chance of getting moved.
For context, only Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox is more likely to get rerouted in McDaniel and Passan's eyes (90 percent). Five players have at least a 70 percent likelihood of being traded, and three of them are members of the Orioles. Baltimore figures to be a seller in the coming weeks as Holliday's first appearance in the MLB's glorified exhibition is seemingly imminent.
It's plausible, if not probable, that O'Hearn, outfielder Cedric Mullins (70 percent) and starting pitcher Zach Eflin (75 percent) aren't on the Orioles much longer. At least based on McDaniel and Passan's intel. But why now, when Holliday has been at the forefront of Baltimore's efforts to turn things around since firing manager Brandon Hyde?
Holliday has a higher batting average (.267), slugging percentage (.445) and OPS rate (.746) than his season-long numbers post-Hyde. He's hit one more home run (five) while yielding six more RBIs and four more steals during this stretch. And above all, the 21-year-old is helping drive winning, though the Orioles may be willing to throw in the towel. Baltimore is showing a blatant lack of faith in arguably its face of the franchise.
Baltimore has gone 19-16 in the first 35 games since dismissing Hyde in May and promoting Tony Mansolino to interim skipper. Holliday has not only maintained his level of production amid the turmoil but also slightly elevated it. Nonetheless, the Orioles are ostensibly prepared to wave the white flag on 2025.