Jackson Holliday loses coveted No. 1 prospect status amid Orioles MiLB struggles

The Jackson Holliday Hype Train did not arrive at the station on time. It stalled a few miles back, and there are mechanics hard at work to get it back up and running.

The Baltimore Orioles called up the 20-year-old Holliday for his much-anticipated MLB debut on April 10. He lasted about two weeks, slashing .059/.111/.059 with two hits and one RBI in 34 AB. It was rough, and the Orioles quickly optioned him back to Triple-A Norfolk with a long list of action items to work on.

We all expected Holliday to go right back to pummeling Triple-A pitchers, but that has not been the case. His slump has carried over from MLB to MiLB, with Holliday's stats since the demotion looking rather grim.

Is it time to start panicking in Baltimore?

No, of course not. But Holliday has lost his stranglehold on the coveted title of MLB's No. 1 prospect. At least at ESPN, where Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes now occipies poll position.

Paul Skenes surpasses Jackson Holliday as MLB's No. 1 overall prospect

It's hard to argue with results. Holliday was called up to the MLB and he looked completely out of his depth. Skenes, on the other hand, already looks like one of the league's most dominant aces. In two starts for the Pirates, the 21-year-old Skenes has allowed six hits and three earned runs across 10.0 innings pitched. He has a comical 18 strikeouts during that timeframe.

At his current rate, Skenes could earn a few stray Cy Young votes at season's end. Maybe that's a bit lofty and unrealistic, but he's very clearly a big-league starter. The same cannot be said for Holliday. Not yet.

That is okay, of course. These rankings aren't necessarily based on MLB readiness, but on long-term upside and value to a player's respective franchise. Holliday, again, is 20. He has so much time to get out of his current slump and implement improvements based on his experience in the majors. Even though he wasn't productive, Holliday's brief Orioles stint was undoubtedly informative. He should look better the next time he's called up, whether it's this season or next.

A basic understanding of statistics tells us to be weary of outliers — on both ends of the spectrum. Skenes will eventually hit a bump in the road with Pittsburgh. Holliday, meanwhile, is going to start swinging the bat better at some point. He remains a completely absurd athlete, flashing his leather at shortstop and wreaking havoc on the base paths. Once the timing and power comes back, Holliday will remind folks why he was the No. 1 pick in 2022.

In the meantime, Baltimore is 29-17, which is two games behind New York in the AL East standings and fourth-best in all of baseball. This is one of the deepest teams in the league, top to bottom, from the big leagues down to the farm system. The Orioles can afford to proceed patiently with Holliday and make sure he doesn't skip steps.