Jackson Holliday may not see the majors again this season and it's only partially his fault
Jackson Holliday was the hottest prospect in baseball coming into the 2024 season. The 20-year-old second baseman was bound to get his shot in the majors despite his age. And get his shot he did ... it just didn't go as he or the Baltimore Orioles planned.
Holliday was 2-of-34 during his 10 game-stint with the Orioles. Baltimore didn't have much of a choice but to admit he wasn't ready and send him back down to the minors.
On Wednesday, the No. 1 prospect in MLB told Scott German of the Augusta Free Press that he doesn't think he's "far off" a return to the majors.
The problem for Holliday is his own performance might not be enough to earn him another call up this year (and he hasn't necessarily lit the world on fire for Norfolk). That's because Jorge Mateo has made himself undroppable at second base.
Jorge Mateo could keep Jackson Holliday from getting another Orioles call up
Jorge Mateo gives the O’s the LEAD! pic.twitter.com/CaviTY3Kl0
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 1, 2024
Mateo was the hero on Friday, hitting the RBI double that broke the deadlock against the Rampa Bay Rays. The Orioles celebrated a 3-1 win because of that hit.
The game-winning moment gave Orioles fans and media a great opportunity to reflect on how important Mateo has become this season.
Jorge Mateo has meant so much to this Orioles team this season and the stats won’t tell the whole story
— 𝙆am Brice (@kambrice1tv) June 1, 2024
Jorge Mateo has turned the corner y’all a lot of #Birdland is eating crow! Orioles up 3-1!
— BasedIn410 (@Based_In410) June 1, 2024
Jorge Mateo I take back everything bad I ever said about you! You beautiful sob #birdland pic.twitter.com/Z2qrD8JUrT
— Eutaw Street Ramblings (@EutawSTRamblin) June 1, 2024
I’m so here for the Jorge Mateo domination
— Freddie (@FreddieTheOsFan) June 1, 2024
It would have been surprising for those same fans to imagine Mateo being this effective just a few months ago. As Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun laid out, Mateo was "by far the worst hitter in baseball" in the last five months of the 2023 season. He literally ranked last in MLB with a .472 OPS while slashing .179/.228/.244.
"Now, it's hard to imagine a lineup without his name in it," Meyer tweeted.
Which brings us to Holliday. His path back to the majors looks a lot steeper with Mateo playing as well as he is. The 28-year-old Dominican has a natural edge on the defensive side over Holliday and now he has his bat contributing in meaningful ways as well.
Injuries could obviously lead to an opening for Holliday to come back it. Short of that kind of misfortune, the Orioles don't have a lot of incentive to rush the youngster back. He's not even 21 yet. Protecting him from the pressures of the MLB for a while longer would be a gift.
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