Orioles GM’s comments sound like a challenge to Jackson Holliday after option
By Lior Lampert
The Baltimore Orioles demoted their top prospect, infielder Jackson Holliday, to Triple-A after a disappointing start to his big league career.
After a blistering spring training performance, Holliday failed to replicate the production in MLB, putting the Orioles in a position to decide to send him back to the minors. But instead of dwelling on the early struggles, Baltimore general manager Mike Elias is using this as fuel to motivate and challenge the talented, albeit inexperienced 20-year-old, as evidenced by his recent comments.
Orioles GM challenges Jackson Holliday after option
"This game up here, people attack your weaknesses," Elias said, per USA TODAY's MLB insider Bob Nightengale. "Until you stop showing them to be weaknesses."
Elias is deploying a constructive criticism tactic to encourage Holliday to continue working on his game and hone his craft, pointing out that the infielder has shortcomings he must build on to prevent teams from picking on and exposing him, putting him in a better position to succeed next time he gets his chance.
As Nightengale points out, scouts and executives around the league feel that the gap in skill between the MLB and Triple-A "is the largest they can remember," as evidenced by Holliday's first 10 games in the majors.
Holliday produced two hits and one RBI with a .059/.111/.059 slash line across 36 plate appearances, striking out 18 times, before being optioned to Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate -- the Norfolk Tides.
The Orioles are not letting a 10-game sample size deter their long-term plans for Holliday and his role as a core piece of the franchise moving forward, and Elias' remarks suggest the club is confident he will turn things around sooner than later. Maybe the pressure to succeed after being called up to make his highly anticipated pro debut rattled him, and having some time back in the minors can clear his mind. That is what Baltimore's front office appears to be betting on and hoping for.
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