Orioles mishandling of top prospect not named Jackson Holliday could haunt them

Not only are the Baltimore Orioles a juggernaut right now, but they're a team that could get even better in the future as they have one of, if not the best farm system in the league.

Jackson Holliday, the biggest name in that farm system, finally got his first chance in the majors in April but struggled mightily. He had just two hits in 34 at-bats and struck out in exactly half (18) of his plate appearances (36). The Orioles sent him back down to AAA Norfolk to work on some things.

Now, another Orioles' top prospect, Heston Kjerstad, was sent back down to the minors as well, but in completely different circumstances. The Orioles completely mishandled Kjerstad, and that could come back to haunt them.

Orioles mishandling of Heston Kjerstad could cost them in the long run

The Orioles promoted Kjerstad to the majors on April 23, and for good reason. He was absolutely tearing up the minor leagues. He had a 1.176 OPS and hit 10 home runs in 21 games and 86 at-bats. The expectation was that Kjerstad would find his way into the lineup mostly every day, particularly against right-handed pitching, much like they did with Holliday.

Turns out, Kjerstad rarely saw the field. The 25-year-old appeared in seven of Baltimore's 17 games since his recall and started just four of them. He did struggle, recording just two hits in 14 at-bats with six strikeouts, but can you blame him? This top prospect who is used to playing every single day never even started two games in a row.

Both Holliday and Kjerstad struggled in their MLB stints this season, but Holliday was given the chance to play just about every day. They sent him down in part because they didn't want him sitting on the bench. Kjerstad, on the other hand, rarely saw the field. He wasn't given close to the same opportunity Holliday was.

In Baltimore's defense, they don't really have anyone he can bring to the bench. Kjerstad is a corner outfielder. The Orioles have guys like Ryan O'Hearn, Colton Cowser, Anthony Santander, and Austin Hays who deserve playing time. They're loaded. There's a reason that they're 26-13. However, bringing up a top prospect only to rarely ever play him for three weeks and then send him back down makes no sense.

Eventually, the Orioles will have to pick a direction. They have to either start Kjerstad in the majors regularly and trade some of the MLB depth that they have right now to clear space, or they need to trade Kjerstad to help fill a different need. Sitting him on the bench and playing him in the minors when he's proven he's MLB-ready doesn't accomplish anything.