It was only last season when the Jackson Holliday hype had captivated the MLB, taking it by storm. The game’s top prospect made his debut with the Baltimore Orioles shortly after opening week.
Having posted astounding stats during his two years as a professional, baseball fans expected a lot from Holliday; probably too much.
Unfortunately, the hype would quickly fade. In his first stint with the O’s, Holliday went 2-34 with two walks and 18 strikeouts. He would be optioned after only 10 games. Holliday would return for the last game of July and finish the season in the majors, but his .189 average and five home runs to end the year wouldn’t be enough to rekindle the excitement his callup had been met with.
This season, Holliday isn’t faring much better. The Orioles’ infielder is currently slashing .213/.229/.340/.570 with one home run and one walk through 47 at-bats entering Wednesday’s match against the Cleveland Guardians. Normally, players with star potential see enough at-bats to give them an opportunity to blossom. However, it seems the Orioles have already thrown in the towel.
Jackson Holliday continues to sit against lefties
In Tuesday’s match, Holliday spent the game on the bench. This instance follows a trend we’ve seen where manager Brandon Hyde sits Holliday when the team is set to take on a lefty.
It’s typically seen as common sense to pair right-handed hitters to face left-handed pitchers, but when giving a young player the chance to be an everyday starter, this is something you simply can’t do. Right now, it seems 2024’s top prospect has been reduced to a platoon role.
We have no idea if Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad can hit MLB quality left handed pitching, but we will never know if they aren’t allowed an opportunity to face it https://t.co/CEWoo6Xe1G
— Tim Barbalace (@TimBarbalace) April 16, 2025
On the year (entering Wednesday) and of his 48 plate appearances, Holliday has only come toe-to-toe with left-handers nine times.
But it seems the O’s are hampering both Holliday and themselves when benching him. Holliday’s on-base percentage against lefties (albeit in a small sample size) is .333. Against righties, this same stat sits at .205.
Regardless of his struggles, Holliday is only in his sophomore year. He will have plenty of opportunities to prove he is the star MLB fans once thought he was.
However, it seems he is fighting an uphill battle just to get a decent chance. After his grand slam on Wednesday, we’ll see if he is awarded more opportunities.
