It’s been a mostly dark century for the Baltimore Orioles. However, the team moving into the light at last.
With an accumulation of young talent procured over recent seasons, the Baltimore Orioles are fielding a a roster stocked with budding superstars. One of those talents that many believe will become the best of them all is now on the board for his MLB career.
Jackson Holliday, baseball’s top-ranked prospect, was hitless in his first three games since being called up to the majors last week. That all changed on Sunday, as Holliday smacked his first MLB hit in the seventh inning of his team’s 6-4 defeat of the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Holliday went on to score the go-ahead run as the Baltimore Orioles rallied to avoid being swept at home by the hot-hitting Brewers.
Holliday’s Arrival with Baltimore Orioles Met with Much Optimism
The 20-year-old Holliday didn’t spend much time in the minor leagues after the Baltimore Orioles made him the top pick of the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft. A natural second baseman, Holliday played both second and shortstop in his quick rise through the minors.
Holliday tore up pitching from rookie ball to Triple-A, hitting .321 with 15 home runs, 93 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in 155 minor-league games. The native of Austin, Tex., passed up college, going straight into the MLB Draft after graduating from Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.
He was sent to Triple-A Norfolk despite posting an OPS of .954 in spring training. After hitting .333 with two homers and nine RBIs over 10 games at Norfolk, it was clearly time to bring him to the bigs.
In spite of not getting his first hit until Sunday, Holliday had contributed one RBI and two runs scored in his first three MLB games.
Baltimore Orioles Chock-Full of Young Talent
After being one of MLB’s power teams of the mid-60s through the mid-80s, the Baltimore Orioles fell on hard times after winning the last of the team’s three World Series crowns in 1983. After making six World Series appearances from 1966-1983, the team made just six playoff appearances from 1984-2023.
However, the youthful Baltimore Orioles went 101-61 last season, the club’s first 100-win campaign since 1980. That 43-year span featured four 100-loss seasons, including three in the past seven years.
Smart drafting through the recent seasons of woe have harvested a bumper crop of seemingly endless talent. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg have all marched through the minors, now making key contributions to the Baltimore Orioles. Holliday is just the latest as the future looks very bright indeed in “Balmer.”
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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