Orioles’ Jackson Holliday Contributes To Orioles Win On Debut

Young prospect Jackson Holliday made his long-awaited MLB debut for the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. He went hitless in four at-bats. Despite the slow start, Holliday remained cheerful after the game, which the Orioles won 7-5 over the Red Sox.

“Obviously, I would have liked to have gotten a few hits, but the overall experience was pretty incredible,” Holliday said. “To go out there and win and have an RBI, it’s pretty awesome just to be here.”

Holliday’s RBI came on a groundout in the sixth inning, which helped Baltimore erase a 5-0 deficit with seven unanswered runs. The reigning AL East champions improved to 7-4 in the division, inching closer to the 10-3 Yankees.

The 20-year-old infielder wore No. 7 in his MLB debut to honor his father, retired MLB star Matt Holliday. As the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday is the newest addition to an Orioles roster stacked with young talent. 

Like many of Baltimore’s prospects recently, Holliday flew through the minor league ranks, progressing from Single-A to Triple-A in the span of the 2023 season. He batted .333 to begin his 2024 season in the minors, encouraging management enough to call him up.

Last season, Baltimore made a surprising run to the postseason with almost no veteran leadership, depending instead on the talents of rising stars like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. The Orioles won 101 games but lost to the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, but the team is firmly established as one to watch for the foreseeable future.

With Henderson already at shortstop, Holliday began his MLB career at second base, though there could be further shuffling in the infield. An abundance of talent is a good problem for a team that is well ahead of schedule in its rebuilding efforts. Signing ace pitcher Corbin Burnes in the offseason shows that the team is quickly developing championship aspirations.

Article by Patrick Moquin