Jackson Holliday remembers being on the bus ride home from Fredericksburg, Virginia, after playing his last series with the Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds. His father, a seven-time MLB All-Star, texted him asking for an update if he had been called up yet. “Not yet,” he replied.
But when the bus arrived later that night on April 23, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick got the call that he would be promoted to High-A Aberdeen.
“It was cool,” Holliday said. “I guess he had a good sense for that. They were all excited.”
Holliday joined the IronBirds for a road trip that lasted the next two weeks and is finally set to make his Aberdeen debut at Ripken Stadium against the Hudson Valley Renegades on Tuesday night.
Through those first 10 road games at the new level, Holliday, the Orioles’ top prospect still in the minor leagues, is slashing .297/.435/.459 with an .894 OPS. He walked nine times and struck out 10.
For Holliday, the transition boils down to adjusting to better pitches.
“Just adjusting to how they pitch me and kind of the different shapes the pitches move the higher you go,” he said. “It’s been a little bit of an adjustment at the beginning but I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
Holliday didn’t offer any particular advice he has gotten since being called up. But Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the highly touted prospects who preceded him, offered guidance for riding the highs and lows of the minor leagues while Holliday was with the Orioles in spring training.
Aberdeen’s Leidos Field poses a new challenge for Holliday. The park has a reputation of not being friendly to hitters with its big outfield and turf surface.
He’s reframing that characteristic, quipping, “there’s a lot of space out in that outfield. I’m not looking at it as a negative. Home runs will happen.” He has hit three already this season — including one with the IronBirds on April 27.
Baseball America ranks Holliday as the sport’s No. 7 prospect, jumping eight spots from his initial preseason designation after he dominated at Low-A Delmarva by hitting .392 with a .523 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage, walking 14 times against 12 strikeouts and stealing three bases without being caught in 13 games this season.
With great expectations comes great fanfare. For Holliday, it’s about holding himself to a standard that kids want to emulate the same way he emulated his father, Matt Holliday, who enjoyed a 14-year MLB career.
The 19-year-old infielder has already been bombarded with autograph requests on the road, admitting he has signed countless baseball cards and other memorabilia. Aberdeen’s team store came prepared, selling Holliday’s No. 11 T-shirts in preparation for his home opener.
“My goal coming into the year was to try to get to Double-A, so I’d say this is a good start to be here in the fourth week of the season,” Holliday said. “Headed in the right direction, I guess. … The guys in Delmarva were awesome and the coaching staff was great, so I was kind of sad to wave goodbye to them. But I’m excited to be here and just trying to get out of here as fast as possible now. That’s the new goal.”
This story will be updated.
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