SARASOTA, Fla. -- Jackson Holliday scooped up the ground ball hit to second base, then quickly flipped it to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who came across the bag and threw on to first. Then, Holliday did it again. And again.
As the Orioles’ cornerstone infielders worked on turning double plays on Tuesday morning at Ed Smith Stadium, a former Baltimore up-the-middle pairing stood nearby. Brian Roberts (an Oriole from 2001-13) and J.J. Hardy (‘11-17) were both in camp as guest coaches earlier this week, their stints in Sarasota overlapping.
Roberts and Holliday have some similarities. They were each lifelong shortstops who moved to second base once they got to the big leagues.
As Roberts watched Holliday feed balls to Henderson, the 47-year-old Orioles Hall of Famer noticed something: Holliday’s footwork at second still looked like that of a shortstop.
“When you’re playing normal second base with nobody on, it’s really not that much different [from shortstop]. Everything is moving to your left either way,” Roberts said. “If you’re at short, you’re going to your left to throw to first. Second, kind of the same thing. It’s super easy.
“It’s the double plays, because now all of a sudden, you’re going to your right. Everything is moving to the right, where at shortstop, nothing moves to the right. He tends to get his feet crossed up a little bit, so his right foot in front of his left trying to feed at second base, whereas we’re trying to just square his feet up a little bit so that you don’t get that right foot quite as far in front, which makes feeding a little bit more difficult.”
Roberts passed along the tip, which he learned from former O’s coach Sam Perlozzo in the mid-2000s. Holliday -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft whose dad is seven-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday -- is always willing to learn and try new techniques, remaining humble despite his pedigree. So he took Roberts’ advice in stride.
Not only that, but Holliday then modified his footwork and immediately nailed it.
“One ground ball later, it looked amazing,” Hardy said. “I’m like, ‘Golly.’ To be able just to do it like that that quick is awesome. Pretty special.”
Holliday’s defense at second has been a work in progress. The 21-year-old didn’t get many reps there before Spring Training last year. He then spent an entire season learning the position, making 52 of his 53 big league starts there during his rookie campaign in 2024.
Everybody can tell that Holliday is more comfortable at second a year later, including Roberts, who was also a guest coach last spring. But there are always ways to get better, and that’s what Holliday is trying to do, especially with his double-play form.
“I want to be as accurate as possible. So when I do close myself off, it takes a little bit more into my arm opposed to into my lower half and it can be a little bit less accurate,” Holliday said. “It’s important to be able to turn a double play in the big leagues and get it over to Gunnar as consistent and in the same spot as possible.”
Holliday was familiar with Roberts even before last year’s Spring Training because of his dad’s relationships with former players throughout baseball. The two also recently spent time talking about basestealing, watching video on spring mornings alongside Orioles first-base coach Anthony Sanders.
Last year, Holliday hit five home runs from July 31-Aug. 10, showcasing his power potential -- something he did again Friday, when he ripped a Statcast-projected 378-foot two-run homer as part of a 2-for-3 showing in Grapefruit League action during a 13-10 win vs. the Twins in Fort Myers. However, he swiped only four bases in the Majors last season.
Holliday is hoping to better utilize his speed in 2025, and who better to learn from than Roberts, who had 285 career stolen bases, including an American League-high 50 in ‘07?
“Definitely a guy that is a whole lot of fun to learn from,” Holliday said. “It’s unbelievable to be able to pick his mind and J.J.’s mind, and it’s been a whole lot of fun having him here.”
Roberts, meanwhile, was impressed by the humility of all the players throughout Baltimore’s clubhouse. Even from those who have become stars (such as Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg) and those who are on their way, like Holliday.
“We’re sitting out there with Gunnar. I mean, he doesn’t need to listen to any of us, right?” Roberts said. “Technically, he could be like, ‘Go jump in the water, I couldn’t care less what you say.’ But he’s motivated, he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He soaks in what J.J. tells him like a sponge. Same with Jackson. I mean, he doesn’t have to listen to me. He’s been [the first pick in the Draft] overall. Like, what do I have to tell him necessarily? …
“They’re all the same. They’re just humble guys that want to get better.”