That didn't take long.
No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday hit his first professional home run Friday in the Florida Complex League to lead his FCL Orioles to a 7-1 win over the FCL Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader in Bradenton.
The homer -- a solo shot -- came in the final frame when the left-handed slugger drove a pitch from right-handed reliever Miguel Diaz out to right. Starting at shortstop and batting out of the second spot in the O’s lineup, Holliday finished 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored, on top of the dinger.
It’s been a hot start to pro ball for the 18-year-old son of Matt Holliday. The Oklahoma native has picked up hits in each of his first five FCL games, going 6-for-15 (.400) with five walks and only one strikeout in that span. Friday’s fifth-inning double marked his first career extra-base hit, only for him to add another two frames later.
Baltimore selected Holliday, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 Draft prospect, with the No. 1 overall pick last month and signed him to an $8.19 million bonus, the second-largest in Draft history.
His sweet left-handed swing could make him a plus hitter by the time he makes the Majors, and as he proved Friday, he has the strength and capability to show at least above-average power. Mix in plus speed and good defense from a premium position, and Holliday first cracked MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 at No. 14 this week. Only No. 2 Gunnar Henderson and No. 4 Grayson Rodriguez rank higher in a loaded Orioles system.