BALTIMORE -- Originally, Jackson Holliday was in the lineup for the Orioles’ 6-2 loss to the Rays at Camden Yards on Wednesday. However, one of his knees has been “banged up,” so interim manager Tony Mansolino erred on the side of caution.
Baltimore (74-84) is eliminated from postseason contention with only four games to go. If things were different, Holliday likely would have been at second base, as it’s the type of wear and tear many MLB players are dealing with in late September.
Plus, it’s been an especially long year for Holliday, who ranks second on the O’s in games played (146) and first in both at-bats (575) and plate appearances (636) in his sophomore big league campaign (also his first full MLB season).
“What we’ve asked of this kid this year has been a lot, and I do feel like he’s answered in a lot of ways,” Mansolino said. “The stress on this season in particular, how it’s been here in Baltimore this year and just not meeting expectations as a team, the pressure and stress and everything and having to play every day and be a focal point, lead off and be in the middle of the field every single day -- it’s a big ask for a 21-year-old kid.”
Only three players in Orioles history (since 1954) have gotten more plate appearances in their age-21 season or younger -- Manny Machado (710 at age-20 in 2013) and Hall of Famers Eddie Murray (666 at age-21 in 1977) and Cal Ripken Jr. (655 at age-21 in 1982).
“I think I’ve learned a lot,” Holliday said of his everyday role. “I’ve learned a lot of what I need to do in this offseason to improve, as far as going out there and getting better at defense and learning how to steal bases more efficiently and just getting stronger to be able to produce the whole year. ... I’ve taken away a lot from this year, and I’m happy with kind of how it’s gone for me, personally.”
Holliday has shown spurts of his offensive potential while slashing .245/.316/.381 with 21 doubles, three triples, 55 RBIs and a team-high 17 home runs. His speed has also been on display (17 stolen bases), though he’s also been caught stealing 11 times, a rate that must improve moving forward.
At the plate, Holliday has constantly been making adjustments, often to the positioning of his hands or his stance. He’s learned from conversations with the Orioles’ hitting coaches, with his dad -- former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday -- and with players around the league.
“You’ve got guys with a bunch of computers on the other side, and they’re trying to get you out every single time and they’re pitching to your weaknesses," Holliday said, "and you’re in there looking at your weaknesses and you know they’re going to pitch you a certain way. It’s just that cat-and-mouse game that everyone talks about. It’s definitely a real thing.”
Holliday’s defense (minus-0.5 dWAR) has been a step behind his offense (2.3 oWAR) in his development. But the youngster continues to get better at second -- which he didn’t learn until Spring Training 2024, after spending most of his life playing shortstop.
This spring, Holliday picked up tips on playing second from Orioles Hall of Famer Brian Roberts. The two recently chatted again during a road series in Toronto from Sept. 12-14 -- when Roberts was working as an analyst on the MASN broadcast -- and Holliday was encouraged to find out that Roberts once had similar struggles.
The biggest area to improve for Holliday is backhanded plays. But Mansolino -- who was previously the club’s third-base/infield coach -- has seen improvement. He’s also been enthused about Holliday’s ability to turn double plays, a skill that has “taken off” and puts him among the top 10 MLB second basemen at doing so in Mansolino’s eyes.
The all-around tools possessed by Holliday (No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2022 and MLB Pipeline’s former No. 1 overall prospect) can provide optimism about his future.
“That ceiling that was put upon him when he was drafted is unrealistic. Is he going to get there? He might,” Mansolino said. “I don’t think you can put that ceiling on anybody, I don’t think that’s fair. But if there is a kid that has the makeup and the mental fortitude to handle it, it’s Jackson.”
John Mabry, who has been a senior advisor to Baltimore’s coaching staff since June 1, has history with Holliday because his tenure as a St. Louis hitting coach overlapped with Matt Holliday’s stint playing for the Cardinals from 2012-16. Mabry saw potential in Jackson then, and he still does now.
“People rail on him a little bit, but why? He’s 21 years old and he’s growing,” Mabry said. “He’s put up some really good numbers for a young second baseman. He’s learning a new position that he hadn’t played a whole lot of.
“He’s going to be a cornerstone for this franchise going forward.”