High-A no problem for No. 2 prospect Holliday

May 7th, 2023

Many Orioles hitting prospects struggle upon their arrival to High-A Aberdeen. Even Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson endured early slumps for the IronBirds.

Not Jackson Holliday, though.

Since being promoted to Aberdeen on April 24, Holliday is 11-for-37 (.297) with one double, one triple, one home run and four RBIs in 10 games. Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and MLB’s No. 10 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has also drawn nine walks to boost his on-base percentage to .435, and he is 4-for-5 on steal attempts.

Holliday, 19, has shown a maturity well beyond his years since he was selected by the O’s with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He held his own in big league Spring Training and tore up the Carolina League when he opened this season with Single-A Delmarva, including a .392/.523/.667 slash line with two homers and 15 RBIs in 13 games.

“He’s very advanced for his age in regards to his understanding of the game and his understanding of the professional lifestyle and work ethic,” Baltimore director of player development Matt Blood recently said of the son of former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday. “He’s been impressive in every aspect.”

So it’s not too surprising the South Atlantic League hasn’t proven to be a ton of trouble for Holliday. Entering Sunday, he had collected at least two hits in three of his past four games. That included a 2-for-4 showing on Saturday, when he had a pair of singles, two RBIs and a walk in Aberdeen’s 7-2 win at Brooklyn.

Here’s a look at several other top Orioles prospects who have fared well of late.

Triple-A Norfolk INF Jordan Westburg (Baltimore's No. 4 prospect, No. 66 overall)
Westburg has been on a tear for the Tides, hitting three homers over his past four games entering Sunday. His eight home runs this season are tied with Josh Lester for the team lead.

Over five games against Durham this week, Westburg went 9-for-21 (.429) with six RBIs. The 24-year-old infielder, who has an eight-game hitting streak, continues to make a strong case that he may be ready for his first promotion to the Majors.

In his first 25 games, Westburg slashed .346/.404/.615 and drove in 29 runs.

Triple-A Norfolk LHP DL Hall (Baltimore's No. 6 prospect, No. 87 overall)
After making a three-inning relief appearance for the Orioles during the first game of a doubleheader in Detroit on April 29, Hall returned to Norfolk and delivered his best start this year. The 24-year-old left-hander tossed five scoreless innings against Durham on Thursday, working around three hits and four walks while notching a season-high eight strikeouts.

Most notably, Hall threw 95 pitches, his most in a game since reaching 99 in a start for the Tides last Aug. 7. As he’s continued to build up, he’s posted solid numbers, recording a 3.38 ERA through his first five Triple-A starts of the year.

Double-A Bowie OF Heston Kjerstad (Baltimore's No. 5 prospect, No. 71 overall)
Kjerstad seems to always hit well, and that was again the case this week. The 24-year-old homered in back-to-back games against Erie on Thursday and Friday, and he now has eight homers through his first 23 contests with Bowie this season.

Over his past five games entering Sunday, Kjerstad went 8-for-23 (.348) with five extra-base hits and five RBIs. He also collected multiple knocks in three straight contests entering Sunday.

Double-A Bowie LHP Cade Povich (Baltimore's No. 12 prospect)
Povich, who was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 24-30, continues to rack up strikeouts. The 23-year-old left-hander fanned seven in his start against Erie on Friday, when he allowed four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings.

It was the fourth consecutive outing in which Povich struck out seven or more. He’s registered 34 punchouts in 21 2/3 innings over five starts for the Baysox this season.