The Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday with the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. One year later, he is already thriving in High-A. After ending 2022 13th on MLB’s top 100 prospects list, Holliday now finds himself at number one.
Jackson Holliday Prospect Profile
Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 65
Hit Tool
As is the case with most top-position player prospects, Holliday’s bat is his premier tool. He began his professional career by hitting .409 in the Florida Complex League in 2022. Holliday then appeared to be challenged after earning an August call-up to Single-A Delmarva, seeing his average dip to .238. In Holliday’s second stint in Delmarva, he showed great progress. He hit .396 with two homers and 16 RBI before receiving a promotion to High-A Aberdeen after just 14 games. Since then, the shortstop has continued to excel with the bat. Holliday has a .970 OPS between both levels this year with seven homers. This is after he hit only one home run through 90 plate appearances last season. Still, at just 19 years old, this is an encouraging sign that Holliday is tapping into his power potential.
One skill that separates Holliday from other prospects is his elite plate discipline. In 54 High-A games this year, he has walked 48 times to fuel a .440 OBP. That is good for the best mark of all qualified batters in High-A. This is an indication that Holliday has not been overmatched in a league where he is three years younger than the average player. When asked about the adjustment to a higher level, Holliday stated “The quality of pitches is definitely different. Guys will be able to throw their curveballs in any count. And just the quality of stuff is a little bit better, being able to pitch a little bit differently.”
Speed Doesn’t Slump
Holliday contributes outside the batter’s box as well. He has 20 stolen bases halfway through 2023. Similarly to his power, this also represents a significant change from Holliday’s 2022 in which he swiped just four bags. However, the tradeoff for more stolen bases has been more failed attempts. Holliday has been thrown out seven times for a stolen base success rate of 74%. As the MLB average success rate is 79%, Holliday could become a more efficient base stealer by choosing better situations to run. Nonetheless, the left-handed hitter’s speed and hitting ability blend yield 30/30 potential.
Shortstop of the Future
Defensively, Holliday has seen the majority of time at shortstop. He has also played a handful of games at second base and one at third. Holliday’s fielding and throwing both grades out as plus and he could likely play any infield position in the big leagues. It appears, though, that the Orioles see him as a long-term shortstop.
Though Holliday is one of the minor leagues’ most preeminent bats, he is likely at least a year away from the big leagues. It is often said that the jump to Double-A is the most difficult in the minors, and Holliday is yet to take that step. Given his current pace, it is only a matter of time before Holliday takes the field for Double-A Bowie but he is still just 19 years of age. Young hitters frequently need time to adjust. In many ways, Holliday is very similar to former top prospect Gunnar Henderson who did not debut until his age 21 season. It is quite possible the Orioles have a similar path planned out for Holliday. It may not be long before Orioles fans see Henderson and Holliday manning the left side of the infield in Baltimore.
Main photo credits:
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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