The Baltimore Orioles recalled infielder Jackson Holliday from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, and it didn’t take long for him to begin making amends for his first tour of the majors (an introduction that lasted all of 10 games back in April). Indeed, Holliday launched his first MLB home run in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays — and did so in the form of a grand slam. Take a look:
According to Statcast, Holliday’s big fly had a 109.2 mph exit velocity and traveled 439 feet. It would’ve been a home run in all 30 of MLB’s ballparks.
Holliday, 20, went 2 for 34 with 18 strikeouts and two walks during that stretch. He’s since batted .259/.421/.455 with eight home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts across 63 Triple-A contests. It’s worth noting that he missed some time in June because of right elbow inflammation. Holliday has performed better since returning, posting a .932 OPS with 12 extra-base knocks in 23 games.
“On offense trying to cut down swing and miss, especially on fastballs,” Holliday said of what he worked on during his time on the farm. “It’s important to hit strikes and that is the main goal. Flatten out the swing a little bit and getting back to what I was doing last year. Just a little bit different of a setup, little bit more (involvement with) legs. Trying to make adjustments to get back up here, so happy with it.”
Holliday entered the season ranked by CBS Sports as the No. 1 prospect in the sport. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Holliday should not be able to exceed expectations. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, and his father Matt was a seven-time All-Star. He should be burdened with unobtainable forecasts. Yet Holliday has consistently bested the best-case scenario since his high school senior year. In his first full professional season, he blazed through three levels, closing out with an 18-game stint in Triple-A. There, he batted .267/.396/.400 with a 90 mph average exit velocity. He was 19 years old. All of Holliday’s indicators, statistical and otherwise, are neon green. He has every tool and intangible necessary to become a star, even if he might require some time to upscale his power from the “gap” to the “over-the-fence” variety. (He needs to add more muscle and loft.) Given his demonstrated ability to overachieve, it would be foolish to bet against him making an impact at the big-league level in 2024. There is, in our estimation, simply no better prospect in the minor leagues.
Holliday is the latest in a list of additions to Baltimore’s 26-player roster. At the trade deadline, the Orioles added Eloy Jiménez, Cristian Pache, Austin Slater, Zach Eflin, Trevor Rogers, Seranthony Domínguez, and Gregory Soto.
Soto was also activated Wednesday, while catcher Blake Hunt and INF/OF Terrin Vavra were both optioned to Triple-A.
