Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday Blasts Grand Slam for 1st Home Run of MLB Career

Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, made quite the return to the Baltimore Orioles' lineup by crushing a 439-foot grand slam on Wednesday.

Apr 16, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) warms up in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

When he first reached the big leagues back in April, Jackson Holliday didn't find much success at the plate.

As it turned out, all Holliday needed to get up to speed was a few extra months in the minors, because he certainly came through against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

The Baltimore Orioles recalled the No. 1 prospect in baseball following the trade deadline, giving him a chance to redeem himself at the MLB level. In 10 big league appearances earlier this season, Holliday went just 2-for-34 with one RBI.

Holliday started at second base Wednesday and proceeded to ground out in his first two at-bats. His third plate appearance of the afternoon came with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth as Baltimore clung to a 4-3 lead.

After taking strike one and fouling off strike two, Holliday got a hold of a hanging slider from Yerry Rodriguez and showed why he had garnered so much hype to begin with. Holliday crushed the ball 109.2 miles per hour with 32-degree launch angle, sending it 439 feet to right for a grand slam.

It was the first home run of Holliday's career, on top of quintupling the Orioles' lead. Per MLB.com's Sarah Langs, he became the youngest player in Baltimore's franchise history to hit a grand slam.

JACKSON HOLLIDAY!

His first big league homer is a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/UhYSrT2MiQ

— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2024

Holliday is still batting just .077 with a .276 OPS as an Oriole, but the 20-year-old infielder was hitting .271 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, eight stolen bases and a .908 OPS through 73 games with Triple-A Norfolk this season.

The former No. 1 overall pick and son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday is the crown jewel of Baltimore's farm system, which has produced its fair share of young talent in recent years. Catcher Adley Rutschman, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, third baseman Jordan Westburg and outfielder Colton Cowser are all already everyday players, while Holliday and outfielder Heston Kjerstad are on the verge of breaking in themselves.

The Orioles went on to defeat the Blue Jays 10-4. Holliday finished the day 1-for-5 with a strikeout.

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