Tony Kemp Shares Jackson Holliday Story After Orioles' Top Prospect Replaces Him on Roster

Karl Rasmussen | Apr 10, 2024

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

MLB's No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday is set to make his debut for the Baltimore Orioles in Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox after earning a promotion from Triple-A Norfolk.

Plenty of eyes will be on Holliday as the sport's most revered prospect gets his first taste of the majors. Among those who figure to be watching is veteran infielder Tony Kemp, who was with the Orioles until Holliday's promotion but was designated for assignment in order to make room on the roster.

While some may hold something of a grudge against a player who replaced them on the roster, that was far from the case for Kemp. The 32-year-old took to social media to classily wish Holliday good luck in his debut, and even shared a brief anecdote about his first encounter with baseball's top prospect, dating back to 2010 when Holliday would've been around seven years old.

"In the fall of 2010, our college had a series against the Longhorns for a three-game set," Kemp wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Our hitting coach at the time was Josh Holliday and his brother, Matt, brought his kid to our early practice. I remember watching his son [Jackson] with a sweet lefty swing.

"Go get em’ kid!"

In the fall of 2010, our college had a series against the Longhorns for a 3 game set. Our hitting coach at the time was Josh Holliday and his brother, Matt, brought his kid to our early practice. I remember watching his son @J_Holliday7 with a sweet lefty swing. Go get em’ kid!

— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp) April 10, 2024

Kemp's time in Baltimore was short lived, as he made just five appearances for the Orioles before getting DFA'd. He displayed nothing but class during his exit from the organization, taking the time to shout out Holliday as the rookie begins what has the potential to be a prolific career.