Baltimore Orioles Coach Speaks Out on Jackson Holliday's Progress

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday has been on a hot streak and a coach spoke out about his progress.

Aug 10, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

When Jackson Holliday first came up to the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this season, he struggled in a big way. Those struggles led to him being sent back down to the Triple-A level.

After being sent back down, Holliday got right back to work. He didn't led the demotion get him down and instead used it as motivation.

Due to his hard work, he was called up back up and played his first game back on July 31st.

In that return to the Orioles, Holliday smacked a grand slam. He signaled that he is looking to be back to stay.

On the season, Holliday has now played in 21 games. In the month of August, he has been batting .257/.333/.629 to go along with four home runs and eight RBI. He has become a key piece of the Baltimore lineup.

At just 20 years old, Holliday hasn't even come close to reaching his full potential. He has legitimate superstar potential for the future and he is showing major flashes of that potential right now.

Throughout the process, Holliday has been taking major strides in his development. An Orioles' coach, co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller, spoke out about Holliday's situation.

“Wisdom comes through experience. No matter how many times you tell the Triple-A guys it’ll be a little bit different, the pitchers will be a little bit better, you come up here, you experience it. And then, for the guys like Colton, for Jackson, you go back down and you have a plan in place and wider base, stronger positions for his body to be in. And then everything’s just a little bit smaller. His leg kick, his hand positioning, the moves are a little bit smaller, so you just get that little bit of time to make better decisions. Yesterday, that sinker that he hit out, it was a micro-adjustment if you look at that swing. Just a little bit more adjustable, stronger positions, giving him a little bit more time. It’s a credit to the development staff going down to Triple-A and making those adjustments, and when coming back here, learning from that experience and being really good right now.”

Clearly, the move paid off for Holliday and Baltimore.

Looking ahead to the future, Holliday will be a key part of a team whose World Series window should stay open for a long time. The Orioles have built the right way and are stacked with young talent, especially in their lineup.

Despite all of the trade rumors surrounding Holliday just a few weeks back, they stayed true to the process. Holliday is rewarding them for their continued belief in his ability.