Former First Overall Pick Expected to Have Breakout Season for Baltimore Orioles

Will 2025 be the year that Jackson Holliday has a breakout season for the Baltimore Orioles?

Sep 18, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) swings through a third inning single against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It has been a busy but concerning offseason so far for the Baltimore Orioles.

Coming into the winter, the Orioles had a lot of question marks about what their team might look like in 2025. Two of their best players from 2024 were free agents Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, and there was a high likelihood that both wouldn’t be back.

That has already ended up being the case, as Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is a massive blow to Baltimore with him being the ace of the staff. There hasn’t been a replacement for the talented right-hander, and with someone of his skill level, there likely won’t be at this point.

Also, with the signing of Tyler O’Neill, it has become pretty clear that Anthony Santander will be playing on a different team next season.

Even though those are two massive losses in free agency, there is still a ton of talent on this team. Gunnar Henderson is a true star and should be in the MVP conversation for years to come. However, they are hoping that they will have a couple of other players break out as well into stardom.

Jake Rill of MLB.com recently spoke about Jackson Holliday being a potential breakout star for the Orioles in 2024. He highlighted that while he didn’t have a great start to his career, the young infielder has all the tools to be a star in the majors.

“The final numbers weren’t impressive, though he flashed his potential at times. He should take a big step forward in 2025, as the ‘22 No. 1 overall Draft pick has the tools to become a star player.”

It certainly wasn’t the start to a career that Holliday wanted. The former first-overall pick in the 2022 Draft wasn’t on the roster to start the season but was called up rather quickly. Unfortunately, he struggled and was sent back down to work on some things.

In the minors, he performed very well in 2024, totaling a .271 batting average and a ridiculously good .431 on-base percentage. However, that didn’t translate to the majors. Overall with the Orioles, he totaled a .190 batting average and had an on-base percentage of just .255.

Despite the struggles in his first campaign, Holliday can be a breakout star in his second year. There is a lot of talent around him in the lineup, and the young infielder has all the skills to live up to the high expectations.

With the recent departures of key players, Baltimore is certainly expecting Holliday to take a big step forward in 2025 and have a breakout campaign.