Jackson Holliday Confident He Can Become Impact Player for Baltimore Orioles

After a disappointing debut season, the superstar prospect is confident he can become an impact player for the Baltimore Orioles like he was expected to be.

Sep 4, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) reacts while on the filed before the game against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have a lot to think about this offseason.

When being swept out of the playoffs for the second time in a row, the lineup full of rising star players disappointed again, creating some sense of panic regarding the ceiling of what they might be able to accomplish.

Of course that's a bit of a kneejerk reaction considering the age of the roster and how little experience they have relative to the other contenders around the league, however, something has to get figured out regarding the offensive output in October.

The Orioles have already made some alterations to their coaching staff following the comments made by Mike Elias and Brandon Hyde that hinted at potential changes coming down the line.

One thing Baltimore has to figure out is how to unlock Jackson Holliday.

Coming into the season, the consensus No. 1 prospect was seen as a "can't miss" player and someone who would walk into the Majors ready to hit whenever he got that call.

That largely didn't happen.

Holliday struggled mightily during his first stint, going 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts from April 10-23 before he was sent back down to Triple-A.

Despite a hot-hitting stretch where he blasted five home runs in his first 10 games after being recalled on July 31, the young infielder largely struggled by going 33-for-151 with 50 strikeouts in August and September that caused him to not play a single time in the Wild Card round.

Objectively, it was not the debut many expected.

But, it should also be pointed out he's only 20 years old and just completed his second full season of professional baseball.

There is still a ton of room to grow, and based on the high ceiling he was projected to have, there is good chance he becomes the impact player like many expect.

Holliday is not wavering in the confidence he has in himself.

In fact, he fully believes he's going to turn into that guy in 2025.

"This is my goal, to be in the big leagues obviously. What I have the whole offseason to work for is to be in the best position in spring training to be that guy, and I think that I can," he said per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Holliday likely will be the starting second baseman for the Orioles coming out of the spring, playing alongside AL MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson and All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg that gives Baltimore the potential to have a star-studded infield for years to come.

But he has to prove he can play.

The strikeouts are a real concern, and despite him flashing power at times, Holliday finished his rookie campaign with a .189/.255/.311 slash line across 60 games and 190 at-bats where he hit just five homers, 11 extra-base hits, and had only 23 RBI.

This offseason will be huge in his development, and whoever Elias and Hyde hires on the staff that might bring a change in offensive philosophy will also play a huge role in his career arc.