Orioles Superstar Prospect Hits First Major League Home Run in Grand Fashion

It had to feel like a long time coming, but the Baltimore Orioles superstar prospect Jackson Holliday hit his first career home run in a grand way.

Apr 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) jogs to the dugout during the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

During Spring Training, there was a lot of national attention on what was taking place within the Baltimore Orioles camp.

Not only were they a surprise team last season when they burst onto the scene to win the most games in the American League, but also because their highly-touted prospect Jackson Holliday was vying for an Opening Day roster spot.

The No. 1 overall pick out of high school vaulted his way up through their pipeline, reaching Triple-A to close out the year in his first full season of professional baseball.

It was only a matter of time before the consensus top prospect in the sport would be playing Major League Baseball, but many wanted it to come as soon as Game 1in 2024.

That didn't happen, but it didn't take long for him to get called up to The Show.

Unfortunately, Holliday struggled immensely during his first stint, going 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts across his 10 games that ultimately forced the organization to send him back down to Triple-A.

But after getting more reps against pitching slightly removed from the MLB level, the Orioles felt comfortable he did the necessary things he needed to do so that he could be in the mix on their roster for the back half of the season.

Baltimore called him up on Wednesday and had him in the lineup for their game.

It didn't take long for Holliday to show off what he can truly do.

In the fifth inning, after two groundouts to start the contest, the superstar prospect hit his first career Major League home run, and it came in grand fashion.

JACKSON HOLLIDAY!

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

— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2024

With the bases loaded, Holliday blasted one 439 feet over the right field wall, giving the Orioles an 8-3 lead against their divisional foe Toronto Blue Jays.

Not only was it important in this game because it gave them a cushion, but it is huge for the confidence of the young player and organization as a whole.

There were some evaluators who no longer considered Holliday to be the consensus top prospect in the sport after he struggled during his first stint in the Majors, but inside the building, they were still confident that the 20-year-old would become the player many project him to be.

Hitting a grand slam for his first Major League home run is certainly a way to announce himself during his second stint with Baltimore.