Inside The Orioles

Orioles Young Superstar Quietly Having Fantastic Spring Training

The Baltimore Orioles superstar has turned a new leaf this spring, entering the regular season with a ton of momentum.

Dylan Sanders

Mar 14, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) is congratulated in the dugout after he scored a run during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium.
Mar 14, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jackson Holliday (7) is congratulated in the dugout after he scored a run during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Orioles did not have best luck with their rookie last season, but one of the strugglers is looking like he has a new attitude this spring.

Jackson Holliday was one of the most anticipated rookies from last season and did not have the debut year that anyone had hoped for.

Holliday posted just a .190/.255/.311 slash line with five home runs in 60 games. It was obvious to not write him off, but that is still a very weak start to his MLB career, even if he picked up some steam in the second half of last season.

The good news is that he was still able to mash against Triple-A pitching, so there was still hope.

He enters the year as the starting second baseman and without rookie status. The Orioles need him to turn things around, and fast.

The 21-year-old has entered this spring with a vengeance and looks much closer to the player that was promised as a prospect.

Through 43 plate appearances, he has posted a .308/.372/.462 slash line with a home run and five RBI.

Holliday was never expected to become a true home run hitter, so the hit tool coming into form is enough. He has had at least a single hit in eight of their last 10 games.

One of the most underrated sequences of his spring came during Tuesday's matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Holliday went just 1-for-4 on the day, but it was what he did while on base that was promising. He reached on an infield single and then stole second and third base on back-to-back pitches. That allowed him to come home on a Jordan Westburg single.

It is clear that the infielder is lightning fast, but he needs to use it more to his advantage. He stole just four bases in 60 games last season.

Back in 2023 in the minors, he stole 24 bases, but was caught nine times. Baltimore needs him to find that aggression again, as he can unlock a new dimension for their offense.

The Orioles finished in the bottom half of the league in stolen bases last year. Holliday could help mend that.

He also has a higher ceiling defensively than he has shown thus far, so there is still some growing he needs to do with his glove this year.

If Holliday gets back even close to what his potential is for this season, he could be a very dangerous player to have in the bottom half of the lineup.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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