Baltimore Orioles Star Officially Has Officially Graduated from Prospect Status

The days of Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday being baseball’s top prospect has come to an end.

Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman (25) at second base during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is no longer baseball’s No. 1 prospect.

On Thursday night MLB Pipeline reported that Holliday, who has been baseball’s top prospect for the last two years, graduated from its rankings based on service time.

Texas Rangers pitching prospect Kumar Rocker moved into the Top 100 with the graduation. Coby Mayo also became the Orioles’ No. 1 prospect.

Thus ends the Holliday era of leading MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings. He’s been the game’s No. 1 overall prospect since at least the start of the 2023 season.

In his first pro season he blazed through the Orioles’ minor league system as the former high school star and No. 1 overall pick in 2022 went from rookie ball to Triple-A Norfolk.

He slashed .323/.442/.499/.941 with 30 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs and 75 RBI.  

Holliday had a terrific spring training, but Baltimore opted to start him back at Norfolk. He was called up in mid-April but he had trouble translating his great play in the minors to the Majors.

The Orioles sent him back to Norfolk to work on his swing, specifically hitting left-handed pitching. He posted quality numbers — slashing .271/.431/.477/.908 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 73 games.

After Baltimore made some moves at the trade deadline, along with the injury to Jorge Mateo, Baltimore called Holliday up again. He’s only batting .212 with four home runs and 14 RBI in August, but he’s getting regular playing time and has done several things that most 20-year-old baseball players haven’t.

He recently became the third-youngest player in baseball history to have three RBI on a pinch-hit, per MLB’s Sarah Langs.

On Aug. 8 he became the youngest player in American League history to homer in three straight games. That was a go-ahead home run with an exit velocity of 109 mph.

A week ago he became the second-youngest Orioles player to have four hits in a game. The legendary Brooks Robinson is the only one younger than Holliday to do it.

Mayo now takes over at the top of the prospect ladder in Baltimore, and he moved up to No. 9 overall with Holliday’s graduation. The infielder made his Major League debut earlier this year and has 17 MLB at-bats. But he’s the next infielder in the pipeline for the Orioles, and he’s had a great season at Norfolk.

This year he’s slashed .302/.378/.609/.987 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI. It’s only a matter of time before he graduates from the rankings.