Why Orioles Star Prospect Holliday Continues to Still Be Viewed as Top Guy

Despite some changing opinions about prospects across the country, Baltimore Orioles superstar youngster Jackson Holliday continues to be viewed in a favorable light.

Apr 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) takes batting practice prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the year, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that the Baltimore Orioles' superstar prospect Jackson Holliday was the No. 1 minor league player in all of baseball.

Ranked as the consensus top guy across multiple ranking services, he was viewed as someone who could break through with this talented roster in 2024.

That was a major storyline during Spring Training as his performances were covered in the vain of if he was doing enough to impress the front office and coaching staff to be in consideration for a roster spot coming out of camp.

He didn't make the Opening Day roster, but was given an opportunity to showcase what he could do at the Major League level when called up April 10. Unfortunately, things didn't go as anyone planned as Holliday went 2-for-34 before getting sent back down to Triple-A.

Following that stint, there were many people who started to question the viability of keeping the talented 20-year-old as the No. 1 prospect in the sport.

Baseball America bumped new pitching sensation Paul Skenes up to the top spot before he graduated from prospect status. After that, they put James Woods over Holliday, listing the Orioles star at No. 2.

That's nothing to sneeze at, and it certainly doesn't mean Baltimore doesn't have a talented prospect, but it certainly is notable that Holliday is no longer the consensus top guy.

However, there is one major publication who hasn't changed their stance on the superstar youngster. MLB Pipeline continues to list him at the top and hasn't budged on their stance.

Roch Kubatko of MASN reported what has made Jim Callis not differ when it comes to how they view Holliday.

"I don't think so. [The big league struggles] were so brief. Look, he is still 20 and that is the biggest thing ... Now if Jackson Holliday had gotten 200 at-bats and he hit .120 with a 30 percent strikeout rate, then I think it would be, 'Oh man, what is going on here?' But he is still young, so you wouldn't bury him," Callis said.

How much anyone wants to take away from his time in the Majors is subjective.

There wasn't a lot of time given to the infielder so he could figure things out and adjust to MLB pitching. The Orioles were in the midst of a tight division race, and expected to be going forward, so they didn't have the luxury of giving him a long leash.

Still, among all the positives, there was a little bit of a concern for Callis by what he saw.

"I think the biggest surprise with his MLB struggles is not that he went 2-for-34, but he did strike out 18 times and that was kind of shocking," he said.

If Holliday was in another situation, things might have turned out differently during his first stint.

But what Baltimore did with him is how they have operated with many of their top prospects during the past couple years: if they aren't ready to play immediately they get sent down.

And while things didn't immediately work out the way a lot of people wanted or expected for a prospect with so much hype around him, that doesn't mean he can't turn into an elite player eventually.

"But he is still 20 with amazing hitting ability and amazing discipline at the plate. He has power. I think the only question on him, tools-wise, is maybe the arm. He is probably more second base in the long run, especially with Gunnar [Henderson] there ... He is still the same guy to me. Yes, I was surprised, but he is the same guy. The other thing l like: The makeup is there. Comes from a baseball family and he knows what it's all about and he's mature beyond his years," Callis added.