Young Baltimore Orioles Star Speaks Honestly About Roller Coaster Debut Season

A young Baltimore Orioles player spoke about his first taste of the Major Leagues.

Sep 8, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) throws to first base during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The 2024 season featured the Major League debut of Baltimore Orioles star prospect, Jackson Holliday.

The No. 1 rated prospect in all of baseball entering the season, expectations were high for the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He ascended the minor league system rapidly and fans were excited to see him on the field.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly as planned.

Holliday mostly struggled, recording a .189/.255/.311 slash line in 208 plate appearances. He struck out an alarming 69 times, hitting five home runs with four doubles, two triples and 23 RBI. Four stolen bases were added to round out his stat line.

Overall, it was a disappointment. But, there were bright spots throughout the summer that provided hints of the immense talent he possesses.

An August power surge where he had a homer in three straight games, a hit in five consecutive and RBI recorded in six in a row was a flash of what he can bring to the team. 20 years old throughout the campaign, patience needs to be exhibited for a player who had only 145 games of Minor League experience coming into the year.

But, it would be easy to forget how young he is as he carried himself like a multi-year veteran when reflecting on the 2024 campaign.

“I’ve gone through stints where I’m like, ‘OK, this is how I thought I would be as a player.’ But I mean, I got beat up a little bit,” Holliday said on the final night of the O’s season, via Jake Rill of MLB.com. “I think I’ll be better for it and have a better idea of how I want to attack this offseason and leading up into Spring Training.”

The Orioles were eliminated during the Wild Card Round by the Kansas City Royals in a sweep. They scored one run in two games, suffering a 1-0 loss and then a 2-1 defeat.

Holliday didn’t get into the lineup for either game but was still as disappointed as anyone at the outcome. He is looking forward to February, when Spring Training starts and he can put a tough debut season behind him.

“It’s nice to have this experience and go into a Spring Training with being around the big league group and being able to play in big league games and to go into Spring Training with a different mindset than I had last year and the year before,” he said.

2024 did end on a high note for the talented infielder, as he went 5-for-7 with a double and three walks to close things out. That kind of finish should create some positive momentum for him heading into 2025.