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The Baltimore Orioles have gotten off to a strong start and have a 15-7 record entering Tuesday. They are on top of the American League East, just ahead of the New York Yankees. However, the MLB debut of Jackson Holliday, the prized prospect, has not gone as expected.
The young phenom has gone just 1-of-30 with 16 strikeouts to begin his career in what has been a brutal stretch. The 20-year-old opened up on his struggles at the major league level so far, per Sam Blum of The Athletic.
“Whenever you’re struggling a little bit, you just start searching. And start creating little habits. I’m just making some adjustments, because you got to. It’s a lot more difficult than Triple-A. I don’t think there’s very many people in the big leagues who haven’t struggled. It just happens to be at the beginning.”
Holliday made his debut earlier in April against the Boston Red Sox, going 0-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of strikeouts in the game. But, through nine games, he has a .033 batting average with one hit, four runs scored, a pair of walks, and 16 strikeouts.
Holliday admits he wasn’t expecting this by any means but is doing everything he can to turn it around.
“Obviously I wasn’t expecting this. I knew what I was getting myself into. It’s the best of the best of the best for a reason. I guess I haven’t had a challenge yet, and this is the first one. … It’s obviously challenging, but I feel like I’m handling it the best that I can.”
Orioles manager, hitting coach speak on Jackson Holliday’s struggles
Holliday didn’t initially make the Opening Day roster, much to the displeasure of fans after a strong Spring Training. But, shortly after, he was called up to the big league squad. Still, Holliday’s struggles are not what anybody expected, and manager Brandon Hyde spoke on how they are rallying around him despite all of the difficulties.
“It’s not easy on this stage to not get off to the start that you want to. Especially if you’re 20 and you have one year of professional experience. You just try to put your arm around him. Try to make sure that he’s OK mentally. He’s just trying to do a little too much. He’s trying to get a hit. He’s trying to produce. It’s about being process oriented. As hard as that can possibly be when you look up at the scoreboard and see what your batting average is.”
On the other hand, the Orioles are off to a strong start this season and are tied for the second-most wins in the American League entering Tuesday’s slate (the Cleveland Guardians have the most with 16). Ryan Fuller, the Orioles hitting coach, knows Holliday will be fine once he adjusts to the LB style.
“There’s a process that you go through in the big leagues,” Fuller said. “It’s the jungle. And no matter what you have done in the minor leagues, when you come up here, there’s external pressure. You’ve got cameras in your face at all times. It’s just a higher level. He’s going to be fine. He’s here for a reason.”
Holliday is absolutely in the MLB for a reason, and there is no need to panic despite the slow start for the 20-year-old son of former MLB player Matt Holliday. The Orioles have two games left against the Los Angeles Angels before returning home for seven games against the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. Sooner or later, Jackson Holliday will turn it around at the plate.
More must-reads:
- Announcer describes 'Field of Dreams' moment from Giants-Red Sox game
- Yankees' Aaron Judge addresses offensive woes creeping into May
- The 'MLB Rookies of the Year' quiz
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