Baltimore Orioles Superstar Should be Leadoff Hitter for ‘Next Five Years’

Of all of the things that budding Baltimore Orioles superstar Jackson Holliday could have become, this might be the most surprising.

The 21-year-old was the catalyst for Baltimore’s 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers. He went 3-for-5 with a career-high four RBI.

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Players with that kind of run production usually bat around the leadoff spot. Not Holliday. He was batting leadoff.

Holliday may have found a home there. He’s batted in seven different spots in the order this year, but he’s dug in at the top spot, where he’s batted 36 times. That’s more than the rest of his positions in the order combined.

If Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino has any say in the matter, Holliday will be there long-term.

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In the fifth inning, Holliday broke the game open with a three-run home run. After the game, Mansolino was interviewed by reporters and he talked about that moment and what it means to Holliday’s role with the franchise long-term.

“After that swing, I told whoever was standing next to me, I was like, ‘This is your leadoff hitter, at least for the next five years,” he said in comments conveyed by the Baltimore Sun. “Left- or right-handed, I don’t think this kid goes anywhere else in the lineup. I took him out of the leadoff spot against [Detroit Tigers starter Tarik] Skubal [on June 12]. I don’t think I’ll ever do that. I think he’s probably staying there, barring something unforeseen.”

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Holliday is second in American League All-Star Game voting at second base, a spot that would allow him to move into phase two of voting. But he’s building a case that could allow him to make the team on merit.

In 71 games this season he’s slashed .265/.313/.422 with nine home runs and 32 RBI. He has a .735 OPS with 12 doubles, two triples and 15 walks against 69 strikeouts.

Those are numbers more befitting the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft back in 2022 out of Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Okla.

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It’s also much better than a season ago when he made is MLB debut. In two stints with Baltimore, he slashed .189/.255/.311 with five home runs and 23 RBI. He had a .566 OPS and just four doubles.

The Orioles are struggling to remain in some semblance of the AL Wild Card race. If they do, Holliday’s work from the leadoff spot will have plenty to do with it.

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