Fatherly Advice Kickstarts Baltimore Orioles Star Jackson Holliday

But dear old dad always keeps his eye on how his son is doing. When he noticed something in Jackson's swing, he spoke up.

Jackson happened to reach base three times in an April 23 game against the Washington Nationals. Matt was able to speak to Jackson before this contest, dropping his fatherly wisdom.

According to MLB.com, Matt pointed out that Jackson been much more vertical and upright in his batting stance late last season. Jackson hit .389/.522/.444 over the final two weeks – as compared to early in 2025.

Matt Holliday noted his son Jackson's changes at the plate and addressed them

“I did mention to him, ‘Hey, it looks to me like you’re a little bit around the ball,’” Matt said.

He sent his son some video from Jackson's final week in the 2024 season and told him, “This is when you were really, really good last year.”

What have been the results? Pretty good. Jackson finished the month time period between April 23 and May 23 making better contact. His numbers in 29 games are impressive, too. He's been hitting at a .297 clip with his plate production going up, too.

“When he initially started this move of more of the toe tap and away from the leg kick, his hands were a little further away from him, and I think gave him a little more space to maneuver, and so, we talked about that,” Matt said. “I think it’s been a good adjustment, and it’s keeping his bat, I think, in the strike zone a little bit longer, and I think it’s keeping his front side on the ball a little bit better.”

It's a good thing Jackson is improving at the plate. Baltimore needs as much help hitting as possible. Getting this second-year star going can be some good news for the Orioles as the MLB season heads into a long, hot summer.