Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) hits a single during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 11. Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

How Much Has Baltimore Orioles Youngster Jackson Holiday Improved in 2025?

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jun 12, 2025 12:18 PM ET

At 27-39, it's been a miserable season for the Baltimore Orioles thus far. However, there are some silver linings, including the development of youngster Jackson Holliday.

The No. 1 pick in the draft just three years ago (2022), Holliday has solidified himself as the team's leadoff hitter, and is playing to a .270 clip with eight homers and 27 RBIs.

According to Justin Havens of Underdog Fantasy, Holliday has now played the same amount of games in 2025 as he did in 2024. Last year, he hit .189 with five home runs and a .255 on-base percentage. This year, he's hitting .270 with the eight homers and a .321 on-base percentage, significant improvement.

Jackson Holliday has now equaled his games played total from last season. Through 60 games, 2024 vs 2025:

2024: .189/.255/.311 (.565), 5 HR, 4 SB
2025: .270/.321/.438 (.759), 8 HR, 7 SB
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) June 12, 2025

So what have been the reasons for his improvement? Some looks at Baseball Savant can help with that:

He's drastically improved his strikeout rate

In 2024, Holliday struck out at 33.2 percent of the time. This year? 23.9 percent. It's obviously easier to do damage and find holes when you are putting the ball in play. It's harder to find success when you are simply not putting the ball in play.

His barrel percentage has gone up

The numbers show that Holliday has basically the same hard-hit rate as a year ago (45.2 percent this year, 45.1 last year) and his exit velocity numbers are essentially the same too. But, he's hitting a higher percentage of barreled balls (9.5 percent vs. 8.2).

He's simply better against the fastball

As we get closer to the trade deadline, it looks like like the Orioles will be sellers. If they do, and this season becomes meaningless from a win-loss standpoint, then watching Holliday continue to develop will become one of the biggest things for fans to see in the second half.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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