Introducing the Orioles’ Hottest Rookie: Jeremiah Jackson

After tearing up the showcase scene, Jackson was selected with the 57th pick of the 2018 draft by the Los Angeles Angels. The righty batter signed underslot at $1,194,000. He was the eighth shortstop taken.

Jackson then spent the next four and a half years in the Angels system, making it as high as Double-A with the infamous Rocket City Trash Pandas. 

In 2023, the then 23-year-old was a part of a trade deadline deal between the New York Mets and Angels. The Mets sent reliever Dominic Leone to Los Angeles in exchange for Jackson.

Jackson then spent a year and a half with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Double-A affiliate for the Mets. After his disappointing 2024 season, slashing .205/.245/.373, the Mets chose not to add him to their 40-man roster, and he elected minor league free agency.

That’s why the Orioles were able to scoop him up in November of 2024.

Jackson started the 2025 season in Double-A but was promoted to Triple-A after 45 games. In 40 games with Norfolk, the now 25-year-old slashed .377/.400/.673, earning himself a call-up following the trade deadline.

Staying Hot at the Top

In 28 games since being called up, the utility player is slashing .333/.358/.539. Jackson has also knocked in 17 RBIs and crushed four home runs. He is in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the majors.

A big part of Jackson’s success has been positive results on breaking balls, especially sliders.

Against sliders, the righty is slashing .400/.400/.657 with a BABIP of .481 and 201 wRC+. The sample is admittedly tiny, but the results have still been impressive. Here is Jackson taking All-Star Adrian Morejon 426 feet to center field on a slider. 

The Alabama product is also killing cutters and curveballs with wRC+ marks of 238 and 154, respectively. While young guys usually struggle to hit major league offspeed, Jackson has adapted and excelled so far in Baltimore.

The 2018 draftee is also hitting the ball hard in general. If he were a qualified hitter, his 49.3% hard-hit rate would rank top 30 in MLB, right behind AL home run leader Cal Raleigh.

Once again, the sample is small, but there’s no denying that Jackson is making his mark.

Limited Sample Size

While watching Jackson tear it up at the plate has been quite enjoyable, it is important to look at some things the 25-year-old could improve on before Mike Elias and David Rubenstein back up the Brinks truck to Jackson’s house.

The first thing that should catch your eye is the alarmingly low number of walks Jackson earns.

Across 600 games as a professional, the righty has only walked 193 times. His season high is 48, which would have ranked tied for 88th in 2024. So far in the majors, he has only walked four times in 106 trips to the plate; in contrast, he has already racked up 25 strikeouts.

The utility player also has a couple of stats that indicate luck has been on his side.

The Alabama product has an xwOBA of .309 and a .411 BABIP. The low xwOBA (compared to his .384 wOBA) shows that Jackson is unlikely to continue having as much of an impact on the ball as he has so far. Similarly, his high BABIP suggests that Jackson has seen more of his balls in play result in hits than he can expect going forward.

Of course, just because some stats suggest Jackson is due to regress, that does not mean his future in Baltimore is doomed to be a failure.

Fitting Into the Future in Baltimore

With the Orioles shifting their focus to the 2026 season, all eyes have been trained on the new guys to see which might have a shot at playing key roles in 2026.

With a lefty-heavy lineup, the Orioles have been in desperate need of solid right-handed bats to balance things out. Their recent investment in a righty, Tyler O’Neill, has not panned out so far.

On top of that, All-Star third baseman Jordan Westburg has had some bad luck when it comes to injuries. The Birds need a utility player they can rely on. Who better than a prospect that can play in the outfield and in the infield?

If he can keep producing through the end of the season, it would be pretty hard for the Orioles to leave Jackson off the roster come Opening Day 2026.