Orioles Relishing Rare Bright Spot for Team in Jackson Holliday

The Baltimore Orioles' start to the season has been brutal. They are in last place in the American League East, without much to be excited about.

Coming into the year, the Orioles were expected to be a contender in the AL, but they did have some concerns.

Over the winter, the team lost two of its best producers in free agency, with both Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander leaving.

The replacements for both haven’t worked out so far, and that can be attributed to the team's struggles.

While the rotation has taken a lot of the blame for the struggles of the team, it has also been the lineup that has underperformed.

Jackson Holliday Stepping Up to the Plate for Orioles

There is a ton of young talent in the batting order, but most have disappointed overall this campaign. However, there has been one player who is starting to turn it around for Baltimore.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the performance of Jackson Holliday of late being a rare bright spot for the team.

“Not a whole lot of 'fun" to report in Baltimore thus far in this disappointing year, but at least the O who was supposed to win Rookie of the Year heading into last season appears to have figured out big league pitching.”

As the former first overall pick, expectations for Holliday are obviously to be a great player in the Majors. However, despite getting a chance to prove himself in 2024, the results weren’t great.

In his rookie year, he slashed .189/.255/.311 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 60 games. The results weren’t great, and there was a stint in the minors mixed in to help him find his groove.

Has Holliday figured it out?

While the first campaign might not have gone well, Holliday was in the Majors right from the jump this season, and he is becoming a rare bright spot for the team in 2025. Overall, he has slashed .272/.337/.435 with four home runs and 11 RBI.

As one of the top prospects in baseball just last year, Holliday has All-Star potential in his career. The talented infielder is quietly playing extremely well of late, and could help turn things around for the Orioles’ offense.

However, even though he is playing well, the team still needs a lot of help. The rotation is currently a mess with injuries and ineffective performances. Furthermore, a lot of key hitters are in significant slumps at this point.

While it’s hard to find a bright spot for the team this campaign, Holliday at least has been one of late.