Jackson Holliday’s first taste of the big leagues was brief.
The Orioles’ lauded youngster — ranked as MLB pipeline’s No. 1 prospect in baseball — was sent back down to Triple-A Norfolk amid a terrible start with the team.
The Orioles called Holliday up to the major league roster on April 10, but he’s struggled through a nightmarish few weeks.
He was slashing .059/.111/.059 with a paltry .170 OPS and -47 OPS+.
He had just two hits in 34 at-bats, striking out 18 times with no homers and just one run batted in.
Holliday recorded a -0.5 BWAR in the 15 games he played.
“Whenever you’re struggling a little bit, you just start searching,” Holliday told The Athletic this week.
“And start creating little habits. I’m just making some adjustments, because you got to. It’s a lot more difficult than Triple-A. I don’t think there’s very many people in the big leagues who haven’t struggled. It just happens to be at the beginning.”
Ryan McKenna was recalled from Triple-A as the Orioles’ corresponding move.
The Orioles selected Holliday with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he quickly became one of the most heralded prospects in recent years.
He stormed through the minors last year and quickly rose from Single-A to Triple-A, where he slashed .267/.396/.400 with a .796 OPS.
Holliday started this season in Triple-A before his call-up, and slashed .333/.482/.595 with a 1.077 OPS in 10 games.
“It’s a lot, but it’s been fun. It’s quite an experience,” Holliday said after recording his first hit in a 6-4 win over the Twins on April 14. “I don’t think I would ever take it for granted, the experience that I’m having. If you go 0-for for three or four games, it’s going to happen in baseball. I’d prefer it not to be at the beginning of my career, but it’s going to happen. I’m glad to hopefully learn from it.”
Holliday’s father is notably longtime MLB star Matt.
Holliday was drafted straight from high school after playing at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.