Orioles GM Mike Elias’ 8-word Jackson Holiday take will fire up fans

Few prospects have captivated their sport the way Jackson Holliday has in his short time with the Baltimore Orioles. Though he’s yet to appear in an MLB game, the 20-year-old has ridden a bullet train through the minor leagues, playing in four different levels and closing the season in triple-A in 2023.

Holliday has every opportunity to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, something he envisioned doing when Baltimore selected him first overall in 2022. Orioles general manager Mike Elias has an interesting decision to make in the coming weeks, and Holliday’s attitude is making that decision more difficult.

“Anything he does, he’s ahead of the curve,” Elias said, per Jon Heyman. “He’s all business every day.”

Holliday has wowed in big league camp this spring, including a grand slam for his first home run of spring training on Sunday. Holliday has a .917 OPS in 28 at-bats, proving he is ready to face major league pitching. He’ll likely need time to adjust to everyday life in the bigs where you could face 100+ on consecutive days, but Holliday is constantly working on his craft and could hit the ground running in the MLB.

The Orioles are spoiled with a plethora of young talent and Baltimore was carried by that crop to the playoffs and a division title last season. Holliday could end up being the best of the bunch and is certainly living up to the hype so far. If he turns out to be what the Orioles and plenty of others in baseball think he can be, Baltimore will have championship aspirations on its mind.

Jackson Holliday looks ready for the big leagues and might find himself in the Opening Day lineup in a few weeks as the Orioles’ second baseman. What a meteoric rise it would be for Holliday, who might be the final piece of the puzzle for Baltimore.