Jackson Holliday

Jackson Holliday
Holliday with the Florida Complex League Orioles in 2022
Baltimore Orioles – No. 7
Shortstop / Second baseman
Born: (2003-12-04) December 4, 2003 (age 20)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 10, 2024, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.189
Home runs5
Runs batted in23
Teams

Jackson Matthew Holliday (born December 4, 2003) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected first overall by the Orioles in the 2022 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2024. He is the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday.

Early life

Holliday attended Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma.[1] After his freshman year, he committed to play college baseball at Oklahoma State University.[2] As a junior in 2021, Holliday had a .500 batting average with six home runs and 50 runs batted in (RBIs).[3] He was also named the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[4] That summer, he played in various national events including the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park.[5] He also was named to USA Baseball's 18-and-under team.[6]

Holliday entered his senior year in 2022 as a top prospect for the upcoming draft.[7][8][9] During a game against Union High School, he hit three home runs.[10] In another game, he hit two home runs in the same inning.[11] He finished the season batting .685 with 17 home runs, 79 RBIs, 29 doubles, and 30 stolen bases over 40 games.[12] He set a national record for hits in a season for an amateur player with 89, surpassing the previous record of 88 set by J. T. Realmuto in 2010.[13] He was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.[14] He was the third in his family to win the award alongside his father and uncle.[15] He was also awarded an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.[16]

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Baltimore Orioles selected Holliday with the first overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the team for $8.19 million, the largest signing bonus ever for a high school player.[18][19] Holliday made his professional debut on August 11 with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Orioles, going 1-for-3 with a stolen base.[20] Later in August, he was promoted to the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Single-A Carolina League.[21] Over twenty games between both teams, he batted .297 with one home run, nine RBIs, and four stolen bases.[22]

Holliday began the 2023 season with the Shorebirds, where he batted .396/.522/.660 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 16 RBIs in 14 games.[23][24] He was promoted twice during the first four months, first to the High–A Aberdeen IronBirds on April 24 and then to the Double–A Bowie Baysox on July 9.[25][26] His slash line with the Ironbirds was .314/.452/.488 with 11 doubles, five triples, five home runs, and 35 RBIs in 57 games.[24] He hit .338/.421/.507 with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 15 RBIs in 36 games with the Baysox before his promotion to the Triple–A Norfolk Tides on September 4.[27] In 18 games for Norfolk, he batted .267/.396/.400 with two home runs and nine RBIs. Following the season, Holliday was named the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year.[28]

Invited to spring training in 2024 as a non-roster player,[29] the Orioles assigned Holliday to Norfolk for the start of the season.[30] He batted .333/.482/.595 with two home runs through ten Triple-A games in 2024 and has a career .321 average and .949 on-base plus slugging (OPS) in Minor League Baseball.[31]

Major leagues

Holliday signs a fan's baseball in 2024

On April 10, 2024, the Baltimore Orioles selected Holliday's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time.[32] He was assigned the no. 7 uniform and made his major league debut that night as a second baseman[33] against the Boston Red Sox and went 0–4 with 1 RBI at the plate.[34] He knocked his first major league hit in the game against Milwaukee Brewers, and later scored the go-ahead run.[35] After batting 2-for-34 (.059) in 10 games, the Orioles optioned Holliday to Norfolk on April 26.[36]

Holliday slashed .259/.421/.455 with 20 doubles, eight home runs, and 29 RBI in 63 games with the Tides prior to being recalled by the Orioles for a second time on July 31.[37] He hit his first major-league home run later that day, a one-out grand slam onto Eutaw Street off Yerry Rodríguez in the fifth inning of a 10–4 home win over the Toronto Blue Jays.[38] He achieved his first four-hit MLB game in a 12–10 home loss to the Red Sox on August 16, 2024.[39]

Personal life

Holliday is the son of former major leaguer and seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday.[40] His brother, Ethan, also plays baseball at Stillwater and is committed to play college baseball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team.[41] Holliday's uncle, Josh Holliday, is the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State.[42]

On December 28, 2022, Holliday got engaged to his girlfriend, Chloé Cox. They were married on January 6, 2024.[43]

References

  1. ^ Dahn, Jeff (December 21, 2020). "'Holliday' spirit sparkles in Stillwater". Perfect Game USA.
  2. ^ Lancaster, Zach (August 27, 2019). "Jackson Holliday commits to Oklahoma State". 247Sports.com.
  3. ^ Jackson, James (June 20, 2021). "Meet The Oklahoman's 2021 All-City baseball team". The Oklahoman.
  4. ^ Jackson, James (May 23, 2021). "Oklahoma high school baseball: COAC announces 2021 All-Conference selections". The Oklahoman.
  5. ^ "Stillwater's Jackson Holliday to play in Perfect Game All-American Classic". The Oklahoman. August 21, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Lewis, Barry (August 31, 2021). "USA Baseball selects Owasso's Brennan Phillips, Stillwater's Jackson Holliday to 18U team". Tulsa World.
  7. ^ Elmquist, Jason (February 24, 2022). "Stillwater High senior Jackson Holliday a top 15 prospect on ESPN's MLB draft board". NewsPress.
  8. ^ Law, Keith (March 10, 2022). "MLB Draft ranking 2022: Keith Law's top prospects and a rare question — where are the college pitchers?". The Athletic.
  9. ^ Callis, Jim (April 25, 2022). "New Draft Top 150 list: Unprecedented 1st round?". MLB.com.
  10. ^ Hart, Hallie (March 29, 2022). "Stillwater baseball team rallies for walk-off win against Tulsa Union". NewsPress.
  11. ^ Stephens, Mitch (April 22, 2022). "CC Sabathia, Mark McGwire among former MLB stars with sons playing high school baseball this spring". MaxPreps.
  12. ^ Hood, Scott (May 23, 2022). "Jackson Holliday Has Record Setting Season". Prep Baseball Report.
  13. ^ Unruh, Jacob (May 23, 2022). "Matt Holliday has lived a charmed baseball life. His oldest son, Jackson, could be next". The Oklahoman.
  14. ^ "Stillwater's Jackson Holliday named Oklahoma high school baseball Gatorade Player of the Year".
  15. ^ "Stillwater's Jackson Holliday joins father, uncle as Gatorade's state baseball player of the year winners". June 3, 2022.
  16. ^ "2022 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Teams Announced".
  17. ^ "O's take Jackson Holliday, son of Matt, with No. 1 pick". MLB.com.
  18. ^ "Orioles sign No. 1 overall draft pick Jackson Holliday". National Post. Reuters. July 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "O's welcome No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday". MLB.com. July 27, 2022.
  20. ^ "Orioles minor league recap 8/11: Jackson Holliday debuts". August 11, 2022.
  21. ^ Branch, Alec (August 25, 2022). "Orioles first overall pick Jackson Holliday will debut with Shorebirds on Thursday". Salisbury Daily Times. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "Jackson Holliday Stats, Fantasy & News".
  23. ^ "Holliday opens '23 in Delmarva with sights set on Double-A". MLB.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Rill, Jake. "Bowie preparing to celebrate a new Holliday," Aberdeen Ironbirds, Sunday, July 9, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "Jackson Holliday Promoted to Aberdeen IronBirds," MiLB.com, Monday, April 24, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Melewski, Steve. "No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday being promoted to Double-A (Mayo & McDermott to AAA)," Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Sunday, July 9, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  27. ^ Melewski, Steve. "Source: Jackson Holliday is being promoted to Triple-A Norfolk," Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Sunday, September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  28. ^ "Jackson Holliday Wins 2023 Minor League Player of the Year Award". baseballamerica.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  29. ^ "Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo among Orioles' 2024 spring training invitees". Baltimore Sun. February 6, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  30. ^ "Tides roll in: Holliday heading to Norfolk (source)". MiLB.com.
  31. ^ "No. 1 overall prospect Holliday getting the call to O's (source)". MLB.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  32. ^ DeRosa, Theo; Rill, Jake (April 10, 2024). "No. 1 overall prospect Holliday gets the call to O's". MLB.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  33. ^ staff, Baltimore Sun (April 10, 2024). "Orioles' Jackson Holliday playing second base, batting 9th in MLB debut vs. Red Sox".
  34. ^ "Holliday's anticipated debut 'all I could have imagined'". MLB.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  35. ^ "'Relieved' Holliday gets 1st MLB hit, aids O's rally". ESPN.com. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  36. ^ "Orioles option Jackson Holliday to Triple-A". MLB. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  37. ^ Rill, Jake. "No. 1 prospect Holliday returns to Majors: 'I'm definitely more prepared,'" MLB.com, Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  38. ^ Trister, Noah. "Jackson Holliday’s grand slam lifts the Orioles to a 10–4 victory over the Blue Jays," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  39. ^ Rill, Jake. "The good, bad and historic in a wild loss to the Red Sox," MLB.com, Friday, August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Kepner, Tyler (October 25, 2007). "Holliday's Son Follows the Family Tradition". The New York Times.
  41. ^ Hart, Hallie (May 3, 2022). "Holliday brothers rely on competitiveness, camaraderie to create special varsity season together". NewsPress.
  42. ^ Passan, Jeff (July 17, 2022). "From 3-year-old in the clubhouse to the No. 1 pick: Inside Jackson Holliday's journey to MLB draft night". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  43. ^ "Jackson Holliday pops the question to his girlfriend Chloé Cox". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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