Main league Opening Day was Thursday and Friday is Opening Day on the Triple-A degree, which suggests lots of the sport’s prime prospects are opening their particular person seasons.
Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, the game’s No. 1 prospect, didn’t make the membership’s Opening Day roster regardless of slashing .311/.354/.600 in 48 plate appearances this spring. The O’s despatched him again to Triple-A, the place he performed 18 video games on the finish of final season, and positive sufficient, Holliday went deep in his very first at-bat of the 2024 season.
To the motion footage:
Notice that Holliday hit that residence run in opposition to a left-handed pitcher (Tampa Bay Rays southpaw Mason Montgomery, to be particular). That’s Holliday’s first profession homer in opposition to a lefty. Previous to this season, Holliday had not taken a single lefty deep in 145 video games since being the No. 1 decide within the 2022 draft. He checked a brand new field in his first at-bat of the brand new season.
Following the demotion, O’s GM Mike Elias mentioned exposing Holliday to greater high quality left-handed pitching was a part of the motivation for beginning him in Triple-A. This is what Elias mentioned on the time:
“Due to how briskly Jackson’s moved and his lack {of professional} expertise — I believe he is solely performed like 18 video games in Triple-A, in specific — he hasn’t confronted a ton of main league-quality, and even Triple-A-quality, left-handed pitching,” Elias instructed Meyer. “And that is one thing that is going to be thrust in his face when he is within the American League East, whether or not that is as a starter or the reliever they herald to match-up in opposition to him within the seventh inning.”
One at-bat into his Triple-A season, Holliday answered the decision. The Orioles wish to expose him to high-end left-handed pitching and he took a lefty deep in his first at-bat. Onerous to reply extra authoritatively than that.
Holliday will play the complete 2024 season at age 20. He authored a .323/.442/.499 batting line with 30 doubles, 12 homers, and 101 walks whereas climbing from Low-A to Triple-A final 12 months. All indications are Holliday, the son of longtime huge leaguer Matt Holliday, will probably be an influence participant and shortly. He isn’t lengthy for Triple-A.
In fact, the Orioles didn’t want Holliday to cruise to an 11-3 win (field rating) over the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day. New ace Corbin Burnes struck out 11 in six innings of one-hit, one-run ball. Baltimore is loaded with younger expertise and Holliday nonetheless has but to make his MLB debut.