As the Baltimore Orioles gear up for Opening Day when they host the Los Angeles Angels, final roster decisions are being made ahead of a season that brings a new level of expectations.
The most notable omission from the Orioles Opening Day roster is baseball’s top prospect, infielder Jackson Holliday.
After an offseason of speculation about whether the 20-year-old phenom could begin the season with the big league club after a meteoric rise through the minor league system in 2023, the Orioles assigned Holliday to minor league camp on March 22. The infielder will begin the season at Triple-A Norfolk.
Holliday’s major league debut likely isn’t far away. Whenever that time comes, former Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy believes he’ll be ready for it. Holliday’s father, Matt, was a seven-time All-Star through 15 major league seasons.
Former Orioles J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters spent time with the Orioles as guest instructors during spring training. Hardy got to know Holliday in Sarasota.
“He’s probably spent as much time as I have in a big league clubhouse,” Hardy said on Glenn Clark Radio March 21. “He’s 20 years old and he’s got that veteran presence, just is super comfortable in the clubhouse, easy to talk to, and then just on top of that the athleticism that he has and how talented he is. It was pretty awesome to see.”
Holliday put together an impressive spring, batting .311 with two home runs in 45 at-bats. His performance did little to quiet the push from outsiders to put the promising middle infielder on the Opening Day roster.
With the Orioles having World Series aspirations on the heels of a 101-win season, Hardy sees the reasoning behind letting Holliday get more time in Triple-A. He played just 18 games at that level last season.
“I started in the big leagues in ’05 in Milwaukee and was kind of in the same boat. The only problem was Milwaukee’s expectations weren’t as high as the Orioles’ expectations this year,” Hardy said. “So I was able to struggle in the big leagues and learn a little bit. … I don’t think that’s going to be the case with Baltimore this year, but having said that, I think he’ll be all right.”
This isn’t the first time a top Orioles prospect has been in this situation in recent years. Adley Rutschman, who debuted in 2022, got the call to the big leagues in May of that season after missing most of spring training due to injury. Like Holliday, Rutschman finished the previous season in Triple-A.
When Rutschman got the call, he was ready for it. The Orioles catcher finished runner-up to Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez for American League Rookie of the Year in 2022 and was named an All-Star in his first full season in the big leagues a year ago.
Wieters, like Rutschman, was a highly-touted catching prospect who contributed to winning teams in Baltimore. But Wieters didn’t feel the need to discuss that with Rutschman during his time in Sarasota. Rutschman seems to have everything figured out.
“It was impressive to be able to see just the mature head he has on his shoulders,” Wieters said on GCR March 19. “He seems like he’s handling the responsibility of what it takes to be a catcher on a good team as well as he possibly can.”
Wieters sees the same traits in Holliday. He agrees with Hardy’s sentiment that Holliday will have no problem fulfilling his lofty expectations. Having two teammates in Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson who were also No. 1 overall prospects certainly can’t hurt.
“There’s a confidence, humbleness about him,” Wieters said. “He knows how good he is and how talented he is, but he’s not going to shove it in your face. He’s just going to go do it.”
Hardy and Wieters both raved about the intensity in the Orioles’ workouts right out of the gate.
“It’s always fun to get back around all the guys and be in a uniform again,” Hardy said.
Wieters said the energy and focus of Baltimore’s young group during spring training was reminiscent of some of the best Orioles teams he was a part of. This year’s version of the Orioles will look to accomplish what those teams couldn’t — deliver the franchise’s first World Series in four decades.
“It was a focused improvement each day they got there and they enjoyed each other’s company,” Wieters said. “It very much reminded me of the days with me and J.J. and Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. We enjoyed being around each other.”
For more from Hardy, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Wieters, listen to the full interview here:
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