Deep in the throes of his own season, Oklahoma State head baseball coach Josh Holliday is keeping an eye on his nephew’s quick ascent to the major leagues.
Despite some of the challenges Jackson Holliday has faced during his brief time in the majors, Josh is confident Jackson is built to handle any obstacles or setbacks thrown his way. He can take comfort in the fact that the beginning of a big league career does not determine a player’s path.
Regardless, Josh is proud of Jackson for everything he has done early in his professional career.
“It’s pretty amazing. I don’t know that anyone could have envisioned Jackson handling himself as well as he has,” Josh Holliday said on Glenn Clark Radio April 11. “We all knew he was mature and special and talented. All these things coming out of high school [were] pretty clear to all of us. But what he has done as a professional has been remarkable, and to see him take on the minor leagues last year and run all the way to Triple-A was amazing.”
The Holliday family continues to impress when it comes to baseball, even beyond Matt Holliday. Josh was selected in the ninth round of the 1999 MLB Draft by Toronto and spent two years in the Blue Jays organization before beginning his coaching career. Jackson’s younger brother, Ethan, is currently ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 draft by both Baseball America and Perfect Game. He is currently committed to his uncle’s Oklahoma State program. However, being selected at or near the top of the draft would likely lead him to go pro.
Jackson, 20, was selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the Oklahoma high school ranks. The 6-foot, 185-pound infielder entered this season as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the game, and he did nothing to change that when he hit .311/.354/.600 in 15 Grapefruit League games.
Jackson displays exceptional composure not only on the field but also in handling himself off the field, so it’s likely the Holliday family has another baseball success story unfolding with Jackson.
“Jackson’s skill level was apparent to me I think probably before it was to the rest of the world,” Josh said. “I think when the rest of the world caught on to him was when he got strong. That happened more in his junior and senior year of high school. He went from this gracious, skilled amazing baseball player to the best prospect in baseball.”
Josh believes Jackson’s most remarkable quality is his consistency. Throughout spring training, Jackson demonstrated a level of maturity uncommon for someone his age, rarely succumbing to nerves. While his father Matt’s successful baseball career may have influenced him, Jackson’s poise is truly his own.
“He’s a pretty consistent kid. He’s a young man now, obviously. He’s always been a very sweet, loving person,” Josh said. “… He’s just a kind kid. He’s a gentleman. I think the gentleman nature of who he is really translates well to the game because the game quite honestly requires poise and control and good self-talk and a level head. I think he has all those intangible qualities as really the base of his personality.”
Although baseball is a game of failure, Josh believes Jackson’s immersion in the sport at such a young age has provided him with some advantages when it comes to the adjustment period as a rookie.
“I think he’ll handle it as well as you can because he has a great support system, so his sounding board will be positive,” Josh said. “His place he goes for advice will be positive. It’ll be educated information. He has a supportive, loving family. He has people that are behind him but not trying to get in front of him.”
A shortstop by trade, Jackson is playing second base for Baltimore. It’s no secret the Orioles value defensive versatility, which is why Jackson’s move to second base came as no surprise to Josh.
“I think his mindset is to do whatever the team needs him to do to win, so baseball players of that mindset adjust and adapt because that’s what’s needed,” Josh said. “… It’s a hard position. Second base is probably one of the most underappreciated positions with the difficulty of the angles, the pivot and just throwing from a different side of the field. I think it’s a great position and a valuable one and one that an athlete like himself can really make a difference at. He’ll keep getting better, he’ll keep learning and he’ll keep growing in the position.”
What is ahead for Jackson both on and off the field remains to be seen, but Josh feels strongly that Jackson will emerge as a power-hitting infielder for the Orioles.
“The first marker of someone that’s going to be a great hitter is if they can line the ball consistently to the opposite field, and Jackson hit the ball to the opposite field at such a remarkable clip at a young age,” Josh said. “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe how good he was at hitting the ball to left field. … And then as he put it all together, he was hitting the ball to all fields consistently. I think most guys will tell you the good hitter develops first and the power hitter develops second. … His power and all those things that come later, that’s the icing on the cake.”
For more from Josh Holliday, listen to the full interview here:
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