Jeremiah Jackson received his major league call-up at the start of August thanks to the Orioles’ trade deadline sell-off. His first blunder came two games in, whiffing on a can-of-corn flyball in right field that resulted in an error.
But the 25-year-old quickly bounced back with a two-hit day to start a strong first season in the big leagues. Standing 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Jackson is a natural infielder but played plenty of right field with the Orioles down the stretch. He hit .276/.328/.447 with 17 extra-base hits in 183 plate appearances at the major league level.
Jackson’s baseball journey has featured constant rebounds.
“I was given a God-given ability that I thank him for every day to be good at baseball, so for me I always knew that I had it in me. I never doubted myself once,” Jackson said. “Obviously there was times where you’re not as confident about it as you would like to be, but I always knew that I was a big league baseball player and I could do it.”
The Los Angeles Angels selected Jackson out of high school in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons in rookie ball, and the COVID-affected 2020 campaign took away an entire year of development.
Jackson didn’t reach Double-A until 2022, his age-22 season. He remained there through 2024, when he was a member of the New York Mets after a deadline trade the year prior.
Jackson elected free agency after the 2024 campaign, when he barely hit over the Mendoza Line (.205) with a .618 OPS. The Orioles signed him to a minor league contract.
Jackson spent the first two months of this season still in Double-A. While that wasn’t ideal, he said going back to a league he had experience in was “the perfect start” for him. He was promoted to Triple-A two months in, giving him the opportunity to get back on track after a slow start with Chesapeake.
Jackson did that and more, slashing .377/.400/.673 in 40 games with Norfolk before his call-up to the big leagues.
“A lot of this self-belief in realizing that I can do it, I know that I’m talented enough to do it, it was just one of those things where I just had to wait for the right moment, the right opportunity,” Jackson said. “Even through all those times I learned a lot about myself on field and off the field, and I think all of it kind of geared me up and got me ready for this opportunity now.”
Jackson said he had a “pretty good season” in 2025, adding that he’s never satisfied but was happy with how the year went.
“I feel comfortable in the zone,” Jackson said. “I still feel like I hit for enough power. I hit the ball pretty hard. For me, it’s just about putting it all together and just not trying to do too much. Get good pitches, take a good swing and just let everything else happen.”
Jackson’s zone swing rate — a mark that measures a batter’s discipline based on the percentage of pitchers they swing at inside the strike zone — is higher than the MLB average, indicating a strong approach at the plate in his two months at the big-league level.
“He’s impressed me by the day,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said.
What struck Mansolino most was Jackson’s bat speed, meaning the player is in a good place mechanically. Jackson put up impressive numbers despite being undersized for a big leaguer. He has to put in extra work knowing he can’t hit home runs with ease, he said.
When Jackson was called up, he entered a clubhouse full of contributors around his age, allowing him to fit in easily.
The Orioles’ longest-tenured position player, Ryan Mountcastle, is only three years older. Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, the only players to appear in 100-plus games this season, are both younger.
“To be able to be welcomed and kind of realize that these guys are kind of my peers, as far as age-wise we’re not too far off, that definitely was a very calming thing coming in here,” Jackson said. “I was able just to [connect] with the guys and kind of come in here and be part of a younger group who’s hungry to win. That’s kind of right up my alley.”
The majority of Jackson’s playing time came in right field, a position he played just 57 innings in during his minor league career. Jackson credited first base coach and outfield instructor Anthony Sanders with his success in the outfield, where he’s only had the one error.
One of his best moments at right field came in the Orioles’ final home game of the season, when he effectively played a carom off the wall and started a relay that ended with an out at the plate.
Jackson said he’s willing and happy to do whatever it takes to help Baltimore, even if that’s the role of utility man. No matter where he plays, this season showed Jackson has a role in the Orioles’ future.
“I’m here to obviously put up numbers, but I want to win,” Jackson said. “I want to be on a team that’s going to compete and contend, and that’s something that we are definitely capable of doing. … I think moving forward, we’ll come back next year even hungrier and ready to go.”
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