NORFOLK — Jackson Holliday isn’t all the way back yet, but he believes he’s getting there.
A Norfolk Tides infielder and the top prospect in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization, Holliday has been tweaking his approach at the plate since a short-lived first taste of the major leagues last month.
In 27 Triple-A games entering Wednesday night’s contest with Gwinnett, Holliday was hitting .243 with four home runs and 11 RBIs since returning on April 27.
He entered Wednesday on a five-game hitting streak that began last week at Worcester.
“I don’t think I’m far off,” Holliday, 20, said. “I don’t think I have been far off the whole time. I think it’s just the little adjustments. That’s usually how it is in baseball. I’m happy with the progress that I made towards the end of the week in Worcester.”
Holliday, the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, hit .059 (2 for 36) in 10 April games for the Orioles as part of his much-anticipated debut. He walked twice and struck out 18 times, which contrasts with his Triple-A numbers.
Through 37 total games with Norfolk this season, Holliday had walked 40 times with just 39 whiffs. He’s hitting .269 with six homers and 21 RBIs.
He does it again!!!@J_Holliday7 leads today off with a home run! It's the fourth time he's led a game off with a homer this season, and has smashed six total so far!#RisingTide pic.twitter.com/9G7YkqmETK
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) May 28, 2024
Tides manager Buck Britton has liked what he’s seen from his team’s youthful star.
“I think anytime you make adjustments, especially at a young age when you’ve done something the same way your whole life, and you go to the big leagues and you find out what that’s about, it can be tough,” Britton said. “But you know what? He’s attacking it, and he’s a guy that wants to get back to the big leagues, obviously.”
Holliday, the reigning Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, entered the season as the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in the game. Only ESPN.com has bumped him back to No. 2, moving Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes to the top.
Among the adjustments Holliday has toyed with are holding his bat closer to parallel to the ground rather than pointing it at the batter’s eye, and widening his stance to stabilize his foundation.
Meanwhile, he’s focused on using the entire field, the way he did during a successful spring stint in the Grapefruit League.
It’s all a work in progress.
“I’ve been trying all sorts of kind of things,” Holliday said. “I’m just trying to find something that feels good and free.”
Britton, who has managed baseball’s past three No. 1 overall prospects, believes it’s just a matter of time.
“I think once he really gets comfortable, I think the numbers are going to start jumping back off the page,” Britton said. “And we’ll see where he’s at here in a couple of weeks, a month — however long it takes. But there’s no question this guy’s going to play in the big leagues for a long time.”
Having done it for a short time only made Holliday more anxious to return. After growing up tagging along with his dad inside major league clubhouses, he was hardly in awe when he made his debut at Boston’s Fenway Park. He’d been on that field as a kid.
When he joined the Orioles last month, Holliday played alongside former top prospects and Norfolk stars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. He was also surrounded by teammates he’d known from spring training or other stops in the minors.
A career shortstop who continues to try to master second base to increase his value, Holliday looks forward to a reunion.
“I’m excited to get back to the big leagues, hopefully sooner than later,” Holliday said. “But it’s definitely extra motivation to spend a little bit of time there. I know it wasn’t very long. But to be able to be with those guys in that clubhouse and compete in front of tons of fans at the highest level in the world, I don‘t think anyone wouldn’t want to be back there. I think that’s the goal that everyone has in this locker room, and mine’s no different.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.