REPORT: Orioles Jackson Holliday Dilemma Poses Risk to Another Rising Star’s Future Leading To Serious Threat
Baltimore is struggling to manage its young talent. Jackson Holliday has been a source of frustration for both the Orioles and their fans over the past year. The top pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday made an immediate impact in the Minors, quickly becoming a can’t-miss prospect. However, his Major League debut was a disappointment—he had just two hits in his first 34 at-bats. While things improved slightly after his midseason promotion, he still finished with a poor .189/.255/.311 slash line and 69 strikeouts in only 60 games.
This raised tough questions for the Orioles about their future: What went wrong? Did they promote Holliday too soon? Can they help him improve at the big-league level? And how much patience should they have with their second baseman of the future?
Despite a strong start this spring, with an .834 OPS in his first 13 games, the Holliday dilemma persists. The Orioles remain optimistic, but the team still faces challenges managing another highly regarded infield prospect.
Orioles’ treatment of Coby Mayo has everything to do with Jackson Holliday
While Mayo may not be on Holliday’s level as a prospect, he’s not far behind. A former fourth-round pick in 2020, Mayo has dominated the high Minors over the past two years and has climbed to No. 14 on MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings.
Coby Mayo said it’s a “lose-lose” going back to Triple-A Norfolk. His full comment: pic.twitter.com/AL1EsV5mGa
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) March 18, 2025
However, like Holliday, Mayo struggled in his first brief stint in the Majors, hitting just .098/.196/.098 with 22 strikeouts over 17 games for Baltimore in 2024. Unlike Holliday, though, Mayo may not get a second chance right away. The Orioles sent him back to Minor League camp this week, as they couldn’t find room for him on the MLB roster. Mayo expressed his frustration with the decision, saying, “It definitely is difficult. It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proven everything you’ve needed to. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough.”