Image courtesy of Baltimore Sun.

Oh how much can change in a year. At this time last spring, Jackson Holliday was finishing up his senior year at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This past weekend, the first overall pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft made his Spring Training debut with the Baltimore Orioles, going one for three with a walk over two contests.

For context, a 19-year-old shortstop with less than a year of Minor League experience is not a common sight at big league camp. In fact, it’s a complete anomaly–non-roster invites (NRI) are typically reserved for upper level Minor Leaguers to compete for a chance at cracking the big league club’s 40-man roster–not a top draft pick just looking to get exposure. Spring Training itself is a cut throat business. For while the six-week stretch gives the incumbent Major League stars a chance to ease into the season, non-roster invitees are fighting tooth and nail to claw their way out of the Minor Leagues or worse – avoid being released altogether.

Jackson Holliday, however, is not your typical prospect. The son of seven-time All Star and four-time Silver Slugger Matt Holliday, the 6-foot-1 Jackson signed with the Orioles for $8.19 million, the largest signing bonus ever for a high school player and is ranked as the number 12 ranked prospect in all of baseball per MLB pipeline. After signing with the Orioles this past summer, Holliday made an instant impression, slashing .297/.489/.422 with one home run, five doubles and nine RBIs across 20 games in the Florida Complex League and Single-A Delmarva. Although Holliday isn’t expected to crack the Major League roster for a few more years and will be reassigned to Minor League camp in a matter of weeks, his presence in the Grapefruit League bodes well for his future with the Orioles.

Image courtesy of Baltimore Sun.