Worth the wait: Holliday's 1st spring homer a towering slam

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jackson Holliday’s bid to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster is heating up along with his bat.

On Sunday, Holliday went deep for the first time this spring (and for the first time in an O’s uniform), doing so in grand fashion. MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect belted a first-inning grand slam off left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the Orioles’ 11-6 split-squad win over the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla.

It was a no-doubt, left-on-left blast to right field from Holliday, who could tell it was gone from the moment he hit it. Of his 13 Minor League home runs, none have come off southpaws.

“First lefty homer of my professional career,” Holliday said. “I’m going to count it, even though it’s Spring Training.”

After going 1-for-4 on Sunday, Holliday is 8-for-28 (.286) in nine Grapefruit League games. The 20-year-old has two doubles, two triples and five RBIs to go along with a .917 OPS.

Holliday continues to show that he’s capable of attacking big league pitchers. On Tuesday, he hit a first-inning double off Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (a former All-Star) as part of a 3-for-4 performance. Holliday went 1-for-2 against Kikuchi, another former All-Star who had a 3.86 ERA in 32 starts for Toronto last year.

“I feel like it’s accomplishing whenever you get a hit,” Holliday said. “You go back to the dugout and maybe you don’t get a hit, you’re like, ‘All right, well, he’s a big leaguer, and that’s where I want to be.’ Now, I’ve got a little bit more on him now than I did before.

“I haven’t faced any of these guys before, and maybe in the season, I’ve already got a good idea of what I want to do.”

While Holliday has been raking at the plate -- he has seven hits in his past 21 at-bats after a 1-for-7 start to the spring -- he’s been showing he can handle second base as well. The natural shortstop has made seven of his nine starts at second, where he’ll likely play quite a bit once he reaches the big leagues -- whether that’s on Opening Day (March 28 vs. the Angels at Camden Yards) or later in the season.

At this point, Holliday is doing everything he can to force his way onto Baltimore’s roster. He continues to impress during his second year in big league camp, fresh off a 2023 Minor League campaign in which he played at all four full-season affiliates.

The son of former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Holliday could debut in the Majors with only 145 games of Minors experience under his belt. A grand slam only helped to show that he’s ready.

“I don't think it can hurt it, right?” Holliday said. “I'm not trying to think about it too much. Just trying to go out there and enjoy playing and getting experience. I enjoy being around these guys and watching them do their thing, and it’s been a lot of fun so far.”

Baseball fans who want to get an advance look at the Orioles’ potential Opening Day second baseman -- and one of the sport’s top future stars -- can tune into Baltimore’s Spring Breakout prospect exhibition vs. Pittsburgh on Thursday. Holliday will be playing for the O’s team in the seven-inning contest that will air live at 7:05 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB’s digital platforms.