SARASOTA, Fla. -- The way that Jackson Holliday learned second base with the Orioles last Spring Training can best be described as a crash course.

At times, Holliday looked like a shortstop trying to find his footing on the other side of the diamond. He still made some sensational plays -- because he’s an athletic youngster with incredible tools that once made him baseball’s No. 1 prospect -- but his defense at second wasn’t as smooth as a more experienced player.

A year later, the 21-year-old Holliday looks much more like a natural at his new position.

“He just had an offseason to get ready for that last year, and it was a lot to learn when you change positions,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “To have a full year and another offseason, he feels a lot more comfortable.”

That was apparent during Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener, a 10-5 loss to the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. Holliday didn’t get any overly challenging tests, but he made plays on all three balls that were hit his way.

“A lot more than I got last Spring Training in total,” joked Holliday, who rarely had balls hit to him during Grapefruit League action in 2024.

Holliday made a nice read on a first-inning grounder by Darick Hall that had a late bounce before entering the leather. Holliday also cleanly fielded a ball hit by Liover Peguero in the second that first caught a piece of pitcher Albert Suárez's glove.

During his offseason training at his home in Stillwater, Okla., Holliday took more ground balls than the previous year. He also studied the work of Kolten Wong -- a former teammate of his dad, Matt, who was in O’s camp last spring -- and Blue Jays second baseman Andrés Giménez, a three-time Gold Glover.

As Holliday looks to seize a role as the starting second baseman for Baltimore this year, his defensive focus is on making his play look even more routine.

“I think being just crisp and sharp,” said Holliday, who made 52 of his 53 starts at second during his 2024 rookie campaign. “I know me personally, watching the league, everything is so clean and direct. So that’s something that I’ve been working on, and obviously, just being as fast as possible on double-play feeds. Just trying to get the ball to [shortstop] Gunnar [Henderson] as quick as possible and let him do his thing.”

Suárez takes new pitch for test drive

Suárez has been tinkering with a new breaking pitch he’s labeling a slurve. The 35-year-old right-hander is hopeful the offering will be a valuable addition to his arsenal for the 2025 season.

It’s a work in progress, though, as made clear by his first Grapefruit League outing.

“It feels good out of hand, but I think it was also an automatic ball for the hitters, so that’s why they weren’t swinging,” said Suárez, who allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings.

Suárez, who threw only 19 of his 41 pitches for strikes, leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball during his breakout 2024 season, when he threw the heater 50% of the time. He also has a cutter (19.5%) that left him with a changeup (17.2%) and curveball (13.3%) as the only offspeed pitches in his mix. The slurve could be a nice complement if he can get it up to par.

After recording a 3.70 ERA in 32 games (24 starts) last season, Suárez is a front-runner for an Opening Day roster spot, especially because he’s out of Minor League options. The work is more important than the results as he ramps up during the spring.

Worth noting
• Gary Sánchez and Ramón Laureano got hits in their first plate appearances for the Orioles. Sánchez singled in the second inning, and two batters later, Laureano drove in a run with a single to center field.

Expect to see both on the Opening Day roster -- Sánchez as the backup catcher and Laureano as a right-handed-hitting outfielder off the bench.

• Bryan Baker’s stuff has looked sharp early in camp. The 30-year-old right-hander carried that over from side sessions to game action, working a 1-2-3 fourth. He could be a dark horse to make the roster if a spot opens in Baltimore’s bullpen.

• Emmanuel Rivera hit a two-run homer in the eighth. The 28-year-old corner infielder, who hit .313 in 27 games with the O’s last season, is a non-roster invitee in camp.