Holliday taking footnotes from Roberts on playing second base

BRADENTON, Fla. – Jackson Holliday gave the media an interview at his locker this morning and headed down a hallway in search of former Orioles infielder Brian Roberts.

The Orioles chose Roberts as a shortstop in the supplemental round of the 1999 draft out of the University of South Carolina – their seventh selection among the top 50 and the only one that worked out. Jackson Holliday was the first-overall pick as a shortstop in 2022 out of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.

Roberts moved to second base following the 2001 season and became a two-time All-Star. The position morphed into a full-time role for Holliday last year, a 20-year-old top prospect going through the usual growing pains.

The age difference between them doesn’t matter. They have something important in common, and Roberts, 47, is in camp as a guest coach and valuable resource for Holliday.

The tutelage centers primarily on Holliday’s footwork at second.

“It really did help with one or two tips,” he said. “I’m excited. After one day I felt a whole lot better and decided to try it again today. Just some simple feet stuff, not crossing myself off and being open, and it was very helpful.”

Roberts instructed Holliday to keep his feet even on feeds to the shortstop covering the bag, rather than having his right foot ahead of the left. Old shortstop habits are hard to break.

The new setup improves Holliday’s accuracy and his quickness in releasing the ball, as he demonstrated in yesterday’s infield drills and during an 8-7 win over the Tigers. He wants shortstop Gunnar Henderson to trust exactly where it will be received on force plays and while trying to turn two.

Asked for his own take on the advice passed along to Holliday, Roberts replied, “All the advice that I got when I moved from short to second, that (infield instructor) Sam Perlozzo and the other guys passed on to me.”

“We’ve just been working a lot on double play feeds and trying to learn just the nuances of moving over there,” Roberts said. “He tends to get his feet in the same position he would to play short, which is opposite a little bit at second. Mostly just that. He’s great, he’s obviously going to pick it up super quick, but it just takes little reps and a little time.

“I wish I could give you an exact time frame. I don’t know. I think he’s been over there almost a year now, but even that, probably not full-time. And he looks more comfortable this year than he did last year, for sure. I would say if he plays a full season this year, I think he’ll be off and running. I don’t think he’ll ever look back after that.”

Playing second with nobody on base isn’t much different than shortstop, with everything moving to his left, but the double plays bring new challenges.

“Now all of a sudden you’re going to your right, everything’s moving to your right,” Roberts said. “At shortstop, nothing moves to the right. He tends to get his feet crossed up a little bit, so his right foot in front of his left trying to feed to second base. We’re trying to square up his feet a little bit so that you don’t get that right foot quite as far in front, which makes feeding a little bit more difficult. And then obviously double play pivots are different. You’re used to coming across the bag and seeing everything, and now your back’s a little bit toward where you’re going.”

Holliday was born in 2003, two years after Roberts’ major league debut. Roberts retired after the 2014 season, but Holliday had already formed a relationship with Roberts because of his father, Matt.

“Brian and my dad were pretty close, so I’ve spent some time with him down here, and Hyder (Orioles manager Brandon Hyde) went through his resume yesterday,” Holliday said. “He had quite an impressive career and definitely a guy that is a whole of fun to learn from.”

The Orioles want Holliday to steal more bases, and Roberts swiped 285 in 14 seasons, including 50 in 57 attempts in 2007 to lead the league. He had 40 the next year.

“We were talking about that in the dugout yesterday and I’m about to have a meeting with him and (coach Anthony) Sanders about it right now,” Holliday said.

There are also the instructions to incorporate more bunting into his skill set. Holliday said he thought about laying one down yesterday, but it was his first at-bat and he wanted to try for a hit. He reached on an infield single.

“I’ve been working on it,” he said. “Not in games, but hopefully soon.”

Former shortstop J.J. Hardy also is in camp. He made two All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves, and he’s able to offer his own perspective in the field.

All of it is designed to aid the young infielders, but Holliday seems like a special project.

“It’s getting a lot more comfortable,” Holliday said. “Obviously, I’m still learning, like yesterday. Picking up tips by guys who played in the big leagues forever. So I’m getting a whole lot more comfortable there and just excited to keep playing games.”