It will be something front and center throughout spring training

It will be, barring a real surprise, the most interesting aspect to track in spring training. And that is, can Jackson Holliday, who turned 20 on Dec. 4, make the O’s Opening Day roster?

Not only can he, but I would put the odds now in his favor.

Before an interview session during the Winter Meetings, I would have probably called it 50-50 at the very best, but then there was the quote heard ‘round Nashville and the one that got all Baltimore reporters’ attention at that event.

"It's definitely a very strong possibility,” Elias said during an interview session in Nashville when asked directly if Holliday could make it on OD? “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but he had a historic first full season in the minors. Probably, you have to go back into, like, the '80s or '90s to find something similar to that, in my opinion, for an American kid out of high school. Got to Triple-A. Wasn’t there a huge amount of time, didn’t tear the cover off the ball, but he more than held his own and did well.”

And everyone who said he didn’t tear up Triple-A, it was just 22 games counting the playoffs and his .796 OPS was solid. Make no mistake, he more than held his own and looked like he belonged.

To me, Elias’ comments in Nashville showed, and I am surely speculating here, not only that the Orioles are open to this, they may well be hoping and/or expecting it to happen.

A phrase I used before when it comes to the very best prospects, that elite group – sometimes a team is just ready to get on with it.

Fans have wondered what move the club made to improve the team or make another run at 101 wins, how about elevating the best prospect in baseball to the roster? And if he does make it, let him play every day, not sit.

He is the kid that looks 16, acts 30 and fits in beautifully in that clubhouse as he did last spring when he spent a lot of time in big league camp. By the way he went 6-for-14, hitting .429 last spring and walked four times for an OBP of .556 in 16 games. He stayed a long time in camp last year, maybe then we should have put two and two together looking ahead. But at that time, he was heading for Low-A Delmarva on Opening Day.

When the O’s took Holliday No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, they were getting the son of a former big leaguer. One who practically grew up in an MLB clubhouse, following his dad around.

Holliday has maturity way beyond his years, and I will be shocked if he doesn’t find the right balance between moving comfortably among the older players and giving them the respect, they’ve earned from the prospects but also realizing he fits in there with his talent. I have never seen a hint of this kid being cocky in any way, but never a doubt from him either that he will get the job done. He never brags on himself, but he knows he fits, and he knows he’s good enough. It is not false confidence, it's real. 

Also, my recent interview with JJ Cooper further hammered the point home to me that it may already be his time. Cooper pointed out that Juan Soto was called to the Nationals in 2018 with fewer minor league games than Holliday has played now, 122 to Jackson’s 145. While Holliday has played a combined 58 games at the Double-A level or above, not many I’ll grant you, Soto played just eight Double-A games and never got to Triple-A, when the Nats put him in their lineup. And after his first 17 MLB games he was batting .352 with an OPS of 1.037.

Holliday has plus plate discipline skills (okay not like Soto), is a solid to plus defender and plus runner and added strength and pop on the O’s watch. He hit six extra-base hits in 90 plate appearances in 2022 at lower levels and then produced 51 in 581 plate appearances at four levels in 2023.

During the Winter Meetings we interviewed O’s backup catcher James McCann, and he was asked about the kid.

“For him, one of the advantages is, he grew up in a major league clubhouse being around his dad. He looks like he is 12 in the face, and he acts like a 40-year-old veteran. He knows exactly how to go about his business. He handles the clubhouse like a pro. That has to be because of how he came up. So, I think if he is on the Opening Day roster, he will fit right in. He’s a hard worker and he understands major league baseball because he has been around it his whole life,” he said.

In ranking him No. 1 atop their initial 2024 top 100 recently, Baseball America provided these tool grades for Holliday: 70 for hit, 55 for power, 60 for running, 55 for fielding and 50 for arm. I actually would rate his arm better than that, but the point is he is strong, plus and plus-plus in these categories. He also over time could prove to be another 20-30 stolen base threat in the lineup. 

The Orioles have not made the final call to bring Holliday to the team officially yet, but they seem to be saying, when the talent is that strong, why wait?

I've noted this here before, but again, when Holliday makes the club and on days that John Means starts, the O’s could sport a formidable lineup featuring all homegrown players, with Adley Rutschman catching Means. They could have Ryan Mountcastle at first, Holliday at second, Henderson at short and Jordan Westburg at third base. Austin Hays could start in left with Cedric Mullins in center. Right field and DH could be some combo of Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Ryan McKenna and Kyle Stowers.

All fans love to see the home team win, but when they can do it with their own players, there seems to be a further sense of pride in what they are doing.

When the O's add Holliday officially it's going to be quite the day in Baltimore.  

Even more here: Barring a real shocker, Holliday should emerge as the No. 1 ranked prospect when MLBPipeline.com unveils a new top 100 list on Friday night in a live MLB Network broadcast.

Click here to see that they ranked him as the No. 1 shortstop prospect in the game.

Click here to see this tweet and video of the Holliday house in Oklahoma where Jackson has a batting cage and Rapsodo technology among other toys and tools to improve his game.