Holliday: “I got a chance to watch those guys battle it out and the experience that I want. I want to play"

Players were in a daze or deep inside their emotions after Game 2 of the Wild Card. Media chased after veterans like Anthony Santander and Corbin Burnes, who could leave via free agency and made sense to speak about the jarring finish to the season. Young stars like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman stood at their lockers with tears in their eyes and tried to express how much they hurt. Jordan Westburg sat with his head lowered, aware that he’d also draw a crowd. Colton Cowser, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in the American League, first had to address his fractured left hand before delving into the loss. 

Jackson Holliday, the first-overall draft pick in 2022 and former No. 1 prospect in baseball before graduating from eligibility, quietly got dressed at his locker near the entrance. He didn’t play in the postseason and was in the lineup only once after Sept. 21, starting at shortstop a week later in Minnesota so that manager Brandon Hyde could give Henderson a rare break.

Holliday went 3-for-4 with a double and two walks and was 1-for-1 with a walk the next day in a reserve role. A nice finish after going 2-for-34 in 10 April games and packing his bags for Triple-A Norfolk, hitting a grand slam onto Eutaw Street after returning on July 31 but going 21-for-96 with 33 strikeouts in August and 12-for-55 with 17 strikeouts in September.

Reporters and other credential-wearing folks finally made it to Holliday, some just drawn by the convenience of having the kid reachable as opposed to the huge scrums that made it much harder to hear players. He wasn’t as qualified at age 20 to impart wisdom or to offer a deep dive into the offensive shutdown while spending both games on the bench. But he’s Jackson Holliday and that’s a good enough reason.

Holliday came with his own storyline. His first major league season, being optioned and finishing with a .189 average and .565 OPS in 60 games. His first time confronting failure. What he learned from it. And the joy of being on a playoff team.

This is the kind of stuff that you gather for later in the offseason.

“I got a chance to watch those guys battle it out and the experience that I want. I want to play,” he said.

“I’m happy to be here and I’m happy for this experience of learning and looking forward to next year.”

Being an observer in the Wild Card confirmed to Holliday what he expected all along, how it’s “a battle.” How losing 1-0 and 2-1 was “pretty crazy.”

“Obviously, their pitchers did a really good job of throwing the ball and so did ours,” he said. “Yeah, just the emotions and the crowd and everything, it’s awesome. I’m looking forward to next year.”

Holliday probably will enter camp as the starting second baseman, with Westburg mostly at third. He’d have to play his way out of a job.

“This is my goal, to be in the big leagues obviously,” he said. “What I have the whole offseason to work for is to be in the best position in spring training to be that guy, and I think that I can.”

Hard lessons are still lessons. They don’t have to be negatives across the board. Use them to improve.

Hyde suggested showing patience when talking about Holliday and top prospect Coby Mayo during his season-ending media session. Asked earlier about Holliday’s handling of the pressure and poor results, Hyde said, “It’s not easy playing in the big leagues at 20 years old with expectations and I think he’s handled it really, really well. As well as he could possibly handle it. Tough game up here and he’s had his ups and down, which is normal for someone especially that young, but I think he’s handling it all really well.”

“It’s obviously very difficult,” Holliday said. “This is the best league in the world for a reason. I was pretty happy with how the season ended for me personally with the last few games and kind of the steps that I took. I’m excited to build off that in the offseason and looking forward to spring training.”

Holliday wouldn’t make it out the door and into his first major league offseason without scanning the clubhouse again and taking mental notes of his teammates’ reactions to being swept, running the Orioles’ playoff losing streak to 10 games.

“Obviously, this isn’t where we want to be, saying goodbye after a loss. You want to say goodbye after winning the World Series,” he said.

“The guys in this room are very close. You can tell that. So it’s sad that it might be the last time that I see of them on our team.”

* The Orioles announced yesterday that executive vice president and chief operating officer Greg Bader has been promoted to executive vice president and general manager of MASN. The transition begins immediately, and a full transition begins Jan. 1.

Bader will report to Catie Griggs, hired earlier this summer as president of baseball operations.

Bader served in his previous role since September 2023 and represented the Orioles at the opening of the new Dominican Republic facility.

“Greg has an unparalleled level of expertise of both baseball administration and the sports industry overall which I’m confident will allow him to seamlessly transition into the role with MASN. I look forward to continuing to work alongside him for years to come,” Griggs said in a statement.

“It’s been an honor to have devoted my professional career to the Orioles and Major League Baseball, and I am equally honored to begin this new role with MASN,” Bader said in a statement. “Like millions of baseball fans throughout the Mid-Atlantic, I have welcomed MASN into my home for the past twenty seasons, and I am thrilled to now play a role in working to enhance that experience as the network continues to bring unmatched coverage of two great teams to two incredible baseball communities.”