The Orioles are promoting shortstop Jackson Holliday from Delmarva to Aberdeen

He is one of baseball’s best prospects and has been playing very much like it this year. And now, after just 13 games to begin his 2023 season at Low Single-A Delmarva, the Orioles are promoting shortstop Jackson Holliday to High-A Aberdeen.

Holliday, 19, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, will play his first IronBirds game tomorrow night when Aberdeen begins a six-game series at Wilmington. The following week Aberdeen plays at Brooklyn. Holliday will make his home debut at Ripken Stadium on Tuesday, May 9 against Hudson Valley.

With Delmarva, Holliday was batting .392/.523/.667/.1.190 with six doubles, a triple, two homers, 15 runs, three steals and 15 RBIs. He ranked in the top three in the Carolina League in average, OBP, slugging, OPS, runs and RBIs. He produced three games with four RBIs each and on Friday went 3-for-6 with his first two homers of the season. He ends his time with Delmarva batting .429 (12-for-28) during a seven-game hitting streak.

Holliday, who turned 19 on Dec. 4, is ranked as MLB’s No. 10 prospect by MLBPipeline.com and No. 13 by Baseball America. Last summer he became the third No. 1 overall pick in Orioles history, following Ben McDonald in 1989 and Adley Rutschman in 2019.

He became the first high school position player taken by the Orioles with their top draft selection since Manny Machado was selected No. 3 overall in 2010.

Showing maturity beyond his years and experience, he fit in quite well in the big league clubhouse in spring training and he went 6-for-14 (.429) in spring games with the Orioles.

There are several analysts who believe Holliday could rise to become the No. 1 ranked player in all of the minors. That would give the Orioles three straight years of No. 1 ranked players following Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.

No less an authority than MLBPipeline.com’s Jim Callis predicted greatness for Holliday in an interview with me over the winter.

“I will be absolutely surprised if Jackson Holliday is not a superstar," Callis said then. "Much like we said about Adley Rutschman. Apples and oranges, college and high school. But his tools, his skills, his instincts growing up around the game. I think I mentioned to you on draft day, Jackson Holliday, all five tools got better this spring (in 2022). That does not happen very often. It would not shock me if he was in the big leagues in 2024."

In a preseason interview with MASNSports.com linked here, Holliday said he did not know where he would play to start the 2023 season, but had some thoughts on where he would like to end up.

“I don’t know from the club (where I will start yet), but I’d like to play well and make it up to Double-A. I know Jordan Lawlar pretty well and I know he had a great first (full pro) season with the Diamondbacks. Made it up to Double-A and I’d like to accomplish that. Put myself in a great spot for the next year to make the big league team. That is my goal, to jump as many levels as possible and I’m looking forward to it.”

“The IronBirds are thrilled to have Jackson joining us here in Aberdeen to play in Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium,” said Jack Graham, IronBirds GM. “He’s a special player and we are thrilled to have him joining the ranks of players who have stopped in Harford County on their journey through Birdland.”

The climb up the minor league ladder continued for Holliday today with his promotion to Aberdeen.