That’s it for Jackson Holliday‘s debut stint with the Baltimore Orioles. He’s been optioned to Triple-A after 10 games with the team, recording just 2 hits and 18 strikeouts.
The team announced the roster move on it’s Twitter account.
General manager Mike Elias detailed the decision when talking with Baltimore Banner Sports and other reporters on April 26.
He cited the demotion as a “little hiccup” for the 20-year old prospect.
“It’s nothing that Jackson did,” Elias told reporters. “We were the ones that have been moving him along so quickly. It was a little hiccup, and I think it’s probably the first one he’s ever had. He’s ultimately going to be better off for it.”
Holliday batted a lowly .059/.111/.059 and recorded just 1 RBI. Fans were surprised by the move, particularly with the team still boasting a 7-3 record in the 10 games he played.
The start to Jackson Holliday’s MLB career didn’t go as planned. But the plan in place, set by Mike Elias and company, is a good one.
Elias: ‘He’s Ahead of the Curve’
Elias stressed that Holliday did as well as anyone could do in his situation, and that the club doesn’t view the move negatively.
But that ultimately, an opportunity for adjustment outside of the pros in real time with Triple-A repetitions lead to the decision.
“I want to stress that he’s doing very, very well and way ahead of the curve,” Elias told The Baltimore Banner. “What we have seen here, and had seen, lead me to the evaluation and the opinion that he would benefit from going back and adjusting there, rather than doing it here in real time.”
It didn’t help Holliday’s case that Baltimore’s upcoming slate features a number of starting left-handed pitchers. The Orioles benched him for all four games they faced a left-handed pitcher during his stint with the team.
The time away from those games featuring left-handed pitchers could ultimately derail his development, the club’s top priority.
“We got another slate of left-handed starters coming up too, pretty heavy,” Elias continued. “So that probably meant a lot of time sitting out of the starting lineup for him during those games. And he needs repetitions.”
Ultimately, Elias and the Baltimore front office feel the experimental stint will make Holliday better in the long run.
“So I think the bright side is that he got very intense, very specific feedback from major league pitching,” Elias said. “He’s a brilliant talent and a very sharp kid. I expect he’s going to go implement those adjustments really quickly. But we felt that the Triple-A and steady playing time in Triple-A was the place for that.”
When asked about a potential timeline, Mike Elias went on to say that “Jackson will be up here soon.”
Fans who were hoping to see Jackson Holliday help the Baltimore Orioles down the stretch may still get their wish.
But that doesn’t mean they’re all happy.
Fans Reaction to Holliday Demotion
If Twitter is any indication, than it’s safe to say the Baltimore Orioles fanbase did not see this one coming.
“You waited to bring him home,” one fan tweeted on April 26. “To send him down. Amazing. Just. Amazing.”
“This absolutely sucks,” The Baltimore Battery, a fan-based publication, tweeted. “The team was still winning. He was having better at-bats and making more contact. Don’t agree with it, but it’s reality. He’ll be back this season.”
“Very surprising they send Holiday down before a series against the A’s, a very beatable team,” another fan tweeted. “I get he’s struggled at the top and getting him back into rhythm is important, but shocking nonetheless”
“Terrible timing and a major head scratcher,” another fan tweeted on April 26.
This isn’t the end of Jackson Holliday’s major-league story. Not by far.
But this little hiccup, and how he handles it, will have a direct impact on his next appearance(s) with the Baltimore Orioles.
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