NORTH PORT, Fla. — Last spring, whether Jackson Holliday would make the Orioles’ opening day roster was all anyone could talk about. When he didn’t, it was controversial, causing an uproar from some in the fan base.
This spring, it’s so assumed Holliday is making the club that he didn’t even need to be told officially that he has.
“Not directly, I guess,” Holliday said after the Orioles’ Grapefruit League finale Sunday.
But manager Brandon Hyde told the 21-year-old that he doesn’t know whether he’ll be playing second base or shortstop early in the season, and Holliday does know he’s on the team flight heading north.
“So I don’t know if that counts,” he said with a smile.
Holliday played well last spring — a reason there was discord from fans when he didn’t make the club — but he struggled as a rookie during the regular season, hitting .189 with a 33% strikeout rate. But the baseball wunderkind looked more like himself this spring: in control, dynamic and confident.
Holliday hit .333 with an .865 OPS this spring while flashing every aspect of his game. He smacked three extra-base hits, including a homer. He stole five bases, including two on consecutive pitches last week. He worked on bunting for a hit and successfully did so once. He displayed his bat-to-ball skills with opposite-field singles. And he got back to being patient at the plate, taking six walks and striking out only 11 times in 54 plate appearances.
Simply put, Jackson Holliday is playing like Jackson Holliday.
“If I can carry over what I’ve done in spring, I’ll be very happy,” he said after the Orioles’ 5-5 tie with the host Atlanta Braves. “Happy with the low line drives, hard ground balls, double, triple, homer here and there. Very happy with the at-bats. … Just looking forward to building off this spring.”
Holliday could be the Orioles’ opening day shortstop with Gunnar Henderson beginning the season on the 10-day injured list. The natural shortstop split his time this spring between both middle infield positions, and he said he’s “comfortable” at both.
“I don’t think you can ever say you’re exactly ready to play shortstop every day in the big leagues, but I think I’ve got a good kind of understanding of what needs to be done,” he said. “I think I’m in a good spot.”
Thursday in Toronto against the Blue Jays will be Holliday’s first opening day in the major leagues. He experienced plenty watching his father, seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, and he knows how special they can be.
“It would be pretty surreal,” he said. “I know last year during playoffs, getting to run out on the field — obviously I didn’t play, but that environment and that experience was awesome.”
Lies and statistics
Life isn’t fair, and neither is baseball.
Dylan Carlson played far too well to be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, but that’s what happened Sunday. Carlson, a switch-hitting outfielder the Orioles signed this offseason, was one of the Orioles’ best hitters this spring with a 1.071 OPS.
Elias said before Sunday’s Grapefruit League finale that Carlson had a “terrific camp.”
“I think he’s gonna be a huge part of this team,” Elias said. “We’ve got a long season ahead of us, so just because somebody doesn’t make the opening day roster doesn’t mean that they’re not gonna be a big part of the mix.”
Another player who could fit that same description is Vimael Machín, the surprise standout of Orioles spring training. The second baseman hit .400 with a 1.016 OPS in camp after Baltimore signed him out of the Mexican League in November.
The team hasn’t announced who will replace Henderson on the opening day roster, but it’s unlikely Machín breaks camp with the big club. Hyde said Carlson and Machín have “put themselves in a good position” to make their way to Baltimore sometime this season.
“Those guys have been absolutely wonderful,” Hyde said. “They’ve put themselves in position … to be depth pieces for us. We know we’re going to use not 26 players this year, but a lot more than that.”
Carlson, 26, broke into the big leagues with the Cardinals at 21 years old and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021. But he’s struggled at the plate the past two seasons with a .606 OPS while battling injuries.
“This was the first healthy offseason in a while,” Carlson said. “I like how I feel right now, and just trying to continue that momentum and keep that feel.”
Carlson and Machín aren’t the only ones crushing the ball. Here are the Orioles’ offensive stat leaders this spring:
(Player: Batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage — OPS)
- Dylan Carlson: .321/.500/.571 — 1.071
- Ryan Mountcastle: .302/.340/.698 — 1.038
- Adley Rutschman: .357/.438/.595 — 1.033
- Colton Cowser: .364/.462/.568 — 1.030
- Vimael Machín: .400/.438/.578 — 1.016
- Livan Soto: .386/.449/.477 — .926
- Ramón Urías: .276/.344/.552 — .896
- Jackson Holliday: .333/.407/.458 — .865
- Tyler O’Neill: .310/.375/.483 — .858
And then there were two
Sunday was a busy day for the Orioles’ roster after general manager Mike Elias’ end-of-camp news conference. Henderson is beginning the season on the IL; Cade Povich is the No. 5 starter; Félix Bautista, who struck out two batters in his final spring outing Sunday, will be on the opening day roster.
But assuming no big surprises, two big questions remain: Who will be the last infielder on the bench? And who will be the last reliever in the bullpen?
Jorge Mateo, Livan Soto, Luis Vázquez and Machín are the options to make the club in Henderson’s place. Soto is perhaps the front-runner because Mateo is still making his way back from a left elbow injury, but Elias said Mateo will stay in Sarasota to get live at-bats and is still an option for opening day.
Relievers Bryan Baker, Matt Bowman and Roansy Contreras are the options to be the last bullpen arm. The club on Sunday added Bowman to its 40-man roster to avoid him opting out of his contract, though that far from guarantees he’s won this competition. Now Baker, Bowman and Contreras are on the 40-man roster, but none of them have minor league options remaining. One of them can make the team, but it’s possible they could be traded in a minor deal or designated for assignment as the team attempts to pass them through waivers.
Adding a wrinkle to this is Elias could swing a trade for a reliever who is about to be DFA’d by another team. In 2023, he acquired Danny Coulombe from the Twins, and the left-hander became one of the team’s best relievers.
The Orioles’ opening day roster doesn’t have to be set until Thursday morning, and Elias and company normally wait that long to finalize it.
Lineup projections
In a few days, the Orioles will face Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos in their first game of the season. While Baltimore’s roster isn’t set, it’s almost certain which players will constitute the opening day lineup. But what order will they be in?
Here’s a projection of the Orioles’ lineup against right-handed pitchers:
- Colton Cowser LF
- Adley Rutschman C
- Tyler O’Neill RF
- Ryan O’Hearn DH
- Jordan Westburg 2B
- Ryan Mountcastle 1B
- Cedric Mullins CF
- Ramón Urías 3B
- Jackson Holliday SS
The Orioles won’t face a left-handed starting pitcher until likely April 2 against the Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet. Here’s a projection of the Orioles’ lineup against left-handed pitchers:
- Jordan Westburg 2B
- Adley Rutschman DH
- Tyler O’Neill LF
- Ryan Mountcastle 1B
- Colton Cowser CF
- Gary Sánchez C
- Ramón Urías 3B
- Ramón Laureano RF
- Jackson Holliday SS
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.