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Baltimore Orioles Must Wait Until 2024 To Unwrap Holliday Gift Has Changed
For the Baltimore Orioles and their fans, this Christmas is full of anticipation tempered by the frustration of maintaining patience.
Coming off the giddiness of a 2023 American League East Championship, they have a special present under their tree this morning – but the card reads: Do Not Open Until The 2024 Season.
That is the earliest the Orioles may expect to unwrap baseball’s most precious holiday gift – top prospect Jackson Holliday.
The multi-tool infielder tops every team’s wish list. The Orioles have him, selected No. 1 overall in 2022. From what he did across four levels of minor-league ball in 2023, it looks like he’s ready to play, fully-charged battery included. It appears as if no further assembly nor instructions are needed.
“He’s going to be treated in major league camp not like a prospect where we’re kind of having fun and having him in camp for the experience of it, but like a guy trying to make the team,” General Manager Mike Elias told reporters earlier this month.
“It’s definitely a very strong possibility,” Elias continued. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but he had an historic first full season in the minors. I think we are going to give him every opportunity.”
Holliday turned 20 the day before Elias spoke. That means at age 19, he batted .323 in 125 games with 30 doubles, 9 triples, 12 homers, 75 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 101 walks while playing good defense at both shortstop and second base.
