Jackson Holliday just showed Orioles fans why it’s too soon to give up

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday is on track to be an MLB star, even if his early slumps have turned fans off to that reality. Yes, Holliday struggled in his rookie season, and yes, he has suffered through some difficult stretches in 2025, too. But on the whole, Holliday is doing special things for a 21-year-old, and a recent milestone for Holliday illustrates that.

On Monday, Holliday smacked his 20th double of the 2025 season, making him only the sixth player in Orioles history to accomplish that feat before their age-22 season. MLB.com’s Jake Rill revealed the other five players on the list with Holliday, and there are at least a couple of massive names: Cal Ripken Jr. and Manny Machado.

Seeing Holliday’s name next to Ripken and Machado will be a complicated experience for fans who have all but given up on Holliday over the past two seasons. To be fair, Holliday’s nightmare first couple of weeks in the majors last year didn’t do much to inspire, and his 2024 slash line, on the whole in 60 games, wasn’t exactly a signifier of future greatness: .189/ .255/ .311/ .565 with four doubles, five home runs, and 23 RBI.

On the other hand, it’s not difficult to argue that Holliday’s development has been altogether rushed by Baltimore’s front office, which leads one to actually credit Holliday for overcoming the mismanagement and turning in a much better 2025 so far.

Orioles fans take note: Jackson Holliday is showing why he's special

Holliday was already dealing with the inherent pressures of being a No. 1 overall pick and the son of a former MLB star. And while Holliday has had the better part of two decades to practice blocking out all of the noise that comes with the latter situation, fans aren’t giving this kid enough credit for continuing to improve and show flashes of his future stardom, despite all the vitriol thrown his way since stepping on a big league diamond.

If anything, Holliday’s reaction to his early struggles shows that he’s not just an elite talent but also a high-character individual, which bodes well for his and Baltimore’s future.

It’s been a disappointing year for Orioles fans, obviously. But there are better days soon ahead. Holliday and Gunnar Henderson promise to be one of the most electric middle-infield duos in the world over the next decade. Samuel Basallo has entered the conversation in 2025 and is showing signs that he’s the real deal.

Furthermore, there are indications that Baltimore will make a splash in free agency this winter in an attempt to disregard this season and continue the winning ways of 2023 and 2024.

In the world of instant gratification that we now inhabit, it’s not surprising that so many people have given up on Holliday That doesn’t make it a good stance, though, and there’s still plenty of time for fans to change their tune on Holliday, and, in classic fashion, act like they were his champion from day one when he makes his first All-Star team.

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