NORFOLK, Va. — Jackson Holliday is coming back to the Norfolk Tides.
This is fantastic news for baseball fans in Norfolk, as Holliday is the top prospect in baseball and the Tides have largely struggled since his departure earlier this month. But it's unlikely Holliday feels as warmly about his return as the fans who are filling Harbor Park.
Holliday's call-up to Baltimore on April 9 was met with substantial fanfare. After all, he nearly made the roster right out of training camp and then proceeded to destroy Triple-A pitching for the first part of the season. The former No. 1 overall pick hit a home run in his first at-bat and never looked back. Optimistic O's fans, riding a wave of early-season momentum, seemed certain he'd do the same once he made it to Baltimore.
But Major League pitching has instead proved a challenge for the young star: just two hits in 34 plate appearances with 18 strikeouts and two walks. A batting average of .059 and OBP of .111 are also coming for a team that has championship aspirations this season.
“You’re talking about somebody who’s never failed before," Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said recently. “I don’t think anybody, except for the people that are down here in (uniform) understand how hard this is.”
This should do little to dim Holliday's bright future. He moved through the minors at a historic pace and remains a 20-year-old getting his first taste of the major leagues. The move is undoubtedly disappointing for all involved, but no great athlete has escaped obstacles on their path to greatness.
How Holliday handles this adversity should be far more important than his first 34 big league at-bats. If he continues down his still-prodigal path, this early detour will be a little more than a footnote in the story of his career.
Meanwhile, his demotion could cost the Orioles a prospect promotion draft pick. The stipulation is that players with little or no MLB service time need to break camp with the team or be called up within two weeks of Opening Day. Then they must spend all or most of the year in the big leagues. In addition, they must either win their league’s Rookie of the Year award, or place in the top three for MVP or Cy Young.
As part of the roster shuffle on Friday, the Orioles selected the contract of outfielder Ryan McKenna from Norfolk and designated catcher David Bañuelos for assignment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.