Watch: Top prospect hits HR in first at-bat of season in minors

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday. Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Top prospect who was controversially left off Orioles' MLB roster hits HR in first at-bat of season in minors

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 3/29/24

Jackson Holliday is wasting no time making his case after being passed up for the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day roster.

The top infield prospect Holliday went viral Friday for a Saturn shot during his first plate appearance of the season in the minor leagues. Holliday, who is starting out the year at Triple-A Norfolk, got around on a 2-1 pitch with the bases empty and launched it into the next lifetime.

Here is the video of Holliday’s towering shot.

Jackson Holliday's first at-bat for Norfolk, Jackson Holliday's first home run! pic.twitter.com/ojxsWOq0cO

— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2024

The 20-year-old Holliday, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, was surprisingly left off the Orioles’ final MLB roster to start off the year. That was in spite of an impressive spring in which Holliday produced a blazing .311/.354/.600 slash line to go along with two homers, six RBI and six runs scored in 15 total games.

Some Baltimore players had a strong negative reaction to the roster decision with Holliday. While service-time considerations likely came into play with that call, Holliday is obliterating any argument that he isn’t big-league ready right now.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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