Jackson Holliday Providing a Bright Spot in Dim O’s Lineup

Stats taken prior to play on May 20.

Not much has gone well for the Baltimore Orioles this season. Pitching woes in the rotation and bullpen, a lineup that’s struggled to score runs, and various injuries have all contributed to their dreadful start to the 2025 season.

After the rotation’s struggles gained lots of headlines to start the season, the frustration has since shifted to the lineup. While it’s one that has missed guys like Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, and Ramón Urías because of injuries, the lineup is also lacking production from its healthy players too.

As a team, the Orioles are hitting .230 with a .298 on-base percentage, both of which are bottom-six marks in the league. Things get even worse when runners are on base.

However, a recent bright spot in the lineup has been second baseman Jackson Holliday.

The 21-year-old entered the season with expectations to make up for a poor rookie campaign. After a slow start to the 2025 season, Holliday has made adjustments that have catapulted him up the lineup to the leadoff spot.

So, what has Holliday changed to help to take the next step against MLB pitching? Let’s dive into it.

Changes to His Batting Stance

The biggest hurdle Holliday has faced since being called up is fastballs. In 2024, Holliday posted a -2.7 wFA, or fastball runs above average according to FanGraphs, in just 60 games. Opposing pitchers knew that if they could get a fastball by him, they could control the at-bat.

When the 2025 season started, it was evident that Holliday still needed help adjusting to major league fastballs.

As a result, in comes Jackson’s dad and seven-time All-Star, Matt Holliday. The 2026 hitting coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic noticed something in Jackson’s swing.

Matt noticed that his son was taking too long to get into the zone. As a result, he was falling behind on fastballs. So, similar to an adjustment that Cedric Mullins made at the All-Star break last year, Holliday started positioning his hands more vertically in his stance.

Since making that change on April 23, Holliday has an .878 OPS and 156 wRC+. Compare that to his .633 OPS and 82 wRC+ from Opening Day to April 22, and the results speak for themselves.

The most telling stat from this change is the jump in his wFA. Following his afformentioned -2.7 wFA in 2024, Holliday has improved to a 1.7 wFA so far in 2025.

It appears as if the higher hand position has helped Holliday finally catch up to those fastballs that gave him trouble last year, and it’s completely changed his impact in the batter’s box.

Using All Fields

Considering the struggles that Holliday went through in 2024, any hit he had was a victory. For a player who had expectations of being the eventual leadoff hitter in the O’s lineup, a change in approach was necessary.

Of the 36 hits that Holliday recorded in 2024, 38.5% of them were pulled and 56.6% of them were on the ground, according to Baseball Savant.

In 2025, Holliday is using the whole field to his advantage.

Holliday’s pulled-ball percentage dropped to 26.6% in 2025. In turn, his hit percentages up the middle and to the opposite field have also jumped to 43.1% (36.1% in 2024) and 30.3% (25.4%% in 2024), respectively.

Holliday has also been doing a better job at hitting the ball in the air, as his ground-ball rate dropped nearly six percent from last season. Likewise, after posting a 13.9% line-drive percentage in 2024, Holliday has improved that percentage up to 22.9% so far in 2025.

Holliday’s improved ability to disperse the ball around the field has helped him jump from batting eighth or ninth in the lineup to being the everyday leadoff hitter in Baltimore.

What to Expect Moving Forward

The Holliday name is becoming increasingly popular in professional baseball.

Like I mentioned earlier, Matt Holliday, after a 44.4-WAR career, is becoming the hitting coach for Team USA in the next WBC. Jackson’s brother, Ethan, is a potential first-overall pick in the upcoming draft.

After all the hype that Jackson got from conquering four levels of minor league baseball in one season, it was understandable that fans were upset when Holliday struggled so mightily.

However, it is important to remember that Holliday is still only 21 years old. If Holliday would have foregone the draft in 2022, he would be in his junior season at Oklahoma State, preparing to take on Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 conference tournament.

Yes, the numbers do not completely blow you away. But Holliday has finally earned an everyday role with the team. As a result, he has taken a mighty step forward both in terms of production and development as a big-league hitter, providing a bright spot in a dim Orioles lineup.