If you do a proper search on the internet, you will find that April 10th is National Brothers Day. This day is also a day to encourage young writers nationwide. And apparently, this day is also “the day to erase self-denial'' nationwide. These are real.
Oh, forget all that. For those looking forward to the 2024 baseball season, April 10th is Jackson's holiday. The next big thing is here. The 20-year-old Holiday will make his major league debut in Boston on Wednesday after being called up by the Orioles.
If you've given any thought at all to MLB prospects, you already know Holiday's name. Baltimore selected the shortstop No. 1 overall in the 2022 draft, making Holiday the No. 1 prospect on everyone's scouting boards heading into 2024. Holiday worked his way through four levels of minor league baseball last year, had a hit in spring training last month, and his brief Triple-A stint this year was also a huge success.
Pedigree doesn't get any better than this. Holiday's father, Matt, was a major league batting champion and seven-time All-Star. Holliday's grandfather and uncle both had collegiate coaching backgrounds. Holliday's younger brother, Ethan, is also a player to watch. (We love that Holliday is from Stillwater, Oklahoma, but his “Almost Famous” days are almost over.)
Unsurprisingly, Jackson Holiday has grown up with the game. Legend has it that when Jackson was 3 years old, Matt Holliday's teammates took batting practice in the back room at Coors Field, believing him to be a future star. Much of Jackson's childhood was spent around adults and professional athletes, which probably explains why everyone gushes over his maturity today.
Holiday's rapid rise to professional baseball was briefly mentioned. Let me give you some hard numbers. Last year, he hit .323/.442/.499 at four different levels with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases. His BB/K ratio was almost even. He gave up 101 walks and recorded 118 strikeouts. He struck out 15 in 45 at-bats in the spring, but still posted a .954 OPS with two home runs and two stolen bases. Triple-A pitchers didn't let him go this month: He hit .333/.482/.595 with two home runs and more walks than strikeouts.
There was some outcry when Holiday couldn't get the Orioles out of camp, but maybe they cared about the kid. Holiday is a left-handed swinger, and five of Baltimore's first 10 opponents used left-handed starters. Getting a little Triple-A confidence never hurt anyone.
What should fantasy managers expect from Jackson Holiday?
Holiday has been playing primarily as a second baseman in Triple-A this month, as Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson has settled in as shortstop for the Orioles. Some believe Holliday is the better defensive shortstop candidate, but they may defer to the incumbent. The Orioles will likely keep Holiday at second base, with Jordan Westberg sliding to third base and the struggling Ramon Urias (2-for-22) heading to the bench.
There are no universal rules when it comes to young players and their growth curves. Mike Trout didn't hit much as a rookie (.220/.281/.390). He was a superstar a year later. Stephen Strasburg struck out 14 batters in his electric first start. Bryce Harper was very good as a 19-year-old rookie, but didn't become a true superstar until his senior year. Considering his current value and future upside, Holiday's teammate Adley Rutschman may be the most valuable commodity in the American League right now. He posted his 128 OPS+ in his short three-year career. He's great right now and is likely to get even better.
However, the path to success is not always smooth or linear. The Tigers are still hoping their early pick collection of Casey Mize, Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Jackson Jobe and Max Clark grows to match Baltimore's talent pipeline. So far, it's been a slow and careful climb for the Detroit kids. Austin Martin was Keith Law's No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. He hasn't realized anything yet. Tim Beckham, Mark Appel, Delmon Young and Mickey Moniak were all drafted first overall in the 2000s, but none of them developed into stars. Nothing is guaranteed in this game. In some cases, the No. 1 pick may not even be able to play in the majors. Does anyone remember Brady Aiken?
Holiday is already enrolled in 83% of Yahoo leagues, so there's no viable item moving forward here unless he's in a trade mood. Most of his managers drafted him with optimistic expectations, but will now sit back and watch. I have one Holiday stock in the keeper league and I got him pretty early on. We're not going to trade him. we are dreaming big.
Of course, Holiday is surrounded by other up-and-coming young stars in this clubhouse, and he's not the only one we're excited about. If he wants to attend a party in Baltimore, he might be interested in Colton Cowser. He was the No. 5 overall pick in 2021 and will likely get a chance to play more given the struggles of Austin Hayes (2 of 26 games). Kauser had four RBIs in Tuesday's win.
But while Kauser is an exciting prospect, Holiday is of An exciting prospect. He mentioned Martin in passing, but many of the No. 1 prospects on Law's board (or anyone's board, really) are often players who make an immediate impact. Last year, Law ranked Corbin Carroll as number one, which was a huge success. Rutschman was the top player the previous year and hit another home run.
Holiday was outside the top 200 in Yahoo ADP during the spring draft season. If we go into a new draft this week, that price will jump significantly.
Enjoy your holiday vacation. The first pitch at Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.
