Bowie preparing to celebrate a new Holliday

Baseball's top overall prospect reportedly headed to Double-A

By Jake Rill

July 9, 2023

In the early days of Spring Training, Jackson Holliday made his goal for the 2023 season clear: Reach the Double-A level. Now, that’s about to happen -- and it’s still only mid-July. The Orioles are promoting Holliday from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie, according to a team source, continuing the

In the early days of Spring Training, Jackson Holliday made his goal for the 2023 season clear: Reach the Double-A level. Now, that’s about to happen -- and it’s still only mid-July.

The Orioles are promoting Holliday from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie, according to a team source, continuing the 19-year-old shortstop’s rapid ascent through the Minors. The club has not yet confirmed the impending move.

Holliday, who was selected by Baltimore with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is having a stellar first full professional season. MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect opened the year at Single-A Delmarva, where he posted a .396/.522/.660 slash line with six doubles, one triple, two homers and 16 RBIs in 14 games.

On April 24, Holliday was promoted to Aberdeen. However, High-A also proved to not be much of a challenge for the son of former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday. Over 57 games with the IronBirds, Holliday slashed .314/.452/.488 with 11 doubles, five triples, five homers and 35 RBIs.

Holliday -- who represented the Orioles in the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Saturday -- will now take on a much tougher test in Bowie. But he made it known late last month that he’d be ready whenever the opportunity arose.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Holliday told MLB.com of his time at High-A in late June. “It’s been a good little challenge, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

While Holliday is moving up to Bowie, Baltimore will be promoting two other top prospects from Double-A to Triple-A Norfolk. Infielder Coby Mayo (the Orioles’ No. 7 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 76 overall prospect) and right-hander Chayce McDermott (Baltimore’s No. 17 prospect) are being moved up to Triple-A, per a team source. The O’s have not yet confirmed either of those moves.