IronBirds get a jump on Holliday weekend

Jackson Holliday was 0-for-3 as he stepped into the box in the bottom of the ninth for High-A Aberdeen on Friday night.

Just five days removed from receiving MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect title, Holliday looked the part in walking off the Winston-Salem Dash to make it five wins in a row for the IronBirds. It was a two-run shot to right-center to break the tie, giving Aberdeen a 5-3 victory.

The game-winner came on the fourth pitch of the at-bat against right-handed White Sox prospect Tristan Stivors, who fell behind in the count 3-0. Taking advantage of the favorable circumstances, the 19-year-old delivered the first walk-off home run of his career. The clutch tater was the first home run since his promotion to the No. 1 spot on Pipeline’s Top 100, and also his first since June 7.

It was the sixth homer of the year for MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked shortstop at the High-A level, where he’s played 52 games. The homer brings his IronBirds slash line up to .299/.440/.497 in that span with 34 RBIs to boot.

Holliday has now scored at least once in all three of the games he’s played in since the re-ranking, and he’s scored 45 total runs in Aberdeen this year. Boasting a 160 wRC+ as he entered Friday night, his offensive fireworks have continued even upon his promotion. With an expected MLB debut of 2024 per Pipeline, Holliday driving in fellow O’s Top 10 prospect Dylan Beavers (No. 9) for the win only reinforces the type of talent Baltimore has waiting in the wings, even at the lower levels of its system.

With Aberdeen going 33-24 since Holliday entered the fold -- after starting 5-9 without him -- it’s clear what type of impact Holliday is capable of having on a lineup.