2022 1st Round Pick (#1): Jackson Holliday, - SS - Stillwater HS (OK)

[jcaponio]

So where will he slot in on the lists of top prospects?

[Hank Scorpio]

10 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Man, I know I'm getting old, but if Holliday was telling you who has favorite player was, you'd think he just finished up his Little League World Series interview.

There ain’t no stopping time!!! He’ll fill out.

[tntoriole]

We shall see … he was not my choice.  I preferred Jones.  But hopefully Holliday will become an All Star and a generational player. 

[Jammer7]

His dad was drafted as a SS too, and then he matured into his eventual huge frame.

I like the pick just fine, but it would not surprise me to see him outgrow SS. A big LH bat is always welcome.

I don’t see him being the same as Witt, who is more twitchy. I see Holliday more like a Brandon Crawford type defender. 

[ArtVanDelay]

3 minutes ago, jcaponio said:

So where will he slot in on the lists of top prospects?

Gunnar

Grayson

Jackson

[foxfield]

He appears to be the Orioles choice as the BPA.  At the end of the day they can be wrong or right.  But at this spot, my hope was that they would get the player they thought was best and THEN see if they could save a buck.

I love it!!!

[justD]

Here's the review from the Orioles via their PR email list that goes out:

Quote

The Orioles Select SS Jackson Holliday as the No. 1 Pick in the 2022 Draft

The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, Jackson not only has some of the best bloodlines in the high school class but also is one of its better hitters. Though he struggled at times on the showcase circuit last summer when he got too focused on homers, he finished strong and has taken his game to another level as a high school senior and should go in the first five selections. Gatorade's Oklahoma prep player of the year, he broke J.T. Realmuto's national high school record for hits in a season with 89 in 41 games while batting .685/.749/1.392. Holliday has an advanced approach, no surprise given his roots, and a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. He usually makes consistent hard contact, though he didn't during the summer when he let his simple left-handed stroke get too long. After getting bigger and stronger, he's hitting the ball with more authority than ever this spring, and he also looks more relaxed at the plate and is letting his considerable power come naturally. Holliday has gotten faster as he has gotten stronger, and he now flashes plus-plus run times as a senior and is a consistent plus runner. He's throwing better too, and his solid to plus arm strength and enhanced quickness give him a better opportunity to remain at shortstop. His high baseball IQ also helps his chances after many evaluators previously believed he was destined for second or third base. In the unlikely event that he makes it to college, he'll play for his uncle Josh, the head coach at Oklahoma State, where Matt is a volunteer assistant.

 

[justD]

Transcript of the Mancano/Elias interview on masn:

Quote

Paul Mancano:  You like to keep things close to the vest, but at what point today did you decide that Jackson Holliday was going to be the first pick?

Elias:  Well, we decided that he was our favorite player a good bit ago today, but the way that the business part of the draft shakes out, it's often not a certainty who you’re actually selecting until seconds before the pick is due.  I’m just very happy that it went to plan, and we got the player that we really wanted with this pick.

He’s going to be an outstanding addition to what is already an excellent farm system in a thriving organization.  He’s a five-tool left-handed hitting shortstop with a great head on his shoulders, and I think he’s got a chance to be a big star.

Mancano:  You went with college players each of your last three top-five picks and you go with a high schooler here. Obviously, this class was a little bit more high-school heavy at the top, but was there any amount of trepidation going with a high-school hitter, or did you just feel like he was the best talent?

Elias:  This was a very special group of high-school hitters this year, so it appeared very likely to us that we would be selecting a high-school hitter this year just because of what, of the draft that was available this year.  I’ve said before, I think we have a very strong track record of drafting high-school hitters, both our last few years here with the Orioles - some of the Orioles picks from before I got here were some of the scouts that are still here - and then the drafts that I ran and helped run in Houston.  So we liked a lot of the players in this group.

Jackson’s one that checks a lot of scouting boxes for us with, as I said, all five tools being above average, meaning he can run, throw, defend, hit for power, and hit for average.  But he’s got a great physique, he’s got great swing mechanics, he’s got a very discerning eye.  There’s really no hole that I could poke in his game at this point in time, and so that’s why he was the number one pick for us.

Mancano:  And you said that you believe he can stick at shortstop as well going forward?  Obviously it’s tough with an 18-year-old kid, but why do you think he has the defensive tools to stick there?

Elias:  Well, he’s a plus runner.  He runs above average for major league speed scale down the line, and you see that speed translate in terms of his athletic movements at shortstop, so we think he’s going to have the range for the position.  He’s also got an above-average arm and he can throw from different arm slots, which is important, he’s got a real technically correct throwing stroke, his throwing mechanics are sound.  And he’s got a real simple way of catching the ball, and approaching ground balls.  And we think he does things the right way.  Certainly he’s going to require refinement and repetitions in the minor leagues, but I don’t see any reason why he won’t stay at shortstop unless his body grows so much, and if that happens, he’s going to have other options, be it third base or whatever, but we don’t envision that scenario - we think he’s going to play shortstop for the next decade, if not longer.

Mancano:  And obviously we’re a ways away from any of these guys signing, or coming to terms on any agreement, but you’re back on the clock at 33, do you feel like with the player that you selected that you left yourself a good amount of your enormous draft pool, that you’ll be able to make some selections later that

Elias:  Yeah, we’re certainly not going to be limited, and so we’ll be able to attack the board with the best players that we can. You know, we’ve got a big night of work ahead of us.  As you mentioned, we’re picking 33^rd, and then right after that picking at 42, and then we’ve got a pick in the 60s.  So it’s a big night for the organization. 

 

[jcaponio]

16 minutes ago, ArtVanDelay said:

Gunnar

Grayson

Jackson

Thanks. How about in terms of the top prospects in all of baseball? Top 50 ish?

[ArtVanDelay]

2 minutes ago, jcaponio said:

Thanks. How about in terms of the top prospects in all of baseball? Top 50 ish?

Fangraphs has him as their #20 prospect. 
 

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2022-mlb-draft/summary?sort=-1,1&type=0

[baltfan]

1 minute ago, ArtVanDelay said:

Fangraphs has him as their #20 prospect. 
 

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2022-mlb-draft/summary?sort=-1,1&type=0

Just 2 back of Gunnar. 

[Tony-OH]

25 minutes ago, jcaponio said:

So where will he slot in on the lists of top prospects?

At first glance I'd say he's going to be #2 or #3.

[oh-wee-ohs]

47 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Man, I know I'm getting old, but if Holliday was telling you who has favorite player was, you'd think he just finished up his Little League World Series interview.

I got it finally! He looks like the youngest Hanson brother. Mmmmmmbop!

[Just Regular]

12 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

At first glance I'd say he's going to be #2 or #3.

DL Hall might want to strike him out like 100 times in a row if too many people start saying that

[Roll Tide]

Quote

Jackson Holliday Stats & Accolades

• Slashed .685/.749/1.392 in 41 games as a senior
• Broke JT Realmuto’s Oklahoma high school record for most hits in a season (89)
• 2022 Baseball America High School Player of the Year
• 2022 Perfect Game National Player of the Year
• 2022 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year
• 2021 Perfect Game All-American