Is Holliday the most important player in 2025?

[Sports Guy]

Without getting into a conversation about his defense, what position he should be in, etc…it dawns on me that Holliday, the version we saw in the minors, is exactly the type of player this team needs.

Good power, high BA, lots of walks, lots of speed. That is a combo this team needs. A guy who sees a lot of pitches, works counts, etc…

We all know the level of talent he has. We all know how all scouts and evaluators love this kid.

This year was a major disappointment and him not getting better wasn’t what you want to see. That said, he started to make an adjustment, he started to get more comfortable and he now has this experience. He is a hard worker and knows what he needs to do. 

Im expecting a 4+ WAR year out of him in 2025. Him being the best player on the team wouldn’t shock me although I wouldn’t predict him to do that.

 

[interloper]

To you? Without a doubt.

Jokes aside he's extremely important. But I will still say Adley and Gunnar are more important. 

Next year Holliday should have a 2B platoon locked up with Mateo/Westburg and hopefully he just takes over the position fully by the AS break.

Ideally he's a huge cog in the lineup, a guy who can get on base and run. They need that guy.

[LGOrioles]

Internally? I would say it’s him and Rutschman. The Orioles got 2.1 WAR from their catchers this season (20th in MLB). They were 6th from 2022-2023. They had 0.4 WAR from their 2B this year (26th in MLB). If they had a 5 WAR Rutschman and 4 WAR Holliday this season, they would have had easily the best position player group in terms of WAR.

That’s not the end all be all, as AZ was first this season and missed the playoffs. But with a TOR and backend BP addition, the SP should be pretty good and the BP could be a real strength. 
 

 

[Sports Guy]

36 minutes ago, interloper said:

To you? Without a doubt.

Jokes aside he's extremely important. But I will still say Adley and Gunnar are more important. 

Next year Holliday should have a 2B platoon locked up with Mateo/Westburg and hopefully he just takes over the position fully by the AS break.

Ideally he's a huge cog in the lineup, a guy who can get on base and run. They need that guy.

I’m not sure he’s #1..I think GRod has a big say in this, as does Adley…but Holliday is in the conversation.

[Moose Milligan]

Holliday is in the top 3 or 4 most important players next year.  

IMO, it's Adley.  Gotta figure out who that dude is right now.  And if he's back to his old self, how to keep him healthy so he doesn't crater again.

Hope that Holliday could turn out to be a Bobby Witt Jr. type.

[interloper]

1 minute ago, Sports Guy said:

I’m not sure he’s #1..I think GRod has a big say in this, as does Adley…but Holliday is in the conversation.

I think from an organizational standpoint, Holliday is pretty close to #1 in that they were really counting on him being an extremely valuable player. 

In terms of the roster next year, he could be in AAA and the team would still be very good. But if he's a miss organizationally (he won't be, but just for argument's sake), then that's an enormous setback. 

[eddie83]

28 minutes ago, LGOrioles said:

Internally? I would say it’s him and Rutschman. The Orioles got 2.1 WAR from their catchers this season (20th in MLB). They were 6th from 2022-2023. They had 0.4 WAR from their 2B this year (26th in MLB). If they had a 5 WAR Rutschman and 4 WAR Holliday this season, they would have had easily the best position player group in terms of WAR.

That’s not the end all be all, as AZ was first this season and missed the playoffs. But with a TOR and backend BP addition, the SP should be pretty good and the BP could be a real strength. 
 

 

I think you make a good point here. The Adley/Jackson combo could be the difference in winning the division or being a WC.  
 

Legit upside there. 

[Gurgi]

Holliday needs to start taking Roids if he ever plans to be productive in MLB.  Roids works for everyone.  Remember that Brian Robert season where he started taking roids and was amazing for half a season till the clubhouse had the whole Palmerio scandal and everyone got scared and stopped taking their medicine?   I member.  Roberts never did have as wonderful year again as his steroid year.  

Roids does not help defense.  So maybe move him to centerfield because he really sucks at second.  Epic scale sucks.  Worst starting second baseman I have ever seen the Orioles drag out there type suck.  He sucks. 

[Too Tall]

I'd like to see Holliday become the leadoff/on base player we so badly need. I'd like to see him translate his minor league OBP to the majors. If he could do that, the answer to the OP is YES.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Gurgi said:

Holliday needs to start taking Roids if he ever plans to be productive in MLB.  Roids works for everyone.  Remember that Brian Robert season where he started taking roids and was amazing for half a season till the clubhouse had the whole Palmerio scandal and everyone got scared and stopped taking their medicine?   I member.  Roberts never did have as wonderful year again as his steroid year.  

Roids does not help defense.  So maybe move him to centerfield because he really sucks at second.  Epic scale sucks.  Worst starting second baseman I have ever seen the Orioles drag out there type suck.  He sucks. 

He admitted to using steroids in 2003.

His big season was 2005.

 

[24fps]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

He admitted to using steroids in 2003.

His big season was 2005.

 

Then Holliday needs to start taking steroids today to be ready for OD 2027.  No time to lose.

[Aristotelian]

I don't think so. Holliday might be most important to the future but I don't think he's critical right now. We have good infield options even if he struggles. 

To me getting Adley back on track is priority #1. If Adley is worse than Blake Hunt, we are losing like 5-6 WAR of expected production. If Holliday struggles, we still have Westburg/Urias and maybe even Mayo.

I do think Elias was hoping Holliday and/or Mayo would provide a boost over Urias, and that obviously didn't happen.

[Ripken]

Holliday, Adley and Grayson are the top 3 in some order.  

I'd love for Jackson to become our OBP machine leadoff hitter.

[Ceciltrav]

12 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Holliday is in the top 3 or 4 most important players next year.  

IMO, it's Adley.  Gotta figure out who that dude is right now.  And if he's back to his old self, how to keep him healthy so he doesn't crater again.

Hope that Holliday could turn out to be a Bobby Witt Jr. type.

Isn't it strange that the two best pitchers on the orioles staff both preferred to pitch McCann rather than Adley.  I think there is more to this.  I think it created some animosity within the club house......

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, Ceciltrav said:

Isn't it strange that the two best pitchers on the orioles staff both preferred to pitch McCann rather than Adley.  I think there is more to this.  I think it created some animosity within the club house......

Really, what evidence do you have that it created some animosity in the clubhouse?  Tell me more.