Starting at third base … Jackson Holliday

One of the quickest paths to the Majors is thru versatility. If a prospect can area a number of positions, it makes the job of managers lots simpler.

On Sunday, Jackson Holliday took his first step in direction of that versatility, enjoying his first skilled sport at third base. In the sport, Holliday went 2-for-4 with a double and a stroll as High-A Aberdeen beat Wilmington 5-2.

We know the bat is there — the No. 2 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline has slashed .303/.445/.491 by 49 video games with the IronBirds — so it solely is sensible that he would work on sprucing his glove.

The torrid tempo that Holliday has been on on the dish has garnered some jokes about him being Major League prepared. While he’s actually a methods away from the bigs, studying a secondary place will solely expedite future promotions.

In his first style of motion on the place, the ball discovered the top-ranked Orioles prospect instantly. The leadoff batter within the backside of the primary inning popped a ball up in foul territory proper to Holliday, and he dealt with it with no downside.

Later within the sport, Holliday had a little bit of a hiccup on the place. On a dribbler down the third-base line, Holliday ranged to his proper, however was unable to provide you with the ball cleanly along with his backhand.

One comparable situation that involves thoughts is that of No. 3 general prospect Elly De La Cruz. A pure shortstop, De La Cruz additionally hung out at third base in Triple-A this season to suit into the Cincinnati lineup extra simply. Now within the Majors, he’s splitting time between the recent nook and shortstop, whereas Matt McLain, one other budding star, performs each shortstop and second.

Adding third to his repertoire shall be one other step in the fitting route for Holliday, who appears to be on the quick observe by the Minor Leagues.