Video: Jackson Holliday Gets MLB Call-Up by Orioles in Emotional Conversation

The Baltimore Orioles released a video Wednesday of the moment when top prospect Jackson Holliday learned he was getting called up to the big leagues.

In the video, Holliday is speaking to Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton, who is out of frame. After initially attempting to throw Holliday off the scent, Britton told Holliday to call his father and tell him he was getting called up to the O's:

The 20-year-old Holliday, who is the son of seven-time MLB All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday, was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB draft and is rated as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, per MLB.com.

Despite being just 19 years old at the time, Holliday was an instant superstar in his first full minor league season last year.

Playing across four different minor league levels, he hit .323 with 12 home runs, 75 RBI, 113 runs scored and 24 stolen bases in 125 games.

Because of that performance, Holliday entered spring training with a legitimate chance to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster. He didn't look at all out of place during the spring, hitting .297 with one homer, five RBI and two steals.

Even so, the Orioles decided to send Holliday down so he could gain more experience at the Triple-A level.

It quickly became apparent that Holliday had already outgrown Triple-A, as he hit .333 with two home runs, nine RBI and one stolen base in 10 games.

Holliday plays both second base and shortstop, and to make room for him on the major league roster, the Orioles designated veteran utility man Tony Kemp for assignment.

Calling up Holliday likely means that Baltimore intends on playing him regularly, and that could require some lineup shuffling.

Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson have been the Orioles' primary starting middle infielders this season. Both of them are also capable of playing third base, though, and it is likely one of them will be moved to the hot corner full time in place of Ramón Urias, who is hitting just .091 this season.

Last season, the Orioles had the best record in the American League at 101-61 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

They entered 2024 as a top contender to reach the World Series, and although they are off to an uneven 6-4 start, they still have the potential to be an elite team.

If Holliday hits the ground running in the big leagues, an already talented Orioles team will become even more dangerous.