Jackson Holliday is another top prospect with big league bloodlines. Like Druw and Andruw Jones, Jackson is the son of seven-time All-Star and World Series champion Matt Holliday, but that’s not all. Jackson’s uncle, Josh, is the head coach for Oklahoma State’s baseball team, where he’s committed to playing. Holliday is a two-time Rawlings High School Gold Glove winner. He was also Baseball America’s National High School Player of the Year. Even if he doesn’t attend OSU, the second-best prospect on MLB.com has a strong chance to be a top-five pick in the upcoming draft.
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Run: 60 | Power: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60
Strengths
Holliday has an advanced approach at the plate. Thanks to his given roots and ability to put the barrel on the ball, his hitting and run tools are the same as scouts gave him a 60/80. He has one of the best swings in the draft, as his explosiveness at the plate allows him to hit almost anything. Holliday can barrel the ball consistently, and he even took his game to the next step as a high school senior. 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.
The 18-year-old has an excellent baseball IQ and the tools to play at the top level. Defensively, Holliday has good footwork while making accurate throws. He has quick foot movement and can smoothly throw the ball. Like his hitting and run tools, his arm and field are graded at 55/80. It’s a good grade for someone named the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in high school.
Weaknesses
Holliday has been difficult to strike out. His offensive skills are on another level. Nevertheless, the only weakness is he can look slightly off when he tries to hit home runs. He didn’t have the power to come with it, but his pitch recognition has been superb over the year, given his age and experience. Holliday is small for his age but continues to grow into his body. He spent time developing more strength in his game which led to him getting power in his bat. Plus, his defensive skills, especially his arm strength, have improved at shortstop despite talk of him moving to centerfield. Overall, he has clean actions with accurate throws.
MLB Player Comparison
A good comparison for Jackson Holliday is Trevor Story. Both players are not only shortstops but power-hitting defenders with strong arms. Since entering the majors with the Colorado Rockies, Story came with versatility and became an everyday shortstop. His rookie season was most remembered as Story is skilled with the bat in his hand and glove. Furthermore, Story had issues lengthening his swing aggressively. It’s similar to Holliday, who gets too excited trying to hit the long ball. On defence, Story can make all the plays in the infield with his quick and good reactions.
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Players Mentioned:
Matt Holliday, J.T. Realmuto, Trevor Story
