Orioles' Jackson Holliday feels "strong" and ready for second big-league season
Jackson Holliday admits that he went through growing pains in his first big-league season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.
The first overall pick in the 2022 draft made his Orioles' debut on April 10, 2024. Holliday batted .189 with five home runs and 23 RBIs in two stints with the Orioles last season.
After bulking up in the offseason, Holliday is ready for his sophomore season.
Holliday said he added about 10 pounds and reported to spring training feeling stronger.
"I feel strong, swing feels good, feeling more experienced at second base," Holliday said.
Weights and diet
Holliday said he noticed, in his first go-around in the majors, that players around the league are physical and strong, meaning he needed to hit the weights over the winter.
"Even in this clubhouse, guys hit the bar really hard and I needed to add some of that to my game," Holliday said.
Holliday, the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, said he also focused on his diet and ate a lot of ground beef during the offseason.
"It wasn't just ground beef," Holliday said. "I put other things in, like eggs and rice and mixed it up, but I've been eating a lot of steak this offseason. My parents take their health very seriously as well, so it's very easy to eat clean and have a good diet. I get blood work done and do all of the things to help me stay on the field and play this game for a long time."
Building on positives
Holliday said there were some positive moments toward the end of last season - after making a swing change - that he hopes to build on in 2025.
"I'm just building off the swing that I had success with at the end of the year and it feels really good right now," Holliday said.
The Orioles open the season on March 27 in Toronto. Their home-opener is against Boston on March 31.
