The Orioles (8-4) host the Brewers (8-3) Friday night at Camden Yards. That sets the stage for baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Jackson Holliday, to make his home debut against baseball’s No. 2 prospect, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. 

In addition to being baseball’s two best prospects, the 20-year-olds are also baseball’s two youngest players. Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (yes, another Jackson) is the third youngest. Yes, the Jackson Era is officially upon us. 

Both Holliday and Chourio are Rookie of the Year candidates and squarely at the forefront of a deep class. Here’s how each has fared so far in their limited big league sample size. 

Jackson Holliday

Holliday made his big league debut on Wednesday and still seeks his first big league hit. He’s 0-for-8 so far, but has scored a pair of runs and notched his first RBI in his debut, a 7-5 Orioles win. A shortstop in the minors, Holliday is settling into second base in Baltimore. 

Related Jackson Holliday content

• Sights and scenes from Holliday’s debut
• Future Projection pod breaks down Holliday’s big league promotion
• Why the Orioles chose now to promote their No. 1 prospect 

Jackson Holliday Preseason Scouting Report 

Scouting Report: Holliday’s elite offensive skill set showed as he climbed to Triple-A as a 19-year-old, with a plus-plus hit tool and at least plus plate discipline. Those qualities allow him to control the strike zone and make consistent, high-quality contact. After a fair share of weak fly outs in his 2022 pro debut, Holliday sharpened his ball flight to more consistently hit crisp line drives to all fields in 2023.

Holliday had a 45.5% hard-hit rate, up from 34.6% in his pro debut, while increasing his 90th percentile exit velocity from 99.4 mph to 102.5. His continued physical maturation could help him develop above-average power, but if not he will be a doubles machine because of the quality of his contact. He has demonstrated an ability to backspin the ball and give it extra carry. The Orioles were impressed with the way he tapped into his pull-side power as the season went on, and Holliday didn’t sacrifice his all-fields approach to get to that.

A gifted athlete who demonstrates the instincts of a baseball lifer both on and off the field, Holliday is loose and fluid at shortstop with the potential to be at least a plus shortstop and potentially a plus-plus second baseman, should the Orioles’ infield situation call for such a move. He’s a quick study defensively, can play one-handed, and has an advanced clock that means he doesn’t rush throws and often delivers them on time and on target. Holliday is a plus runner who was successful on 24 of 33 stolen base attempts in 2023 and shows good instincts on the basepaths. He also has elite makeup, handling the pressures of his prospect status and expectations as well as anyone the Orioles have had in that position.

To see Holliday’s full scouting report plus the Top 30 prospects in Baltimore’s system, click here. 

Jackson Chourio

Chourio is hitting .282/.326/.462 with a pair of homers through 10 games while manning right field for the Brewers. He’s also stolen a pair of bases. He isn’t hitting the ball with overwhelming oomph so far—and he’s struck out 13 times to three walks in 43 plate appearances—but his speed and defense have made an instant impact. 

While Holliday ultimately overtook Chourio in our Top 100, the Brewers outfielder did once rank as baseball’s No. 1 prospect. After signing an eight-year, $82 million contract in the offseason, Chourio looks like the future face of Milwaukee’s franchise. 

Related Jackson Chourio content 

• Chourio was the youngest player on an Opening Day roster
• He is not PPI eligible. We explain why here. 

Jackson Chourio Preseason Scouting Report 

Scouting Report: Hitters in the Double-A Southern League were at a disadvantage in the first half, when MLB experimented with a pre-tacked ball that led to more extreme pitch movements and higher whiff rates. Through July 6, Chourio hit .239/.304/.410 with 11 home runs in 71 games with a 7% walk rate and 21% strikeout rate. After that—when the Southern League reverted to the traditional baseball—Chourio hit .323/.380/.544 in 51 games with 11 home runs, an 8% walk rate and a 14% strikeout rate before a mid-September promotion to Triple-A Nashville. How much of those splits were because of the baseball itself or a 19-year-old making adjustments and getting more comfortable during the season was a wide topic of discussion inside and outside the organization.

What’s clear is that Chourio is an electric talent with standout tools and skills at a premium position. His explosiveness is evident in his bat speed, which helps him drive the ball out to any part of the park. He has plus-plus raw power and is content letting the ball travel deep and hammering the ball to right-center field, with more than half of his home runs going to center or right field. Chourio is a good hitter who doesn’t swing and miss much at pitches in the strike zone, though he will need to tighten up his plate discipline. He’s not a free-swinger, and he did chase less as the season progressed, but continued improvement with his swing decisions will be critical for him to achieve his potential.

A plus-plus runner, Chourio has the speed, acceleration and lateral range to be an above-average defender in center field. He’s still learning to finish plays at the wall consistently, but his reads and routes have all improved since getting more full-time reps in center field. Chourio had an issue with his right elbow as an amateur and has a fringe-average arm that is his lightest tool.

To see Chourio’s full scouting report plus the Top 30 prospects in Milwaukee’s system, click here.

The post Jackson Holliday vs. Jackson Chourio: Orioles, Brewers Series Features MLB’s Top Prospects appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

His father, MLB all-star Matt Holliday, sat seated in the front row. Gunnar Henderson, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, stood on deck. Fellow top overall pick and face of the franchise, Adley Rutschman, was perched in the Orioles dugout, his turn in the order two batters away.

Like it came for Henderson and Rutschman before him, there’s a feeling that Holliday’s time–and the Orioles’–is now. Baltimore, a team with World Series aspirations, saw enough in their 20-year-old wunderkind to call him up after just games with Triple-A Norfolk.

Holliday’s road to this moment, from projectable second-rounder with bloodlines in the early summer prep circuit in 2021 to baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect, was a whirlwind. A debate raged on draft day in 2022 as to who deserved the top overall selection. At the time, Holliday was not considered a clear-cut choice, sharing the spotlight with Druw Jones, another prep prospect with all-star bloodlines. But that debate quickly disappeared as Holliday laid waste to pro competition in his first full minor league season while rising from Low-A Delmarva to Triple-A Norfolk by season’s end. 

Now, Holliday debuted at Fenway Park soaking in the sights and sounds where his father once stood in a World Series game. 

“The history of this ballpark, I got to come here as a little kid and watch my dad play. To be out there and competing it’s very special,” Holliday said.

Now, Holliday was the big leaguer and his father and family that were in attendance to see him. His father Matt, grandfather Tom and younger brother Ethan, the top prospect in the 2025 class, were all in attendance, gifted tickets coordinated by former Red Sox World Series champion Kevin Millar. 

Perhaps the perk of being the son of a big leaguer, Holliday said after the game he didn’t feel overwhelmed by the moment.

“I wasn’t very nervous,” he said. “My results weren’t what I like, but I wasn’t nervous. I felt comfortable on defense and I felt comfortable at the plate.”

The game didn’t go as Holliday had hoped. It started off well, as Holliday made a strong play to start a 6-4-3 double play to end the second inning. In the top of the third Holliday stepped to the plate for the first time. He worked a 2-2 count after falling behind 1-2, but then swung through an 82 mph sweeper from Kutter Crawford for a swinging strike three. 

The next inning things didn’t get much better. Holliday ranged back on a popup off the bat of Tyler O’Neill that found its way into the shallow outfield grass. Holliday lost track of the ball and it landed over his shoulder for an RBI single scoring the Red Sox first run of the game. 

“With the wind kind of pushing in, I got a chance to come back and obviously I would have liked to make the play. It’s a tough one but it’s good experience and just to be able to learn from that,”  he said.

Holliday had a chance to redeem himself in the fifth as he stepped to the plate with no outs and Jordan Westburg on first. Instead, he hit into a fielder’s choice, as Westburg was out at second. 

Holliday stepped to the plate again in the top of sixth, with runners on second and third. He grounded out to second baseman Pablo Reyes, but it was enough to score Cowser from third and move Jordan Westburg to third. Holliday earned his first MLB RBI. 

The Orioles stormed back over the final three innings of the game, overcoming a 5-0 Red Sox lead heading into the top of the sixth. The Orioles scored seven total runs across the sixth and seventh innings, as Baltimore captured a victory in Holliday’s debut. 

It was a major momentous night for the Orioles, the Holliday family and the future of MLB. 

The post Top Prospect Jackson Holliday’s Orioles Debut A Family Affair At Fenway Park appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Holliday, Baseball America’s No. 1 prospect on the Top 100 as well as Baseball America’s 2023 Minor League Player of the Year, was hitting .333/.482/.595 for Triple-A Norfolk in 10 games. Holliday was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft as well as Baseball America’s 2022 High School Player of the Year.

Holliday’s promotion comes after he the past week and a half in the minors playing second base, which is expected to become his primary position in the majors. The Orioles also wanted him to get some at-bats against lefthanders. In 11 plate appearances against lefties so far this season, he was 4-for-10 with two doubles, a home run and a sacrifice fly for a .400/.364/.900 slash line. He had not struck out against a lefty.

Because he’s coming up so quickly, he will be eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, which means the Orioles will receive a bonus draft pick if he wins the American League Rookie of the Year. A player must reach 172 days of service to be eligible for PPI. If he is active tomorrow and stays up for the remainder of the season, he will have 173 days of service.

If Holliday were to win American League Rookie of the Year this year, then the Orioles receive a PPI draft pick after the first round of the 2025 draft.

Baltimore would have two more chances to add a pick even if Holliday fails to win ROY. A top three finish in MVP voting in 2025 or 2026 would also trigger a PPI draft pick.

The Orioles could have kept Holliday at Triple-A for a few additional days and gained an additional year of club control. While that must have been tempting, the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement disincentives teams from manipulating service for elite prospects.

Any player who finishes first or second in Rookie of the Year voting is awarded one year of MLB service, no matter when he was called up.

Holliday is so talented that he could have been called up in May or maybe even June and would still be a threat to finish first or second for the ROY award.

If Holliday receives one year of MLB service, then the Orioles would be best served to receive one year of MLB production.

The son of long-time big leaguer Matt Holliday, Jackson will make his MLB debut as a 20-year-old. He’ll become the youngest player in the American League and the second youngest player in the major leagues (Jackson Chourio is younger). He is the youngest Oriole to debut since Dylan Bundy in Sept. 2012 and the youngest Orioles position player since Manny Machado arrived in August 2012.

Here’s more on Holliday’s promotion and what to expect from Baseball America’s YouTube channel.

The post Report: Orioles Call Up Jackson Holliday To Major Leagues appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In most cases, it is still extremely early in the season, and we should refrain from overreacting to a week’s worth of major league performance and some Spring Training. Although this is generally true, there are some news items or actionable performance outcomes that we should be responding to. In other words, as a whole, we minimized movement-for-the-sake-of-movement. Even then, there have been some significant changes to dynasty values.

Rather than reporting on the individual changes up or down to a player’s value, we’ve bucketed them into groupings to help categorize why they’ve moved up or down so early in the season.

The post Dynasty Fantasy Stock Watch: Assessing Value In Early April appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

There’s plenty to cover. Just this week, we’ve…

• Updated our 2024 Top 100 Prospects
• Highlighted 70 players scouts are buzzing about this spring
• Examined 10 intriguing Opening Day assignments
• Picked breakout teams

The Top 100 update is our first of the season and includes a fair share of changes, highlighted by the rise of Jared Jones. The Pirates righty has shown electric stuff so far in 2024 and jumped nearly 50 spots. We also re-organized the back of the top 10, plus there are a few new names to the list.

Have a question for J.J.? You can submit it below and they’ll start to populate at 2 p.m. ET. Can’t wait to chat!

The post Chat: Updating Our 2024 Top 100 Prospects, MiLB Opening Day & More appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

With their lease expiring at the Oakland Coliseum after this season, the A’s reached an agreement with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats to play home games at the latter’s Sutter Health Park for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons. There is an option for a fourth season.

While the A’s retain some sense of continuity by moving 85 miles inland and to a city with a similar population, myriad questions surround the facility standards of Sacramento’s 14,000-capacity park. Issues with clubhouses, training rooms and ballpark lighting—which are all calibrated to Triple-A standards—must be resolved before next season.

But as far as the product on the field is concerned, we can examine how Sacramento’s park has played in Pacific Coast League competition to get a sense for how it might play as an American League venue in 2025.

The River Cats have existed since 2000 but have played just three full seasons in the 10-team PCL that resulted from the reconfigured minor leagues. 

Traditional park factors don’t tell the whole story for a field like Sacramento—whose three-year factor for runs scored is 80—because the River Cats play many road games in extremely hitter-friendly locales like Las Vegas, Reno and Salt Lake City. The influence of those parks tends to distort the bottom line. 

That’s why we will focus on output compiled only during Sacramento home games and then compare it with Oakland home games in 2023. Rank refers to standing among the 30 teams at that level, whether MLB or Triple-A.

In the past two seasons, Sacramento has played as one of the more pitcher-friendly Triple-A ballparks. Its rate for runs scored—this is the per-game average of runs scored and allowed in River Cats home games—resides comfortably near the bottom. 

The home run rate at Sacramento has fluctuated, but in the past two seasons it was comparable to the 2023 home run rate at the Oakland Coliseum.

While it is true that the PCL is a hitters’ league overall, Sacramento is consistently one of the exceptions, especially in the high-octane Western Division. No PCL team saw fewer runs in home games than Sacramento last season, and only Sugar Land featured fewer runs in 2022.

Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park favors Triple-A pitchers on a scale similar to way Oakland Coliseum plays for MLB pitchers. The dimensions of the two parks are also similar. It is roughly 400 feet to center field and about 330 feet down each line in both Oakland and Sacramento.   

This might be a coincidence. Or it might be a vestige of Sacramento entering existence as an Athletics affiliate in 2000. They remained partners through 2014, at which point Sacramento began an affiliation with the Giants.

For the first nine seasons of their existence, the River Cats led the entire minor leagues in attendance. Time will tell how well received the Athletics will be in Sacramento.

The post A’s Announce Move To Triple-A Sacramento: Here’s What To Expect appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

There are 583 draftees on Opening Day active rosters (74.8% of the total number of players on rosters), so the average team will produce 19.4 big leaguers. Any club with more than that is above average. Anyone below that is below average.

It’s probably no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the way with 29 active big leaguers on Opening Day. There are six homegrown Dodgers on its own roster (Will Smith, Bobby Miller, Michael Grove, James Outman, Gavin Stone and Gavin Lux), but 23 other Dodgers draftees have made other teams’ rosters, led by Corey Seager, Nathan Eovaldi and Alex Verdugo.

The San Diego Padres only have four players they drafted and signed on their own roster (Jackson Merrill, Luis Campusano, Graham Pauley and Tom Cosgrove), but there are 24 Padres draftees on other rosters, which leaves the club second overall.

The Nationals have the fewest, with 10 draftees on Opening Day rosters. Jake Irvin is the only National draftee on Washington’s Opening Day roster.

Here’s a look at how many players each team drafted and signed are on Opening Day rosters.

The post Which MLB Teams Drafted The Most Big Leaguers In 2024? appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Since 2010, only Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Jurickson Profar, Dylan Bundy, Julio Urias, Juan Soto and Elvis Luciano have made their MLB debuts at a younger age than Chourio, who turned 20 on March 11. Soto is the only position player since 2012 to debut at a younger age.

Here’s the complete list of MLB players who debuted at a younger age than Chourio since 1991.

Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill is the other 20-year-old on an Opening Day roster, while Julio Rodriguez stands out as a very established star who still ranks among MLB’s youngest.

30 youngest big leaguers on Opening Day

The Braves decision to add Jesse Chavez to the Opening Day roster makes him the old man of all 30 MLB rosters. He actually takes the title away from teammate Charlie Morton. With Zack Greinke unsigned, those two are the only 2002 draftees remaining in the major leagues.

30 oldest big leaguers on Opening Day

The post The 30 Youngest, Oldest MLB Players To Start 2024 appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Louisville leads all schools in the number of active players on MLB Opening Day rosters. Nine Cardinals are currently playing in the majors. They top Arizona State, Florida and Vanderbilt, all of which have eight active big leaguers.

For these purposes, players are counted with the school they last played for before signing. A player who transferred multiple times before being drafted and signing will count for only their final school.

While an Atlantic Coast Conference school leads the way, five of the top seven schools in terms of current active big leaguers are Southeastern Conference schools. Four of the top 15 are from the ACC.

Here’s a look at all 16 schools with five or more active big leaguers.

Louisville (9): C Will Smith, C Henry Davis, LHP Reid Detmers, RHP Bobby Miller, RHP, Chad Green, SS Tyler Fitzgerald, OF Adam Duvall, RHP Bryan Hoeing, RHP Nick Burdi.

Arizona State (8): SS Alika Williams, RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Alec Marsh, C Brian Serven, 1B Spencer Torkelson, RHP Seth Martinez, C Austin Barnes, RHP Trevor Williams.

Vanderbilt (8): OF Tony Kemp, HRP Collin Snider, RHP Tyler Beede, OF Bryan Reynolds, C Jason Delay, OF Mike Yastrzemski, SS Dansby Swanson, OF JJ Bleday.

Florida (8): OF Wyatt Langford, OF Harrison Bader, RHP Alex Faedo, RHP Brady Singer, RHP Dane Dunning, 1B Pete Alonso, LHP A.J. Puk, 2B Jonathan India.

Arkansas (7): OF Andrew Benintendi, LHP Jalen Beeks, OF Dominic Fletcher, C James McCann, LHP Drew Smyly, RHP Ryne Stanek, RHP Isaiah Campbell

Mississippi State (7): OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Dakota Hudson, RHP Chris Stratton, RHP J.P. France, 2B Adam Frazier, 2B Jordan Westburg, OF Brent Rooker

Texas A&M (7): RHP Ross Stripling, RHP Stephen Kolek, RHP Bryce Miller, RHP Michael Wacha, LHP Brooks Raley, LHP A.J. Minter, SS Braden Shewmake

Virginia (7): LHP Andrew Abbott, 2B Ernie Clement, OF Jake McCarthy, C Matt Thaiss, SS Chris Taylor, 2B Zack Gelof, RHP Josh Sborz

Arizona (6): LHP Andrew Nardi, C Austin Wells, RHP Tylor Megill, RHP Chase Silseth, RHP Kevin Ginkel, 1B Bobby Dalbec

Cal State Fullerton (6): RHP Tanner Bibee, 3B Justin Turner, RHP Dylan Floro, 3B Matt Chapman, 3B J.D. Davis, RHP Chris Devenski

LSU (6): OF Jake Fraley, 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Alex Lange, SS Josh H. Smith, RHP Aaron Nola

Oregon (6): LHP Tyler Anderson, RHP Scott McGough, RHP Ryne Nelson, LHP Garrett Cleavinger, 1B Spencer Steer, LHP Cole Irvin

Florida State (5): LHP Tyler Holton, RF DJ Stewart, RHP Luke Weaver, C Cal Raleigh, RHP Cole Sands

North Carolina (5): RHP Ryder Ryan, 3B Michael Busch, RHP Trent Thornton, C Jacob Stallings, RHP Zac Gallen

Oklahoma (5): LHP Steven Okert, RHP Burch Smith, RHP Jake Irvin, RHP Jon Gray, RHP Chase Anderson

Mississippi (5): RHP Lance Lynn, SS Grae Kessinger, RHP James McArthur, RHP Jacob Waguespack, C Nick Fortes.

The post Colleges With The Most Players On 2024 MLB Opening Day Rosters appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

A total of 98 players cleared the first hurdle to Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) eligibility. They appeared on two of three qualifying Top 100 Prospects rankings heading into 2024.

The next hurdle for PPI eligibility is making an Opening Day major league roster—or injured list. A total of 16 players met this criteria.

That number would climb to 17 if Blue Jays lefthander Ricky Tiedemann makes the Opening Day roster. He looked sharp in spring, and Toronto said that he is “in the mix” for an early start.

Here are the 16 confirmed players listed in alphabetical order.

Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs
Busch was buried behind veterans Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy with the Dodgers, so his trade to the Cubs in January opens all sorts of opportunity. The 26-year-old Busch is an older rookie with a proven minor league track record. That includes spring training after he hit .261/.340/.543 with three homers in 18 Cactus League games. Busch is locked in as the Cubs’ first baseman.

Evan Carter, OF, Rangers
Carter starred as a September callup and postseason hero last year. Now the 21-year-old is ready to bat in the middle of the order and do a bit of everything well. Carter focused on left field in his MLB debut but played all three outfield spots equally in spring training.

The post Here Are The Potential PPI-Eligible Players Who Made Opening Day Rosters appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.