As Jackson Holliday starts slow, Gunnar Henderson confident Orioles rookie will break out: ‘It’s just a matter of time’

Jackson Holliday isn’t yet putting the barrel on the ball, but he hit the nail on the head after a third straight hitless game Friday.

“It’s three games,” he said. “It feels like longer, but it’s just three games.”

One of the most challenging aspects of being a newly minted big leaguer is that there are no past experiences to draw upon. Sure, there’s the success from the minors and analytical feedback from hitting in the cage, but nothing compares with facing major league pitching.

It’s only three games, but that’s all Holliday can go off. He’s 0-for-11 in them with seven strikeouts and zero hard-hit balls. But prospects as good as Holliday — the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2022 who reached Triple-A in his first full professional season and made his MLB debut at 20 years old — almost never bust.

Holliday’s teammates have no doubt the youngster will break out of his early slump soon. There might not be anyone in the Orioles’ clubhouse who understands what Holliday is going through more than Gunnar Henderson.

Like Holliday, Henderson was also a consensus No. 1 prospect with hype surrounding his arrival — although not to the level of what Holliday experienced in Boston this week. While Henderson played well after his debut late in the 2022 campaign, he struggled to open 2023 with a .170 average in his first 100 at-bats.

But Henderson broke out of his slump en route to being named Most Valuable Oriole and winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

“It seems like he’s got every camera in the world on him, watching every move he does,” Henderson said. “That’s just something on its own that’s harder to deal with. Just go out there and play your game. Don’t let the results of these first couple games affect how you play your game.

“I know he’s going to do it. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks out.”

Henderson has spoken with Holliday about the slow start, telling the infielder two years his junior he was “in the same boat” last season. But Henderson started being more aggressive early in counts and relaxing at the plate — slashing .274/.321/.528 for an .849 OPS after his slump.

Holliday went 0-for-4 in both his debut Wednesday and Thursday against Boston Red Sox starters Kutter Crawford and Garrett Whitlock. He was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Friday against Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta and the Brewers’ bullpen.

“He’s just getting pitched well,” Henderson said. “I just told him to stay aggressive. Don’t let the results now make you get passive. That’s kind of what I got in trouble with last year. Trying to find the perfect pitch, and ultimately you’re already late on that pitch anyways.”

One commonality between Holliday’s struggles and Henderson’s last year is getting behind in counts. Holliday was down 0-2 in all three at-bats Friday.

Like Henderson was, Holliday isn’t being aggressive on pitches in the zone and is making uncharacteristic swing decisions. Henderson said the best way to escape the loop of getting down 0-2 is to hone in on “pitches “you can do damage with.”

“You’re going up there every single at-bat 0-2. You didn’t even get to see two pitches and it felt like it was 0-2,” Henderson said. “Pitching is tough up here, but he’s an insane ballplayer. So, yeah, just go up there and continue to be himself.”

Veteran Ryan O’Hearn has experienced his fair share of ups and downs in the majors — going from an intriguing bat for the Kansas City Royals to a bench bat to a castoff-turned-cleanup hitter for the Orioles last season. He opened his career 2-for-19 in 2018 and said there’s nothing Holliday needs to worry about.

“It’s been three games. He’ll settle down and get comfortable and do what he does, which is be a really good baseball player,” he said. “Debuting with that kind of pressure around you is a lot to deal with and would be a lot for anybody to deal with, let alone somebody who’s 20 years old. I think he’s beyond mature for his age.”

Manager Brandon Hyde gave Holliday, a left-handed hitter, the day off Saturday against Brewers starter and former Orioles farmhand DL Hall. Holliday didn’t pinch hit in the 11-5 loss and will hope to get his first big league hit Sunday against right-hander Colin Rea.

“I just wanted to give him a little bit of a breather,” Hyde said. “It’s been a long three days for him. … It’s a lot to handle for a 20-year-old kid.”

Orioles GM Mike Elias on Jackson Holliday’s promotion, David Rubenstein’s ownership, payroll and more https://t.co/3US9gtBErS

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Mike Elias also isn’t worried about Holliday, calling him a “quick learner.” The Orioles general manager said during a news conference Saturday that it’s expected for a prospect — especially one as young as Holliday — to struggle when they first enter the big leagues. Colton Cowser, who is breaking out this season, hit .115 in his first 26-game stint in the majors. In 2022, Adley Rutschman hit .176 in his first 20 games.

“The majors are really hard,” Elias said. “It’s really tough making that jump. It’s really thrilling for us to have so many good prospects doing really well in Triple-A, but you’re always reminded how much more difficult the big leagues are.”

Holliday is expected to be a near-everyday player, although he could get the occasional day off versus lefties like he did Saturday. His lack of experience and success off quality left-handed pitching was one of the reasons Elias gave for why Holliday began the year in the minors, where talented southpaws are scant.

Elias said Holliday’s ability to hit lefties will likely be “one of the last things” he will learn to do at the major league level.

“It’s just something that’s hard to prepare for in the minor leagues, especially when you move as quickly as he did through the minors,” Elias said. “It was something that took a little time for Gunnar Henderson, and so we’re just going to keep an eye on that. It’ll come.”

Holliday will get a few at-bats Sunday to record his first MLB hit and get the monkey off his back. But even if he doesn’t, O’Hearn said the floodgates can open with just a hard out or a single good swing.

O’Hearn and the rest of the Orioles aren’t worried when that swing will come.

“Jackson’s a stud,” O’Hearn said. “He’s going to be just fine.”