Top Prospects Faceoff in Orioles-Nationals Series

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

August 15, 2024

The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals participated in a routine two-game series this week. The two teams split the series; however, headlines were made about who was playing in both games. Two of the league’s top prospects faced off for the first time on baseball’s biggest stage. Jackson Holliday of the Orioles and James Wood of the Nationals faced off in what will hopefully be the first of many matchups for the two.

Wood Outperforms Holliday

Overall in the series, based on general stats, former No.2 prospect Wood outperformed Holliday. However, they both played well. In Game One, Wood had four hits with three runs and one RBI. The Nationals rode this and Jake Irvin‘s performance on the mound to a 9–3 win. Holliday, on the other hand, had one hit and one strikeout in four at-bats.

For the Orioles, Trevor Rogers was given the start. He has yet to produce consistent value for the team, as he gave up seven hits and five runs in five innings.

In Game Two, Holliday’s Orioles claimed victory over Wood and the Nationals, 4–1. However, neither player had performances to write home about. In the second game, Wood was hitless with two strikeouts. Holliday played better, with one RBI, but also had two strikeouts.

Similar to the season, Wood has continued to slightly outpace Holliday. So far, the 6-foot-7 outfielder has played in 38 games, hitting .275 with 26 RBI. Holliday, on the other hand, has struggled to consistently find his footing. The current No. 1 prospect in the majors had his infamous stretch at the beginning of the season with 18 strikeouts in 10 games. Since his return at the end of July, the second baseman started hot with a stretch of homers in three straight games. However, it seems he has started cooling off, as he has only had three hits in the past seven games.

This first matchup between the two prospects showed much about the two players. One key takeaway, though, is that they are both still young. Holliday knows better than any other current major leaguer that finding consistency is difficult, and Wood would probably agree. Unfortunately, there is another Oriole that understands that struggle.

Orioles Saw a Holliday Part Two

The Orioles promoted their No. 2 prospect, Coby Mayo, on August 2. The team was hoping for him to gain some experience splitting games with Ramón Urías. Unfortunately for the Orioles, Mayo was not ready. Unlike the perfect condiment for a sandwich, the 22-year-old was not quite ready to be the perfect fit at the hot corner for Baltimore.

In only seven games, Mayo struck out 10 of his 20 plate appearances and only recorded one hit. The prospect needs some more time as he was sent back down to Triple-A after this stint.

Two More Top Prospects to Faceoff

Fortunately for the Nationals, there is one more prospect in their system that could begin to make a splash soon. Outfielder Dylan Crews is currently ranked the No. 3 prospect in baseball and currently resides in Triple-A for the Nationals. He could make his debut sometime this season. If not, he should be a full-timer in the bigs by next season.

Fans got a taste of Mayo and now can only wait and see how he continues to develop. Hopefully, by next season we will get to see all four of these talented players duel in the majors.