Prospect Report: Jackson Holliday Collects Five Hits In IronBirds’ Slugfest

Image credit: Sebastion Walcott (Photo courtesy Bill Mitchell)

Jackson Holliday, SS, Orioles: On Saturday, Holliday will be one of the Orioles’ representatives in Seattle at the Futures Game. On Wednesday, he showed why he was worthy of that honor. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2022 draft went 5-for-5 in his team’s win over Greensboro. His day included four singles and a double and marked his second five-hit game of the season.

Austin Charles, SS, Royals: It took him a little while to get settled in after moving up from the Arizona Complex League, but the Royals’ fastest-rising prospect has everything cooking now. Kansas City’s 20th-round pick from 2022 collected a double and a home run in Low-A Columbia’s win over Charleston, marking the sixth time in his last seven games that he’s collected at least one extra-base hit.

Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies: Crawford reached a professional milestone on Wednesday night when he collected his first career home run. One of the newest members of BA’s Top 100, Crawford connected off of a 90 mph fastball from Cardinals prospect Pete Hansen. The homer—which was part of a three-hit night for Crawford—left the bat at 100.4 mph and traveled an estimated 376 feet.

Austin Wells, C, Yankees: The Yankees liked Wells so much that they drafted him twice. They called his name out of high school but he opted to head to Arizona. Two years later, he was their first-round pick. So far, it looks as if their persistence has paid off. The slugging backstop cracked a grand slam—his 11th home run of the season—which provided the margin of victory for Somerset’s win over Reading on Wednesday. The homer was part of a two-hit night for Wells.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Orioles: Like his fellow Futures Gamer Jackson Holliday, Kjerstad was perfect on Wednesday. The second overall pick in the 2020 draft went 4-for-4 with a home run in Norfolk’s win over Durham. The blast—Kjerstad’s fifth in 24 games since joining Norfolk—left the bat at 108 mph and traveled an estimated 407 feet.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers: File Under: Don’t Scout The Statline. When Walcott, who was signed in January, was promoted out of the DSL, he was hitting .161/.383/.323. Upon arriving stateside, he’s made the move look very smart. After a ninth-inning, tie-breaking home run on Thursday, the 17-year-old now has four homers so far in just seven games in the Arizona Complex League, putting him two off the league lead.

Ethan Salas, C, Padres: So far, Salas has lived up to every bit of the hype he garnered from the moment he put pen to paper to begin his professional career. The 17-year-old backstop skipped both the DSL and the ACL and made his official affiliated debut with Low-A Lake Elsinore. On Thursday night, he swatted his fourth home run of the season during his team’s tilt with Visalia.

Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays: After a slow start, Tampa Bay’s first-rounder from 2022 has turned on the after-burners. The first baseman went 3-for-3 with a walk and a pair of doubles in a game that was shortened by weather to just six innings. Since the calendar flipped to May, Isaac has been on fire, hitting .301/.403/.551 with 12 doubles, two triples and six home runs.

Hector Rodriguez, OF, Reds: When Cincinnati acquired Rodriguez from the Mets as part of the package that sent Tyler Naquin to Queens, it did not see power as a big part of his game. Color it pleasantly surprised. The 19-year-old clubbed two extra-base hits in his team’s win over Bradenton. The output included a double and a home run, his 14th of each on the season. The home run places him in a tie with Yankees prospect Jared Serna for tops in the FSL.

Terrell Tatum, OF, White Sox: Quietly, Tatum has made a lot of noise in the last two seasons. The North Carolina State product has had some setbacks because of injuries and suspensions, but he’s produced when on the field. He went 3-for-5 with a home run and a stolen base on Thursday, giving him six longballs and 35 swipes between High-A and Double-A this season. Add speed, a hint of power and excellent defense in center field, and you’ve got a sneaky good prospect bubbling in the Southern League.