Baltimore Orioles Jackson Holliday, son of seven time All-Star Matt Holliday

all right folks samori Benjamin here with Baltimore Orioles rookie Jackson holiday son of course of former Allstar Matt holiday and uh Jackson you know folks I actually got the chance to meet Jackson last year at the Futures game in Seattle and so uh Jackson great to see you up here in the big leagues and you're doing well so uh welcome man Welcome to New York thank you I appreciate it yeah so uh have you ever been in City Field before I have once uh uh I believe the last time I was here is when my dad was playing in 2017 so nice awesome the awesome so I thought that might be uh the first time or you know maybe only time you might have been here so that's very cool uh when you were you know coming up what was your favorite ball part going to as a kid oh man um I always I kind of like the old ones I liked pway and I liked Wrigley kind of just the older kind of Vibes with with great fans and uh I think those were two my favorites as a as a as a younger kid yes no doubt about it no doubt about it I agree with you it's always great to go to those old ballparks where there's not a lot of them left you know even uh old Yankee Stadium is gone so and your dad your dad played for the Yankees I know but you were when you were in high school you played in Oklahoma so how was your time in Oklahoma just playing High School baseball yeah it was great um 's um I'd say like sneaky pretty talented in high school a lot of um pretty good players um come out of there I know Jackson Joe was drafted the the year before me at um in the first round and um it's it's a it's Sneaky pretty talented um state for for baseball and uh there's always good competition and I got to to play with my brother in my senior year so uh great great memories of playing Oklahoma yeah you know what and I know coming up there was somebody who was talking the other day I forgot who it was and they were talking about how when you were a kid you and your brother would go run into the batting cages uh one of the stadiums I forgot who was talking about it but would you remember just being a kid and being around the club houses and being in the bad and cages guys getting some BP you know yeah I mean uh majority of my life my dad was was playing baseball and I got to to be in in the clubhouse almost almost every day and and just hanging out and being around a bunch of really great baseball players and um during the game be able to hang out in the cage whenever we were on road trips and me and my brothers would uh we' just hit and and um challenge each other and uh so a lot of really great memories of of being at at the field and here I am now I'm starting my own career did you have a favorite player besides your father when you were growing up yeah I mean I had lots it kind of just depended on on what team um um I was a big fan Nolan arado and obviously obviously judge whenever um he was uh in New York but uh yeah Nolan tulo always lots of great players that that I got to grow up watching you know you uh you want Gatorade Player of the Year and Oklahoma so that that was an incredible feat for you at what point uh did you really think that you had a chance to do what your father did and and play Major League Baseball yeah I mean that was that was always the goal for me um I never really had any other other plans besides playing baseball I like to say like I only had one plan and that was a plan a and uh was was to play baseball and and and be here and um but as as long as I can remember this is this is what I wanted to do and and thought that I could do and like I said you won a Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma and uh you know you're you're really such a cool kid man uh very talented and it's impressive you know someone as talented as you uh you know as cool as you are it's one thing that I noticed when I met you last year uh so but you put up a lot of big numbers in high school uh big home runs and ding bases and for somebody like myself who played baseball it's like wow you know it must be amazing to be able to just have so much fun out there playing ball I mean what was it like to like I said just uh be named get a player of the year in Oklahoma and just have so much fun pulling up big numbers in high school yeah I mean that was that was my goal going into into the high school year is I wanted to Wi G her play of the year um Ryan Val actually went to to my high school is in the big leagues um with the Tigers uh they had like one of his uh set up in in our clubhouse and that was I was like okay I think that that's what I want to do I want to win G play of the year and and and kind of have that I believe my dad won it as well so that was that was my go and then um yeah like I said I got to play with my brother and just just enjoying playing with him and kind of took a lot of the pressure off of all the scouts being there and just uh got to enjoy playing the game what do you remember about playing in one of the big showcase games in San Diego at Petco Park in high school uh how about that yeah yeah it was it was a good good time um kind of wrapped up the the summer my brother actually just played in it yesterday and um at Chase Field in Arizona so um another thing that that I wanted to do going into this summer was kind of check off off that um was playing an all American game and uh yeah lucky enough to be able to do it and play with a lot of guys that are starting their careers as well how did they get how did the feel to be picked number one overall on the draft yeah I mean obviously uh really special to to be able to do that and um yeah it was it was an honor to be able to to get pitched by the Orioles and glad that I'm here um but it was it was pretty surprising um for me going into the year I didn't I didn't really expect to get drafted that high and uh it was it was pretty awesome wow so you were surprised very interesting uh Roy Lewis I was talking to him 2017 first overall pick told me the same thing he was surprised to get picked first so what was like the biggest difference when you got left high school now minor leagues what was the uh was there a big difference for you yeah I mean obviously you're you're playing against grown men at that point um guys that have been through been through college and um it's uh a little bit of an adjustment kind of being on your own and in small towns in in Maryland so uh it was it was pretty fun we had a good group of guys that I got drafted with that that made it a lot easier and um but uh yeah I think I'd say playing nine innings and playing every day is the biggest thing at the end of the day it's baseball but playing nine innings and hitting five or six times you don't do that in high school so it a little bit different right because High School is seven Innings right okay yeah like I was telling you I went to Northfolk State uh in college and so you were playing in Northfolk for little bit tides and uh the tides they used to be the Mets minor league organization but now they the Baltimore so you were North Folk I love North Folk uh what was your experience uh just in North Folk and playing for the tides yeah I mean I I enjoyed it we had a really great coach and staff um ran by buck and um yeah I mean like I said we have a great group of guys in our organization so it makes it really easy to be able to go to the field every day and just enjoy playing baseball and um yeah I didn't I didn't spend a whole lot of time in actual norpol I spent more time in in Virginia Beach but uh all my experiences were uh were really good right now okay you made your major league debut uh this year but you know just before that last year like I said when I met you you played the Futures game so how was that moment for you and uh did that moment just uh changed anything for you in terms of confidence or anything like that yeah I mean it was it was really special um got to make my debut in in Boston and um and uh just get to play the Red Sox as as a debut is pretty pretty special for me and uh but yeah glad to be back up here uh with these guys and um but uh yeah it was really special yeah you guys have a nice young fun fun team on to come up I got a chance to interview Gunner uh back at Yi Stadium back in like May or a May uh he's a really cool guy I enjoy watching you guys play with it like this coming up with this other with this organization want to come up this organization had some really bad years for a few years that's how they were able to get you number one and uh yourself know Adalie gunar all the young guys you have coming up what's it like to just be a part of this yeah it's it's it's really special um you can kind of feel the the environment in the in the clubhouse and and the guys want to win and and like I said do something really special which I think that that we're in a really good position to to do so and uh yeah it was really cool whenever whenever I did get drafts with the ORS were starting to head in the right direction and it was really encouraging to be able to come into organization that that wants to win and had so many talented guys so it's uh it's been pretty awesome and since you have come back up you've played outstanding you home hom run in your first game back and you had a consecutive home run streak going what do you credit your success to since you've been back up here yeah I think just just making adjustments I mean I think the the game of baseball is all about little adjustments and and failure so I think uh like I said like the first time I I was up it didn't go so well and just kind of learning from that and um really challenging myself in in tripa and and trying to be in in a better spots when I do come up to to be able to succeed and uh luckily been able to to do that and um but yeah just like I said happy to to be back up here with these guys last three for you what's the like just being a part of a fun pen race first time in your life young ball player part of the Great P yeah I can't can't dream it up any better to be able to play for a team that has a chance to to play in the playoffs and and potentially win a World Series so uh yeah I'm very lucky and and blessed to be able to be here what's the best memory from your father's playing career um I'd say all the All-Star games was pretty cool being able to to go to All-Star games and and kind of be be a part of it and shyp and and be around guys that that are so incredibly talented and uh I think those were probably the highlights of of growing up is being able to go to Allstar games and and uh just see the best players in the world and how fun is to have a how fun is it to have a younger brother who is really talented and on a path to doing really great things as well yeah it's it's really cool so it's be able to share that with him of the the joy baseball and and um work with him and and and um and train it's it's really fun off Seasons to be able to go home and and uh and be able to work out then we got like a built-in and training partner so it's uh it's really cool to see what he's done and and excited for for the year to come hey last one for you has there been a pitcher since you've been in the big league you grew up watching and uh you faced them and you were just like wow I'm facing this guy um oh man I mean I'm kind of waiting to to to face a little bit of everybody but uh it's been it's been crazy I mean class is like the the guy that you watch close games oh I fa Kenley Jansen I'd say that's probably the one guy that I kind of grew up and he was dominant in the league for for a long time and and still is so that's probably uh the guy I would say he he struck me out my dad after the game was like well he struck both of us out now so that was kind of a cool moment for for me obviously the strikeout wasn't but uh to be able to face him ni you know what I ask everybody this the most talented player that you ever play with most talented I mean it's it's hard to argue with with gunar I mean i' I'd say he's probably the most talented player that that I've played with uh to this point um just what he can do on the defensive side and obviously what he can do on the offensive side it's it's pretty special Jackson holiday man you're a great young man like I said a cool customer folks Baltimore Orioles Jackson holiday a rising star I'm definitely lucky to meet him and dackson man thank you so much thank you I appreciate it appreciate you all right folks we're back