The two seasons before this one saw the Orioles enter with a consensus top-ranked prospect who everyone believed would be a strong Rookie of the Year contender. Adley Rutschman’s 2022 ROY campaign was only blunted by the preseason injury that cost him six weeks. Gunnar Henderson rolled to the 2023 ROY win with a rookie season that could hardly have gone any better. Going into the 2024 season, hopes were high that Jackson Holliday would be able to follow in these same footsteps. It didn’t work out that way.
This dream was knocked off course before the regular season began.