BALTIMORE — Like the saying goes, the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.
There's a lot of baseball ahead for Jackson Holliday. But for Orioles fans, Jackson's Wednesday arrival to a team with a treasure trove of great young players proved symbolic of great things to come in Baltimore.
"I am so excited, said Keegan McHugh, a Harford County native and lifelong Orioles fan, "I think it's the last piece to the puzzle."
Only in a baseball town like Baltimore would you find fans this excited for a Wednesday game in April, and it's easy to see why; at the dish and in the middle infield, there's not much Jackson Holliday can't do. Along with his stellar glove, Holliday was batting .333 with nine RBI in ten games in AAA.
"I think he's going to fall right in," McHugh added. "I think he's got a great support system."
"I just think we've got the best young lineup," said Andrew Frailer, an O's fan, "and we're just ready to dominate the AL East for the next decade."
The O's fanbase has been excited for young players in the past: Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Grayson Rodriguez. But, this feels like the last step toward a new era, built by high draft picks and even higher expectations.
Add to the mix a new ownership group, which is already on the fans' good side.
"It's kind of like the city itself, I think. It's young, renewed, for the possibility of something great," said Zachary Gailes, a fan.
"There's a certain magic that the Orioles bring to Baltimore," said Emma Frailer, "and I can't wait to see them really show out this year with all our great young players."
The Orioles are on a road trip in Boston; they take on the Brewers at Camden Yards on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
