"Faith plays a major role in baseball and my life. I want to honor the Lord in everything that I do and I try to represent that on the field, through my actions and how I carry myself on and off the field." (Holliday, Jackson)

Jackson Matthew Holliday (born December 4, 2003 in Austin, TX) is an American professional infielder for the Baltimore Orioles. He was selected first overall by the Orioles in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He is the son of former MLB player and 7-time All-Star Matt Holliday. Jackson is Italian American via his paternal great-grandmother Edith Antoinette Leonelli (the daughter of Venanzio Leonelli and Filomena Sylvester). Edith was born in Pennsylvania, to Italian parents. Venanzio was born in Campagnano di Roma, Lazio. Filomena was born in Naples, Campania.

Holliday entered his HS senior year in 2022 as a top prospect for the upcoming draft. During a game against Union High School, he hit three home runs. In another game, he hit two home runs in the same inning. He finished the season batting .685 with 17 home runs, 79 RBIs, 29 doubles, and thirty stolen bases over forty games. He set a national record for hits in a season for an amateur player with 89, surpassing the previous record of 88 set by J. T. Realmuto in 2010. He was named the Oklahoma Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. He was the third in his family to win the award alongside his father and uncle. He was also awarded an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Holliday with the first overall pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the team for $8.19 million, the largest signing bonus ever for a high school player. Jackson made his professional debut on August 11, 2022 with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Orioles, going 1 for 3 with a stolen base. He was later promoted to the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Single-A Carolina League. Over twenty games between both teams, he batted .297 with one home run, nine RBIs, and four stolen bases. On April 24, he was promoted to the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, and in July, 2023 he was promoted to Double-A Bowie Baysox. By 2023, Jackson was considered the top prospect in all MLB.

In addition to his father's well-publicized major league career, his grandfather, Tom Holliday was the head coach at Oklahoma State University, as was his uncle, Josh Holliday. His younger brother, Ethan Holliday, is also considered a potential future top pick when he graduates in 2025.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen, and Wikipedia)