"Jackson Holliday got it worse than me"- Red Sox top prospect sheds light on antagonistic fan interactions

Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony feels that the amount of abuse he gets from rival fans does not compare to what Jackson Holliday has to put up with. Seeing that top prospects are targeted more than other minor-league players, Holliday seemingly faces a lot of heckling from fans.

Jackson Holliday is the eldest son of seven-time All-Star slugger Matt Holliday and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as the No. 1 overall pick in 2022. He was sent back to the minors after a dreadful start last year but called back up later on, leading to a more productive spell.

In an interview on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast, Roman Anthony discussed the verbal abuse that top prospects like him and Holliday have to face during minor league games.

"The only biggest difference is going to places, and now that people know you're not 20 or 30 anymore. You're the top one. And I think you hear a little bit more," Anthony said.

"He got it worse than me, obviously," he said regarding Jackson Holliday. "He's been in the big leagues, and I haven't been in the big leagues yet. He's probably experienced it a bit more than I have. Luckily he's an infielder, and as an infielder, like a middle infielder, you probably don't hear it as much. When you're in the outfield, they're right on top of you, screaming in your ear." [16:20 - 17:13]

Roman Anthony is the No. 2 overall prospect in the major leagues for 2025 and received his first call-up to a Red Sox spring training camp this year.

Ex-Twins infielder expects Jackson Holliday to take a step forward in 2025

Jackson Holliday did not live up to the high expectations in 2024 (Image Source: IMAGN)

Former Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe has urged the Baltimore Orioles to remain patient with their expectations from Jackson Holliday. While he believes Holliday will take a big stride forward this year, fans should not yet make any comparisons with their All-Star shortstop, Gunnar Henderson.

"Jackson Holliday, for all his trials and tribulations, still had a positive WAR last year," Plouffe said. I'm excited to see (what he does in 2025). I think everyone around baseball is excited to see what this year brings for him."

"I also don't anticipate him just going off and being Gunnar Henderson, that's not really fair. I still think there's going to be some bumps in the road with him. He's 21 years old, give the kid some time."

Holliday played 60 games for the Orioles during his rookie campaign and posted a .189/.255/.311 slash line with an OPS+ of just 66. Yet he recorded 0.1 bWAR with 11 extra-base hits, including five home runs and 23 RBIs.