It was a big surprise that after just 10 games in the Orioles’ season, baseball’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday, was suddenly in the major leagues.

The attention on the 20-year-old Holliday was suffocating. Everywhere he went, eyes and camera were on him, but after just 10 games with the Orioles, Holliday was back at Triple-A Norfolk.

His 2-for-34 (.058) with 18 strikeouts forced the Orioles to return him to Norfolk, and it took more than three months for him to make it back to Baltimore.

Second basemen, Jorge Mateo, who had a severe left elbow injury, and Connor Norby, who was traded to Miami at the trade deadline, were no longer on the roster. In another twist of fate, Jordan Westburg, who’d been playing third and second, had his right hand broken by a pitch just before Holliday’s first major league home run, a grand slam.

It’s obvious that Holliday is a much different player than he was in April. He showed it again in the sixth inning on Tuesday night when he delivered the Orioles’ first hit, a home run, that gave them a 1-0 lead.

On Wednesday, he became the youngest American Leaguer to homer in three consecutive games. His home run gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead.

“He got a look at what that level is about,” Norfolk manager Buck Britton said. “He had an idea of how guys were going to attack him. In that realm, he knows what to expect a little more.”

It wasn’t easy back at Norfolk for Holliday. He hit .271 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs with a .908 OPS and, unlike in the majors, he walked nearly as often (75) as he struck out (77).

“He came down and it was some adjustments to be a little more consistent with his leg kick,” Britton said. “Be on time. I know he talks about maintaining his direction. He did a really nice job going to work. I think you’re kind of seeing the consistency up there. The kid could always hit. There was no question. He made adjustments to major league pitchers, and that’s been done.”

Holliday had three consecutive two-hit games last weekend in Cleveland, and he’s obviously more relaxed.

In June, Holliday was shut down for two weeks because of right elbow inflammation and restricted to designated hitter until July 19^th.

“Maybe that helped a little bit because all he had to focus on was hitting,” Britton said. “He missed some time. He just got to work. That’s one thing Jackson will do, and that’s work, trying to find a way to get better. He had conversations with his dad [former major leaguer Matt Holliday], working with [hitting coach Mike Montville]. They put together a good plan and they executed the heck out of it. I know that we’re excited that he’s having the success up there.”

Cody Asche, the Orioles’ offensive strategist, played five seasons in the major leagues, and knows the pressures young players feel, and he sees a player who’s much improved over the one he saw in April.

“First, he looks way more comfortable in the box, way more sure, confident in himself,” he said. “Performance-wise, he’s really taking care of the fastball. He’s had some big challenges. He’s faced some high velocity stuff, That was something we didn’t really see the first time he was up here.

“The fastball was a problem. There was some miss on it. Now, I think he’s in a good spot with his approach and his setup. He’s getting into a good position to launch from so that he can take the approach he wants to take just like hit line drives on fastballs. He’s done a really good job at doing that.”

The hype that enveloped Holliday disappeared once he returned to Norfolk, but he handled the attention with aplomb, not turning down interview requests, eagerly signing autographs and not making excuses.

“I don’t think the media hype got to him,” said a major league scout who has watched Holliday since he was the first overall pick in the 2022 draft. “I don’t ever question his work ethic. That kid has always worked hard whenever I’ve seen him. His makeup before the game, during the game. He always was very composed.

“I don’t think it was as much the media hype. I think he kind of probably put a lot of pressure on himself from the expectations … No one can understand how much pressure this kid was under. I don’t care if he’s got the Holliday name, how long he’s been around the clubhouse and how long he’s been around the game.

“None of us can imagine being the No. 1 prospect in baseball. I know he’s got a great head. He’s got great makeup, but then when he went up there and he didn’t have the success that he thought he was going to have, I think he got a little amped up and kind of got out of his game, and the hole got bigger and bigger and bigger every game. He just couldn’t get out of that hole, and the best thing was when he went back down, he went to back to basics.”

Another major league scout who’s also closely tracked Holliday thinks he will continue to get better.

“Very simply, the worst part’s behind him,” the scout said. “He didn’t really fail. He struggled. I don’t really call it ‘failure’ when you come to the big leagues the first time. It’s fair to say he struggled, of course. He went back. He got back to his roots. He became who he was again. He’s already done the worst he can do. He knows what the bottom is. He’s not worried about that now.”

The scout doesn’t like to make comparisons to other players, though he’s confident about Holliday’s future.

“Middle of the field hitter, top of the order,” he said. “He could be a 60-plus WAR guy. The bat is so versatile, and he plays the game the right way. He’s going to run the bases for you. He’s going to play solid defense. He’s too young to talk about the Hall or anything like that, but I see a perennial All-Star. I really do. The bat stands out too far different than other people’s.”

In Holliday’s first stint in the majors, the season was getting started, and now the pressure is on because the Orioles and New York Yankees are in a tight race for the American League East. There’s no time to worry about Holliday getting too much attention.

“I don’t know that if it got to him in the sense that messed with him mentally or physically,” Britton said. “I do think that maybe it messed with his routine a little bit. When he first went up there, as hyped as he was, a lot of cameras in his face.

“I think that might have played a role as far as his day-to-day routine. I honestly think it was a young player that moved so fast in the minor leagues. Got to see what major league pitching was about, had to make some adjustments. That gave him a chance to reset, came down here, worked his butt off and made those adjustments.”