Baltimore Orioles Utility Man Showcasing Why He Should Be On The Opening Day Roster

It's considered to be a luxury in the MLB when you have one, or even multiple utility players on your roster. Utility players are often under looked and appreciated as their numbers aren't usually flashy, but many players have carved out decade long careers because of their ability to provide value at any position. 

For the Baltimore Orioles, they've always had a handful of utility players, especially during the rebuild stages. Guys like Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urias were crucial parts in Baltimore's eventual success due to their flexibility and consistency both defensively, and with the bat. 

Luckily for Baltimore, they have been graced with another utility player who in a small sample size, has performed exceptionally well. That player being none other than Jeremiah Jackson. 

Jackson (25) was one of Baltimore's September call-ups, and made his MLB debut on August 1, 2025 against the Chicago Cubs. Although Jackson would serve as the designated hitter, his bat-to-ball skills were on full display, as he would single off of eventual National League rookie of the Year runner up Cade Horton. 

Following Jackson's debut, he would get a lot more opportunities in the field, where he put together an extremely strong rookie campaign defensively. 

Jackson would primarily play shortstop and third base in the minor leagues, but slowly emerged as a corner outfield option for Baltimore. Jackson would play 84 innings at third base, one inning at second base, but had 250 innings in right field, further displaying his defensive versatility. 

Although Jackson recorded a -2 OAA (outs above average), his defensive skills passed the eye test, at least in my opinion. 

With that being said, Jackson's bat is what impressed throughout his rookie season, as he would post a .276/.328/.447 slash-line with five home-runs and 21 RBI's in only 170 at-bats. Jackson's power came out of no where, and is an extremely encouraging thing to see out of a utility player. 

All together, Jackson would prove to be an effective baseball player at the big league level, as he would post a 0.4 WAR (wins above replacement) in 48 games played. 

Fast forward to spring training, and Jackson is still displaying his strong bat-to-ball skills and defensive versatility. However, he has gotten off to a very slow start, being 5-for-23 with only a .511 OPS in his first eight games. 

Although Jackson hasn't had the start to spring training that Baltimore fans hoped for, the progress has been encouraging as he hit an opposite field home-run in today's exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Every player has gone through slumps in their careers, and it's unfair to expect Jackson to not go through the same struggles. With that being said, his versatility, ability to hit for a high average and strong debut season should be good enough to get him a spot on Baltimore's opening day roster.