It’s hard to tell what was most unusual about last season in the AL East.

Baltimore and Tampa Bay took the top two spots in the division, the first time that had ever happened.

And the Yankees and Red Sox were the bottom two teams, which hadn’t occurred since before the start of divisional play.

The AL East has changed a lot from the days when the big-market behemoths would overpower the rest of the division.

Tampa Bay has been a formidable operation for a while now, and the Orioles capped a swift rise from the depths of a rebuild, winning 101 games and a division title in 2023.

Baltimore’s wealth of young, cost-controlled talent should make the Orioles a threat for years to come, and now they’ll take a shot at defending their AL East crown.

The Baltimore Orioles are calling up infielder Jackson Holliday, the team announced Wednesday morning.

The son of former MLB player Matt Holliday, who was a seven-time All-Star, Jackson Holliday has been a prized prospect ever since his days at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Orioles selected Holliday with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft and he has shown why he was the top pick ever since.

After making the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds in 2022, Holliday rose up through the farm system in 2023.

He started the season with the Shorebirds and ended it with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

In 125 games, he hit .323 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI as he swept every major minor league player of the year award,