The Baltimore Orioles’ Secret Weapon Nobody is Talking About

In baseball, the best teams always have a super utility player, like a Swiss army knife, that can play any position on the field and produce. 

For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers have Tommy Edman and the Toronto Blue Jays have Ernie Clement -- two players that were crucial to their teams' 2025 postseason success. 

For the Baltimore Orioles, Jorge Mateo was their version of a super utility player, as he could play anywhere in the infield and was a serious threat on the base paths. Unfortunately for Baltimore, Mateo is now with the Atlanta Braves. 

However, Mateo's departure leaves the door open for second year player Jeremiah Jackson to become Baltimore's "Swiss army knife" for 2026.

Jackson (25), made his MLB debut on August 1, 2025 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field where he would pick up his first big league hit. 

Prior to his MLB debut, Jackson was tearing up the minor leagues, as he posted an .880 OPS in 339 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A. 

Jackon's defensive versatility and bat to ball skills prompted Baltimore to promote him to the big league roster -- Jackson took the opportunity and ran with it. 

In the month of August, Jackson had a tremendous .344 on base percentage and .484 slugging percentage, good for an .828 OPS through his first 93 big league at-bats. Jackson would also club two home-runs and drive in 14 RBI's that month. 

Jeremiah Jackson hit 15 HR with a sub-15% K% across 85 G in AA and AAA, posting a 136 wRC+. Could clean up his PD, but did cut his K% by 11.3% from '24 while showing solid QoC (13.4% Barrel%, 111.3 MPH Max EV), then followed it w/ 5 HR & a 117 wRC+ in 48 G with the Orioles. pic.twitter.com/LhUklt1f4x

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) January 28, 2026

Jackson's bat to ball skills were impressive, but what really stood out from his game is his ability to play multiple positions on the field. 

In the minor leagues, Jackson would spend a majority of his time playing shortstop or third base, but Baltimore already has those positions covered with Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg. 

Jackson spent a majority of his time playing in right field for Baltimore, as he spent 250 out of 335 innings at that position. Jackson would also play 84 innings at third base and one inning at second base, further displaying his versatility. 

Jackson would struggle to replicate his play during August in September, but still had a solid .713 OPS with three home-runs and seven RBI's in 77 at-bats. 

The rookie finished his 2025 campaign with a .276 batting average, a .775 OPS, while hitting five home-runs and driving in 21 RBI's. 

Although Jackson still has a lot of room to grow, there's no denying the fact that he could have an Edman or Clement type impact for Baltimore in 2026.