Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias doesn’t seem to understand the flaw in his judgment with Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo.

Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias has made the same mistake twice. Let’s hope it doesn’t come back to haunt the organization.

Elias called up Jackson Holliday far too soon, giving in to fan outcries in the process. Baseball fans are the best, but they rarely call for the right decisions. Holliday is still just 20 years old. It should come as no surprise that Holliday went 3-for-34, and was sent back to Norfolk as a result to figure things out. Holliday eventually fixed his swing, and has improved dramatically as a result. Now, he looks like a fixture of any potential Orioles postseason run. It’s highly doubtful that he ends of back in Norfolk on anything but a rehab assignment anytime soon.

While Holliday was able to correct his mistakes, he is also the best prospect in all of baseball and a priority for Baltimore. He’s the son of a big leaguer, and understands that slumps happen. Coby Mayo doesn’t have that advantage, and the No. 10 prospect in all of baseball was recently sent back down to the minors after 1-for-17 slump to start his own MLB career. When asked if it’s tougher for prospects to make an impact right away, Elias didn’t have an encouraging answer.

“It certainly feels that way, and I’m surprised now when they don’t struggle right away, especially the young ones,” Elias told The Baltimore Sun. “I don’t know, but it seems really hard and it is certainly no shame to come up and have a rough two weeks your first go of it because we’re seeing some of the very best prospects in baseball do it and then get over it pretty quickly, too.”

Orioles and Mike Elias didn’t learn from their mistakes

So, here’s the thing — not every prospect is able to get over their MLB struggles quickly. It took Holliday months. St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker is still struggling in a platoon role. Typically, it takes time, and a player like Mayo’s confidence can take a dramatic hit by failure at the MLB level. It’s a goal these men have waited their entire lives to achieve, only to have it stripped from them after a rough start.

While it’s tough to fully blame the Orioles and Elias, they ought to exercise more caution with top prospects moving forward. Holliday and hopefully Mayo will be fine, but they are the best of the bunch. The O’s are in the middle of a pennant race, and the pressure is immense.

Asking prospects to learn on the fly isn’t healthy, especially when patience cannot be afforded to them.