In April, Coby Mayo watched his friend achieve a lifelong dream, only for it to temporarily come crashing down in about two weeks. Jackson Holliday didn’t return to Triple-A Norfolk with his tail between his legs, but he was honest with Mayo: The big leagues are no joke. “When he got sent down from the big leagues, he talked about his experiences and how it was different and how they attacked him,” Mayo said. “He opened up to me about how it was and the experience and how he was mentally through the whole thing.” What Holliday experienced in April — two hits and 18 strikeouts in 36 plate appearances — is similar to the stumbles many Orioles prospects experienced earlier in their major league careers. Adley Rutschman hit .143 in his first 15 games. Gunnar Henderson opened 2023 hitting .170 through 100 at-bats. Colton Cowser posted a .115 average in his first 26 games.

Still, the knowledge Mayo gained from Holliday falling over the hurdle between Triple-A and the show didn’t prevent Mayo from tripping over it, too. The big leagues, Mayo learned firsthand like Holliday before him, are no joke.

“In the minors, you have time to make some adjustments. At the big leagues, you don’t have a lot of time to do that,” Mayo said. “Everyone sees what you’re doing and you have to put your best players on the field. If I’m struggling, I’m not going to be playing. That’s just the bottom line.”

The two youngsters — Holliday, 21, and Mayo, 23 — are confident their high-profile struggles ultimately made them stronger. After an offseason filled with reflection and changes, they’re ready to prove that’s true this season.

“It was a great learning opportunity for me,” Holliday said. “It obviously didn’t go the way I thought it would’ve gone, but I think it’s all part of the plan at the end of the day. I’m excited for what I’ve learned to carry over into this year.”

Mayo and Holliday were drafted two years apart — the former in 2020’s fourth round, the latter as the No. 1 overall pick in 2022. As a result, they didn’t become teammates until 2023, when Holliday zoomed through the minor leagues to reach Triple-A at just 19 years old.

The pair of infielders instantly became throwing partners — the baseball version of which friend you sit next to at lunch — and have been ever since. Aside from being high school draftees and top prospects, Mayo and Holliday have little in common as players.

Mayo, at 6 feet 5, 230 pounds, looks like he could play tight end. Holliday, at 6-feet, 200 pounds, has a boyish face on top of a big league physique. Mayo is one of the best power hitting prospects in baseball, while Holliday’s bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline are his best traits. Mayo’s defensive ability is a major question mark, while Holliday is a smooth defender settling into second base.

Their shared experiences, though, have allowed them to form a strong friendship over the past two years.

“It’s good to lean on one another just because we’re similar with being high school guys and getting through the system quick and struggling in the big leagues,” Mayo said.

Mayo and Holliday breaking out the next time they’re in the big leagues shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who watched what happened to the Orioles’ top prospects who came before them. Cowser is perhaps the best example after he fell flat in his first stint in 2023 and then spent the final two months of the season struggling in Triple-A.

Cowser used the offseason to change his swing and his mentality — letting go of the pressures of being a top prospect and adopting a “crash and burn” philosophy — en route to finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

“He got an opportunity and ran with it,” Mayo said. “It was great to see him do it, and I hope to follow in his footsteps and honestly try to beat that.”

Buck Britton, Norfolk’s manager last season and now a member of the Orioles’ coaching staff, said the “skill set is there” for Holliday and Mayo to take a similar leap as Cowser did last year.

“Cowser went through some struggles, and you saw what he was able to do last year,” Britton said. “A lot of these guys, they’re getting pushed through the minor leagues so fast. They dominate the levels that they’re at. Sometimes the first punch in the mouth is in the big leagues. But these guys are in a good head space, they’re hard workers and super talented. We have a lot of confidence that these guys are going to mature into the players that we hope and think they are.”

Manager Brandon Hyde is confident that Mayo and Holliday approached the offseason the same way Cowser did a year ago.

“I think when you have an offseason to kind of digest what you went through, you understand mentally what it takes to play up there,” Hyde said. “The speed of the game is totally different, the pitchers you face are totally different, the pressure is not even close to what you’re facing in Triple-A. I like listening to these guys right now about what they went through, and they’re honest about it and what they needed to work on this offseason.”

Holliday continued improving his physique and fine-tuning his swing mechanics to “cut down on the swing and miss” that derailed his rookie season. When he returned to the majors in the summer, Holliday had highs and lows. He blasted a grand slam onto Eutaw Street and achieved things last done by players like Juan Soto and Brooks Robinson. But he also went through slumps in which he struck out about 50% of the time.

During the final series of the regular season, though, he ditched the big leg kick in his swing and incorporated a toe tap — a change inspired by Shohei Ohtani — and he finally felt like himself. He’s spent the past several months thinking of how he played in that series and is “chasing” being that player on a consistent basis.

Mayo dominated Triple-A to begin the season, but he was bombarded with offspeed stuff by big league pitchers upon his arrival — and he couldn’t adjust quickly enough. In his first six games, Mayo went 0-for-15 with 10 strikeouts. The day after he got his first career hit, he was optioned back to Triple-A. When he returned in September, he went 3-for-24 with 12 strikeouts and only one walk.

Unlike Holliday, who never struggled in the minor leagues, the feeling was familiar to Mayo, who often slumped when he first arrived at a new level. But after a few weeks, he’d always break out and establish himself as one of that league’s best hitters.

“It’s just only a matter of time in the big leagues for that to happen,” said Mayo, who spent the offseason working to get his swing back to where it was in 2023 when he believes he was at his best.

Holliday is expected to be the Orioles’ starting second baseman, while Mayo will likely have to earn his way back to the show after beginning the season in Triple-A. But Mayo is hopeful that both he and Holliday will soon be throwing partners as established major leaguers.

“If we play with each other for a long time in the big leagues,” Mayo said, “it will be nothing short of amazing.”

Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.