MILWAUKEE — At the end of last season, when the Orioles had locked up a place in the postseason, the standard days off for regulars brought about a unique lineup construction. For one of those final games, Jackson Holliday batted leadoff. He recorded three hits — but what’s more is he felt pride in manning that place in the order.

Holliday is batting at the top of the lineup more and more this season. Although interim manager Tony Mansolino said he didn’t know if that would be a permanent position, he noted that Holliday “may grab this thing and run and never leave.”

That’s what it’s looking like, at least so far.

In a lineup full of underperformers, Holliday has made notable strides from his rookie season. He entered Wednesday’s matinee against the Milwaukee Brewers having hit leadoff in eight of the team’s last nine games, and his numbers are among the best in Baltimore.

“He’s aggressive, and I like that mindset. If you get a pitch early, don’t let it go by.”

Gunnar Henderson on Jackson Holliday

Holliday, it seems, has taken hold of that leadoff spot.

“It’s an honor to be able to lead off for a big league team. You get the most at-bats as possible, and I trained for, it feels like, a year and a half to hit leadoff for the Orioles,” Holliday said. “There’s a sense of pride in being the leadoff guy, for sure.”

Holliday’s batting profile plays well for the position, although there’s potentially only one time per game he is really the leadoff man. Still, he views himself as a table setter for Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and others behind him in the order.

He spent much of spring training attempting to steal bases at every opportunity. He brings speed on the bases, yet he has been caught on four of his six attempts this year (Holliday joked that he has been called out “even on review and it looks like I’m safe”). Still, that’s who he wants to be — a dynamic player who can impact a game in multiple ways.

Henderson, who also carries ample leadoff experience, said Holliday’s aggression plays well at that place in the order. Traditionally, leadoff hitters work the count. But, with all the advanced scouting available now, there’s less need for patience, particularly when the best pitch to hit may come early.

“He’s aggressive, and I like that mindset,” Henderson said. “If you get a pitch early, don’t let it go by.”

Holliday hasn’t been hesitant. Entering Wednesday, his first-pitch swing rate was 38.8% — 10 percentage points higher than Henderson’s and 23 percentage points higher than Rutschman’s, as comparison.

Even with Holliday’s increased success this year, though, strikeouts have remained a part of his game (22.5%). He’s walking only 6.3% of the time. But those marks haven’t prevented him from producing when he makes contact.

Holliday is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak. He needed an 11th-inning RBI single Wednesday to extend it, and the knock (followed by Rutschman’s three-run homer) helped Baltimore break an eight-game losing streak.

A noticeable difference in Holliday’s production can be tied to his starting hand position, which he adjusted at the suggestion of his dad, Matt, a seven-time All-Star. After April 23, when Holliday tweaked his hand positioning, he entered Wednesday hitting .314 with an .884 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

His metrics reinforce the turn in results. Almost half his hits leave his bat at 95 mph or faster (47.7%, per Statcast). With Holliday’s hands starting more vertically, they have more room away from his body to create a flatter, smoother swing.

“I feel, with the more vertical bat, it’s helped me, freed me up to turn on the ball through the pull-side gap,” Holliday said. “It’s kind of all clicked in the last month or so.”

It sure has. And Holliday, at least for the immediate future, is making the leadoff spot his own.

“If I hit a homer here and there, that’s great, but I prefer to hit doubles, singles, spray the ball around the yard, get on first, work for these guys behind me,” Holliday said. “Because, when I do get on base, good things seem to happen.”