Jackson Holliday, other Norfolk Tides players aware of rumors as trade deadline nears. ‘I don’t live in a cave.’

NORFOLK — Some online speculation has Jackson Holliday going to the Detroit Tigers. Other proposals have him landing with the Chicago White Sox.

Another online report called Holliday, a Norfolk Tides middle infielder and the top prospect in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization, “the most untouchable prospect in baseball,” an indication that the 20-year-old is likely staying put.

But as Major League Baseball’s July 30 trade deadline creeps closer, rumors continue to fly. Holliday, the top overall pick in the 2022 draft, doesn’t seek them out. But he’s certainly not immune.

“Obviously, I don’t live in a cave,” Holliday said this week after taking pregame ground balls at second base. “I have Instagram and Twitter. Yeah, I see them. But I’m just trying to come out here and focus on getting better every day. At the end of the day, whatever happens happens. But I’m trying to focus on playing baseball here and for the Orioles.”

It’s an annual tradition, especially at the Triple-A level, for players to play a guessing game about their own futures each July. Rumors reach a crescendo as the deadline approaches, often up until the minute it passes.

On the day of the 6 p.m. deadline last season, then-Norfolk second baseman and outfielder Connor Norby — as much a subject of speculation as any player in the organization — sat in the Tides’ first-base dugout and wondered aloud to no one, “Is it 6:01 yet?”

It is, the players say, part of the deal at the minors’ highest level, especially in a loaded organization in which the parent club is on the market for pieces that will help it get a leg up in the competitive American League East.

Part of Norfolk manager Buck Britton’s job each July is helping to keep his players present as rumors swirl.

“That’s one of the tricky parts, especially with all this young talent that we do have,” Britton said. “With social media nowadays, we know that the Orioles are shopping for certain players, and certain players are on the blocks. I just tell them: No. 1, it’s out of our control. And the job is still to go out and play hard every day because with that deadline being here, you never know who’s watching.”

Tides corner infielder Coby Mayo, the organization’s third-ranked prospect according to MLB.com , is another subject of rumors.

The slugging Mayo, who leads Norfolk with 19 home runs, is as aware of the online talk as Holliday.

“I’ve always said I’d be lying to say that we don’t look at it and follow it because it’s our future, and we kind of just want to see what’s out there and what may happen,” Mayo said, his shirt soaked with sweat after an extended short-hop drill at first base on a muggy afternoon. “You may think about those things, but right now, we have a game tonight, and that’s all you have to really worry about.”

Holliday, the son of former All-Star Matt Holliday, got his first taste of the major leagues in April, when he went 2 for 34 (.059) in an unsightly 10-game stint.

But he’s rebounded. Holliday is batting .281 with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a .927 OPS through 67 games with Norfolk. Notably, with 74 walks and 69 strikeouts, he leads the International League with a .439 on-base percentage.

The Orioles paid Holliday a record $8.19 million signing bonus for him to forgo his commitment to Oklahoma State.

Holliday, who is back at second base after a minor elbow injury briefly limited him to a designated-hitter role, said he wasn’t sure whether that’s enough to make him truly untouchable.

“I would like to think so, but you never know,” he said. “Like I said, my focus is here with the Orioles, trying to get better each and every day and help this team win and help the big league team win, hopefully here very soon. That’s my goal. So nothing other than that is what I’m focusing on right now.”

Britton cited former Tides shortstop Joey Ortiz, who was stuck in a logjam with Norfolk, but is now thriving in the major leagues after being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers as a player for whom a swap worked out.

It’s part of why Britton encourages his players to keep their focus on the field, even as fans speculate about other things.

“It could take one at-bat,” Britton said. “It could take one hard-nosed play defensively where somebody goes, ‘All right, that’s the guy that we want.’ And then you get an opportunity to go play in the big leagues.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com .