Ethan Holliday, a high school slugger with a remarkable baseball pedigree, is headed to the Rockies.
The club selected the left-handed hitter with the fourth overall pick of the Major League Baseball draft on Sunday. He’s the son of former Rockies slugger Matt Holliday, who was the cornerstone of Colorado’s only World Series team in 2007. Ethan was born on Feb. 23 of that year.
Ethan, 18, is the younger brother of Jackson, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 draft who climbed the minor-league ladder quickly and is now the starting second baseman for the Orioles.
Ethan had an inkling Colorado would select him.
“As the days started trickling down, there was no sure feeling, but there was a little something inside me that was kind of leaning toward the Rockies,” he said during a Zoom interview in which he sported a Rockies cap. “And my mom (Leslee Holliday) said she had a feeling, too. We’re so juiced and so excited for this opportunity, and it’s pretty cool that it’s the Rockies.”
His dad was excited to see his son heading to Colorado — a team that drafted him in the seventh round in 1998 — even though the Rockies are headed toward their third consecutive 100-loss season.
“Obviously, the organization has a special place in my heart, in our family’s heart, and our lives,” Matt said. “So it’s pretty surreal to have Ethan drafted by the Rockies and to see some of the pictures they’ve already posted (online) of Ethan so young in a Rockies uniform.”
There was widespread speculation that the Washington Nationals might take Holliday with the No. 1 overall pick. But the Nationals, who recently shook up their front office, surprised many draftniks by selecting Eli Willits, a 17-year-old shortstop from Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Broxton, Okla.
The Rockies had to wait for two more picks before they got their young man. The next two selections were collegiate pitchers. The Angels took UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner, and LSU lefty Kade Anderson went to the Mariners.
Danny Montgomery, the Rockies’ assistant general manager of scouting, said Ethan was “definitely our No. 1 pick on the board.”
Marc Gustafson, senior director of scouting operations, added: “You can only imagine the excitement in our draft room when Ethan was available.”
As a senior at Oklahoma’s Stillwater High School, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ethan hit .611 with a 2.038 OPS, 19 home runs and 64 RBIs. He was a shortstop at Stillwater but might project as a third baseman in professional baseball.
Ethan is the Rockies’ first high school player selected in the first round since outfielder Benny Montgomery in 2021. Ethan was named Gatorade’s 2024-25 Oklahoma Player of the Year, the Baseball America High School Player of the Year and the National Prep Baseball Player of the Year. He was projected as the nation’s No. 1 high school prospect entering the draft by Perfect Game.
Former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd, now an analyst for MLB Network, said the Rockies made a great choice.
“He’s a foundational draft choice for the franchise,” O’Dowd told The Post. “He’s an incredible young man who has a significant chance to make an impact.”
Photo courtesy of Holliday family
Oklahoma State University volunteer baseball coach Matt Holliday and his family at a Stillwater High School game. Pictured from left is Jackson, Matt’s wife Leslee, Reed, Ethan and Gracyn.
How soon Ethan will evolve from an amateur star into a major leaguer remains to be seen. Asked if the Rockies’ struggles and their ongoing youth movement will open the door wider and quicker for him, Ethan said: “The Rockies are, still, despite having a tough record, a big-league team. I mean, big leaguers are the best (players) in the world. Every single player on that team is one of the best players in the world. So (whether) it’s a team that’s 100 wins or 100 losses, you’re still going up against the best in the world.”
His father added: “This year is not going great (for the Rockies) … but it doesn’t take long to get things like this turned around.”
O’Dowd said Ethan comes from a special family. Matt was a seven-time All-Star slugger over a 15-year MLB career, making the All-Star team three times with the Rockies and four times with the Cardinals. Ethan will muscle up more as he gets older, though he might not fill out to 240 pounds like his father, who belted 316 career home runs.
“Ethan is already hitting the ball in the 110-112 (mph) range at 17 years old,” Matt told The Post last September. “He might have more raw power than me.”
The Holliday family is baseball royalty in Oklahoma. Matt’s father, Tom, was a coach for the Oklahoma State baseball team for 26 years, including head coach from 1997-2003, a position now held by Matt’s brother, Josh.
“I don’t know about royalty, but we do have a lot of people that love the game,” Ethan said. “We have quite the squad. We love baseball, and after this call, we’re going to go play some Wiffle ball with the family and some of my good buddies, and just enjoy.”
Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces Ethan Holliday as the fourth overall pick, by the Colorado Rockies, in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft at Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Rockies’ second, third-round picks
Second round (45th overall): RHP JB Middleton, Southern Mississippi
Middleton had a breakout junior season, posting a 2.32 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over 105 1/3 innings. He worked out of the bullpen as a freshman and sophomore but evolved into a starter with a 93-95 mph fastball. He also throws a slider and uses a changeup vs. left-handers. At 6-feet, 178 pounds, he’s not big, so scouts wonder if he can carry the load as a big-league starter.
Second round Competitive Balance Round B (74th): OF Max Belyeu, Texas
A powerful left-handed hitting right fielder with a strong throwing arm. Belyeu fell down the board a bit this season after losing playing time because of a fractured thumb, but he still slashed .303/.410/.576 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. He finished his Longhorns career with a .318/.414/.616 slash line and 27 homers.
Third round (77th): 3B Ethan Hedges, USC
Played high school baseball at Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei, where current Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon played. Hedges played some first base before becoming a third baseman and also served as the Trojans’ closer as a junior. His fastball’s been clocked at 93 mph. A line-drive hitter, he slashed .343/.459/.602 line with 12 homers in 2025.
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Originally Published: July 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM MDT