To many, the Colorado Rockies got a steal when they selected elite shortstop prospect Ethan Holliday with the No. 4 pick in the MLB Draft.
They’re paying him like he was the best player in his class. Per MLB.com, the Rockies have inked Holliday to a $9 million signing bonus, the largest-ever for a high school draft pick. It surpasses the bonus ($8.2 million) signed by No. 1 overall pick (Nationals) Eli Willits. It’s the fourth-highest bonus awarded to a draft pick of any kind.
Only Paul Skenes ($9.2 million, Pirates, No. 1 overall in 2023), Chase Burns ($9.25 million, Reds, No. 2 overall in 2024) and Charlie Condon ($9.25 million, Rockies, No. 3 overall in 2024) signed for more.
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The bonus speaks to the excitement around Holliday in Colorado and upside the shortstop with top baseball pedigree brings to the Rockies. Holliday is the son of seven-time All-Star and 2004 NL batting champion Matt Holliday. He’s the brother of Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, who’s off to a strong start in his second MLB season, three years after Baltimore selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Ethan Holliday, seen here at the High School Home Run Derby in 2024.
(Matt Dirksen via Getty Images)
Holliday was No. 2 player on Yahoo Sports’ Draft Board and regarded by many as a potential No. 1 overall pick. But he slid to the Rockies, who were happy to draft him at No. 4. For Rockies fans, the acquisition of Holliday adds a glimmer of hope amid a season of misery in which Colorado is flirting with the worst record in MLB history.
And for good reason. Here’s Yahoo Sports baseball analyst Jordan Shusterman on Holliday’s favorable comparisons to his brother, Jackson:
For the most part, Holliday’s performance throughout his high school career sustained the outlandish hype, culminating in a resounding senior season in which he completely outclassed the middling Oklahoma competition, posting a laughable 2.046 OPS with 16 home runs in 118 plate appearances across 32 games.
Holliday won’t help the Rockies this season. But there’s reason for excitement in Colorado.
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