“A really incredible opportunity” - Ethan Holliday opens up on following dad’s footsteps with Rockies selection in MLB draft

Ethan Holliday, brother of Baltimore Orioles star Jackson and son of former 7x All-Star Matt, has been selected by the Colorado Rockies as the No.4 pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The Rockies selected Ethan, the same organization where their father Matt started his MLB career in 1998.

Moments after the selection, Ethan Holliday, in an interview with MLB Network, expressed being stoked about his upcoming journey:

“I mean a lot. This is a really incredible opportunity. I’m so driven by faith, and I’m so grateful and the lord has really been the centerpiece of my life…I don’t even know what words to put into this, and the Rockies organization I’m just so thankful and obviously with the family and my dad being drafted by them…”

He shared how he has known everyone in the Rockies organization since he was young, makes his selection more special. Ethan also expressed how his mom has been a key cornerstone in his journey to the big league, calling her a “superstar."

Moments before the announcement, Jackson Holliday talked about how excited he was for his younger brother and how much weight he’s carrying into his MLB debut.

Jackson understands how expectations are placed on Ethan following both his and their father’s baseball journey. For him, it was just to fill in his dad’s shoes, but Ethan has both his brother Jackson and father Matt's legacy to live up to.

“I kind of just had my dad’s stuff to live up to, and I can’t imagine the stuff that [Ethan] may be dealing with as far as getting picked first and what that could mean for baseball history and stuff like that. It’s probably a lot for him.”

“It’s an unbelievable situation to be in, and I think he’s handling it great. Every time I call home and talk to him, he’s golfing or messing around with his friends, so I think he’s in a really good headspace, and I’m just excited for him.”

Before the MLB draft day, Ethan was expected to be picked No.1 pick by the Nationals.

---

Jackson Holliday talks about similarities between him and brother Ethan Holliday

Ethan Holliday and Jackson Holliday [Source: Imagn]

Jackson Holliday, in an interview with MLB.com, noted how similarities between Ethan and himself may be visible because of the duo sharing their father as a hitting coach.

“I think growing up and having our dad as our hitting coach, we probably have a pretty similar approach and to be able to hit the ball all over the field and similar mindsets at the plate, I’d say.”

“But we hit together every day, we play catch and take ground balls, so some of our games might look alike eventually. Obviously, he’s a little bit bigger [6-foot-4, 210 pounds] and a little bit more physical, but as far as approach and kind of how we go about the game, it’s pretty similar.”

Another promising talent with a strong baseball pedigree in the recent draft was Eli Willits. He was selected at No. 1 by the Washington Nationals, drawing on his father Reggie's major league background at the start of his MLB journey.