Ethan Holliday: Do Baseball Bloodlines Matter?

by Griffin Floyd

With high school and college baseball programs starting up across the country the 2025 MLB Draft season is in full swing, and once again one of Matt Holliday’s sons sits at the top of the board. 

It’s like Deja vu all over again.

This time it’s Ethan Holliday, who just might be even better than his brother Jackson… who ended up the first overall pick in 2022. At this point in the season, there isn’t a consensus on who the first overall pick will end up being. Names like Jace LaViolette, Jamie Arnold and Tyler Bremmer will also get tossed out there, but no matter who you ask, Holliday will end up in the top five prospects with an excellent shot of being the first off the board.

With a dad and a brother in the major leagues, the discussion will inevitably turn to Holliday’s baseball DNA. It’s not just something fans and pundits like to talk about: in a cerebral sport like baseball, intangibles actually do play a role in the scouting process as players get an insider’s perspective on how to play — pitch recognition, gamesmanship, all the little details that make baseball the sport it is — quite literally born on third base.

But enough about his family: here’s what makes Ethan Holliday special. Playing shortstop and third base, he already stands 6-foot-4 and tips the scale at 200 pounds, possessing the type of easy power that helped his dad hit more than 300 home runs across 15 big league seasons. With 50-grade speed, he’s no slouch on the base paths despite his size… but at only 18 years old, Holliday might not be done growing yet. 

That could put a ceiling on his defensive potential, but as a lefty bat with 35 homer potential, MLB front offices won’t split hairs over whether he can play the hot corner or not. Holliday also possesses an above-average arm. He’s not prime Manny Machado, but that can help him cover up for any range issues that crop up.

As is customary with a player of his caliber, we’ve already seen Holliday face off against some of the best talents his age group has to offer as he tests his mettle at a wave of different showcases: the High School Home Run Derby during the MLB All-Star Game festivities, the Perfect Game All-American Classic, a U15 World Cup event in Panama back in 2022… you get the idea.

If there’s a downside to Holliday’s game, it’s his struggles with strikeouts during the showcases, something any detractor will be quick to point out, especially when coupled with a merely average ability to get on base. Only so much can be made of a handful of games, however, and big time power threats are going to strike out regardless. Aaron Judge racked up 171 punchouts in 2024 and finished as the American League MVP. 

What’s more, striking out against the best of the best in his graduating class is far different from doing so against the average competition he faces on the Oklahoma high school circuit. Wherever he lands in the draft, Holliday will have plenty of time to find his footing in the minor leagues, achieving the right balance of patience and aggression at the plate.