Ethan

Holliday

Holliday, who connected for his second professional big fly in this one, has reached base safely in 15 of his first 17 contests at the Low-A level in his professional debut. The 18-year-old, who was selected fourth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, has an extremely bright fantasy future ahead of him if he reaches his lofty ceiling and gets to call hitter-friendly Coors Field his long-term home.

There’s no longer any Rookie ball for draftees — the Arizona and Florida Complex Leagues ended a couple of weeks ago — so Holliday will begin his pro career in full-season ball after taking part in unofficial Bridge League games recently. For comparison’s sake, his brother Jackson debuted with the FCL Orioles on Aug. 10, 2022 before being moved up to Low-A a couple of weeks later and finishing the season there.

Holliday, the fourth overall selection, gets a $9 million signing bonus — per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis — which vastly exceeds his $8.2 million slot value. The 18-year-old prodigy winds up signing for more than the $8.2 million that No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits secured from the Nationals. In fact, it’s a new record for high school players. Before Willits signed, that record had been held by Jackson Holliday at $8.19 million.

Yes, Ethan is the brother of Orioles’ infielder Jackson Holiday and the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday. Ethan has a chance to be the best of the family -- with all due respect to those other names -- as a player who doesn’t turn 19 until February with enormous power in his left-handed bat; the kind that you see in hitters who routinely hit 30-plus homers. The 6-foot-4 infielder does have a long swing, but his ability to recognize pitches and use the entire field makes him a good candidate to hit for average. He may need to move to third base because of his size and average speed, but the bat can play there and then some. Holliday is the top fantasy prospect in the class, and has a chance to be a star when all is said and done.

With just a few hours remaining before Washington officially goes on the clock, the consensus industry-wide is that Holliday, Anderson and Willits will likely be the top picks in the 2025 MLB Draft. Holliday — the younger brother of Orioles standout Jackson Holliday and son of former big-league star Matt Holliday — has been universally-regarded as the likely top pick for months. The 18-year-old prep shortstop out of Oklahoma is bigger than his brother and packs some serious power upside. Anderson, a collegiate southpaw from LSU, would likely reach the majors at some point next year, if that’s the most important variable to the Nationals. Meanwhile, Willits — the son of former major-leaguer Reggie Willits — is only 17 years old and might end up being the best player in the entire class if he continues on his current trajectory.