Baltimore Orioles Youngster Sees Kid Brother Make History with Top Shoe Brand

The Baltimore Orioles have built their team through strong drafting and player development throughout their minor league system.

That success in the Major League draft and top-tier player development has helped them climb out of the doldrums of the standings and become perennial playoff contenders with their strong young core.

One piece of that young core is Jackson Holliday, a second baseman who comes from a family full of baseball standouts.

His father, Matt Holliday, was a standout Major Leaguer for the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals, helping lead the latter to a World Series Championship in 2011.

Jackson has a younger brother, too, who is expected to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, Ethan Holliday who made history earlier this week.

Michael Ehrlich of Sports Illustrated broke the news on Monday that Ethan would become the first high school baseball player to sign a Name, Image, and Likeness deal with Adidas.

The prep prospect will join Major Leaguers like Julio Rodriguez, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Volpe.

“Signing with Adidas was a no-brainer,” Holliday said. “Seeing my brother sign with Adidas as a
young player was special for our family, so to now have this opportunity myself is incredible. I’m
honored and thankful, and I truly believe working with Adidas will help me take my game to the next
level and reach the goals I’ve set for myself.”

The Washington Nationals hold the number one overall pick for the upcoming draft after winning the MLB draft lottery in December.

Though Ethan is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, he is committed to the Oklahoma State Cowboys to play for his uncle, Josh.

The high school standout will debut Adidas' ADIZERO Edge+, a new cleat from the company designed for speed and agility.

"According to the brand," writes Ehrlich, "ADIZERO Edge+ represents the pinnacle of Adidas’ performance-driven design, underscoring the brand’s mission to empower athletes at every level of the game."

Ethan will be following in the footsteps of his father and brother, who have given him big shoes to fill. At least for the foreseeable future, Adidas will be providing those shoes.