Rockies Sign Second-Round Pick JB Middleton to Below Slot Bonus

The Colorado Rockies have their next pitching start under contract as Southern Miss pitcher J.B Middleton signed his contract.

Southern Miss' JB Middleton (18) pitches during the game against Mississippi State at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday, Mar. 5, 2024. / Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colorado Rockies signed their first draft pick from their 2025 class as Southern Miss pitcher J.B. Middleton agreed to a deal.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reported the signing.

Middleton signed a $2.071 million deal as the No. 45 pick. That was slightly below the slot value for the selection, which was $2.171 million.

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Each pick in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft has a pre-determined slot value. Teams can sign those players at the slot value, below the slot value or above it. Teams must not exceed their bonus pool.

Selections in the final 10 rounds (11-20) do not count against the bonus pool, so long as those players don’t sign for more than $150,000.

Middleton is now the highest-drafted pitcher in Southern Miss history. The right-hander was a first-team all-America selection by Perfect Game and NCBWA, along with second-team all-America from D1Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlins. He was the Ferriss Trophy winner as Mississippi’s top collegiate baseball player.

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He was a starter for the first time in 2025 and went 10-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 16 starts. He struck out 122 and walked 25 in 105.1 innings. He finished the season second in WHIP in Division I at 0.85. Per Callis, he has three pitches, including a fastball that can hit 97 mph.

The Rockies selected Ethan Holliday with the No. 4 overall pick. He is the son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday, who played in the Majors for 15 years from 2004-2018. The Rockies selected him in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB draft out of Stillwater High School.

Holliday is due a slot bonus of $8.77 million. If that is what he receives, it will be the largest slot bonus given to a prep player in MLB history.

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Washington Nationals No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits set the record on Saturday by signing a deal worth $8.2 million. He broke the record set by Holliday’s older brother, Jackson, who signed a deal worth $8.19 million as the No. 1 overall pick in 2022.

Colorado is hoping the younger Holliday can emulate his father’s career.

The left fielder was a seven-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, won a National League batting title, claimed an NL Championship Series MVP and a 2011 World Series ring with the St. Louis Cardinals. With the Rockies, he made the All-Star Game three times, won three Silver Sluggers and the 2007 NL batting title with a .340 average.  

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