Rockies Roots Run Deep for Ethan Holliday After Father Starred for Franchise

The Colorado Rockies selected Ethan Holliday No. 4 overall in the 2025 MLB draft was about as no-brainer a moment as a franchise could have.

One of the top ranked players in the draft going to the same franchise that his father, Matt Holliday, broke in with? And the younger Holliday could be a massive building block for the future of a franchise coming off three straight losing seasons? The old regime wisely did not pass on him.

Ethan Holliday is now preparing for what will be his first full season in the minor leagues after a taste of pro baseball at Class-A Fresno. He’s played as a back-up for Team USA in a spring training game. He’s played for the Rockies in an MLB spring training game. He still needs time to develop, but the city has welcomed him with open arms for years, as he recently told Guerilla Sports.

Ethan Holliday on Rockies Bond

"I'm really proud to wear a Rockies uniform every single day."

Ethan Holliday on his connection to the @Rockies franchise through his dad's time with the team.

In 738 games over six seasons in Colorado, Matt Holliday hit .319 with 130 HR, 486 RBI & a .938 OPS. #Rockies |… https://t.co/qvFYjdmkiC pic.twitter.com/fhWGbzNMNu
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) March 15, 2026

The bond runs deep. Matt Holliday was drafted by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB draft out of Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Okla., the same high school his sons Jackson and Ethan went to. When Ethan was born in 2007, his father was playing in his fourth season with the Rockies and helping them to the World Series for the first time. Not that he remembers much.

“A lot of people have told me the story of watching my dad and seeing me as a baby and, I don’t remember any of those moments because I was obviously a baby,” Holliday said with a chuckle. “But it’s really special. My dad, he gave it all to this city and he loved playing for the Rockies. He loves this organization and I’m really proud to wear a Rockies uniform every single day. So, it’s pretty special for me and my family.”

Matt Holliday played with the Rockies for the first five years of his career and the final year, as he played in the Majors for 15 years from 2004-18. He 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.

His older son, Jackson, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles and made his MLB debut in 2024. He’s preparing for his second full season in the Majors, though he’s been slowed by an injury.

When Ethan joins him in the Majors will be determined by how quickly he progresses this season.