Why Rockies Injured First-Round Pick Remains in High Regard in Prospect Rankings

With another Top 100 prospect update, the top of the Colorado Rockies’ organizational rankings hasn’t changed.

A batting helmet with the Colorado Rockies logo. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Major League draft tends to prompt changes in the Top 100 overall prospect rankings at major services. This time is no different.

Baseball America (subscription required) recently adjusted its rankings to reflect changes like the draft, prospect graduations, improving players and other factors. For instance, star prospect Roldy Brito, who is at High-A Spokane, slid past Triple-A slugger Charlie Condon, as the organization’s No. 2 prospect. Both are still in the Top 100 — Brito is at No. 75 and Condon is at No. 76, though the latter is much closer to a call-up to the Majors.

Both are playing great baseball right now. But neither was able to unseat a player that isn’t playing at all right now. That player remained the Rockies’ top prospect, even though he’s done for the year.

Why Ethan Holliday Remained Top Prospect?

Holliday was ranked No. 1 in the organization and No. 67 overall. Most external services don’t penalize players for injuries — at least not right away. He’s been considered their No. 1 prospect all season and at 19 years old, he’s still considered one of the game’s most intriguing long-term prospects.

But he hasn’t played since May 20 against Rancho Cucamonga. The Class-A Fresno farm hand suffered a stress fracture in his left foot that required surgery and ended his season. The club is not concerned about his long-term prospects. But, for now, he’s done.

Part of the reason it hasn’t impacted his prospect status is that he put up solid numbers before the injury. He slashed .262/.395/.557 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 33 games. That was improvement over his short audition with Fresno last year — a slash of .239/.357/.380 with two home runs and six RBI in 18 games.

He was also on an upswing statistically before the surgery. In May he was slashing .295/.394/.689 with six home runs and 17 RBI. It was clear that had Holliday been able to continue playing, he could have joined Brito at Spokane sometime in the second half of the season.

Those are good reasons to keep Holliday where he is in the organizational rankings. He still has great potential, even more than Brito and Condon at this point, and these rankings are, in part, about potential.

What the injury guaranteed is that he won’t follow his brother’s fast track to the Majors. Jackson Holliday was the No. 1 overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 and was in Triple-A by the end of 2023. He made his MLB debut the following season.

Ethan Holliday won’t get there that quickly. But he hasn’t lost any luster when it comes to being a top prospect.