Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ethan Holliday is drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the fourth pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Rockies Top Prospect Ethan Holliday Mashes First Career Pro Home Run

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Sean O'Leary | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 10:00 AM ET

After Tuesday's loss to the San Francisco Giants, the Rockies have officially lost at least 100 games three years in a row. The franchise record for losses was set in 2023 with 103, but given that it's just the beginning of September, they are bound to set a new franchise low.

Despite a season in which everything went wrong, the focus in the offseason will shift completely. A search for a new manager and possibly a new general manager will take up much of the early offseason for Colorado.

That's arguably less important than the excitement building around the young prospect core that could lead the next great Rockies teams, should they find the right leadership to begin a rebuild.

Though 2024 first round Charlie Condon is closer in proximity to the Majors, all eyes going forward will be on Ethan Holliday.

Given the state of the franchise and big league roster, there's an argument to be made that Holliday is already on the shortlist for faces of the franchise. His career has gotten off to a nice start and he finally got a big milestone out of the way, demolishing his first career homer.

Home run no. 1 as a professional for #Rockies top prospect Ethan Holliday is a no-doubter that comes against the Dodgers Low-A affiliate. pic.twitter.com/8hhU3qMGMn
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) September 3, 2025

Holliday launched the ball over the trees in right field to tie the game in the seventh. He was finally able to show off his 65 grade power that made him arguably the best prospect in the draft.

Holliday’s Season as a Whole Thus Far

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The sample size has been small, but the growing pains of a prospect's first taste of pro ball are definitely evident.

As an 18-year-old who skipped Rookie ball, Single-A was going to be an interesting challenge for the shortstop. In 14 games, Holliday already has three multi-hit games. He's had nine games with give plate appearances, meaning he is already seeing a ton of pitching.

He collected two doubles and one RBI in the month of August before swatting a home run on Tuesday. He's hit the ball hard and is showing traits that made him so highly touted.

One concerning aspect to his game is the strikeouts. He has two or more strikeouts in nine of his 14 games to kick off his career, including two three strikeout games and an 0-for-5, four strikeout game in the mix, too.

It's early, and while some of the plate discipline is not there, jumping straight to Single-A could be a reason for this. As a high schooler, Holliday has never faced this level of competition. It will take time for his swing and miss to come around.

Holliday will get to play in meaningful baseball games right away, which is something to monitor. With Single-A Fresno making the playoffs, it will be Holliday's first real test in the highest stakes baseball he's played yet.

This article first appeared on Colorado Rockies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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