Rockies first-round pick Ethan Holliday made a splash in his professional debut on Tuesday night, collecting a pair of hits for Single-A Fresno.
Holliday -- ranked as the Rockies' top prospect and No. 17 in MLB, according to MLB Pipeline -- played shortstop and hit second in the Grizzlies’ lineup. He struck out in his first appearance before lacing a single to right field in the third.
The 18-year-old doubled with two outs in his next at-bat in the fifth. He tried to score on a Robert Calaz single, but was thrown out at home.
Holliday finished 2-for-4 as the Grizzlies took a 4-2 win vs. the Stockton Ports (the Athletics’ Single-A affiliate).
The Rockies selected Holliday, a high school infielder, with the No. 4 pick in this year’s Draft and signed him for $9 million, which set a Draft bonus record for a high school player. The bonus surpassed the $8.2 million the Nationals paid to Eli Willits after selecting him first overall this year. Holliday’s older brother, Jackson, previously held the bonus record for a high schooler after signing for $8.19 million with the Orioles in 2022.
The Holliday brothers are the sons of Rockies great Matt Holliday, who was a three-time All-Star as an outfielder for Colorado from 2004-08.