Ethan Holliday, Rockies’ top prospect, displays power at Coors Field

All eyes, and cameras, were on Ethan Holliday during Rockies batting practice Friday night. The No. 1 prospect, the fourth overall pick in this summer’s major league draft, never flinched.

His swing was easy, smooth, and powerful. During his first round of BP, the 18-year-old hit line drives to center and right field. During the second round, he hit three homers over the right-field fence.

Then Ethan really cut loose. He rocketed one homer to right-center, clearing the 2007 NL pennant banner above the visitor’s bullpen: estimated distance, 475-480 feet. A few swings later, the left-handed hitter launched a homer into CarGo Country in the third deck in right field. In July 2013, former Rockies All-Star Carlos Gonzalez hit a home run near the same spot at an estimated 480 feet.

CarGo hit his titanic blast in a game, while Holliday’s came in BP, but it was impressive nonetheless. His dad, the former Rockies and Cardinals All-Star outfielder, took notice.

“Those were impressive,” Matt said, then recalled his own batting practice debut with the Rockies. “I hit a few out, I think, but nothing like that. I know he has power; I’ve pitched to him enough to know that.

“But he’s such a controlled kid. In the first round, he was nice and easy. I remember my first round; I was trying to hit it off the scoreboard from the first pitch. But Ethan’s out there getting loose and stroking it. Then he started letting it go.”

Ethan, who’s playing in the Arizona Instructional League, said he had a blast at hitting Coors — literally.

“I was doing what I do every day in Arizona, but the ball flies a little differently here, so I decided to let it rip,” he said. “It was really fun. Just being out here where my dad played is crazy.”

Ethan, the product of Stillwater (Okla.) High School, received a record-breaking $9 million signing bonus, the largest ever for a high school player in MLB draft history. He began his professional career at low-A Fresno, slashing .239/.357/.380 (737 OPS) in 18 games. He hit two homers and four doubles and struck out 33 times (33 Ks in 84 plate appearances) in the California League, where the other players are 3.2 years older than him, on average.

For counsel and advice during his first sojourn into pro baseball, he turned to his dad, naturally, as well as his older brother, Jackson, the starting second baseman for the Orioles. Jackson was the first overall pick of the 2022 draft.

“We talk a lot,” Ethan said. “I called him up after one game. I said, ‘Man, this is tough, I’m striking out a lot.’ And he’s like, ‘Hey, I struck out three times the other night. This stuff happens. You just have to get ready for tomorrow. Come on, dude.’ ”

Ethan said that nothing really caught him off guard during his 18-game stint with Fresno.

“I kind of lived through it with my dad, and I saw Jackson when he went through the minor leagues,” Ethan said. “I was with him on the phone every night. Of course, when it’s your own life, it’s different, obviously.

“You don’t have your parents or your siblings to talk to in person. So you just have to learn to flush the game and get ready for the next day. The blessing in the minor leagues is that you play every day. Getting used to that takes some work, but I felt like that at the end of it, I was in a better place.”