Ethan Holliday has the strength. He has the bat speed. He gets to his launch point consistently, leveraging the ball into the air. And with as much raw power as any prospect in the game, he’s got the ability to hit the ball out to all parts of the ballpark -- his latest homer is proof of that.
The Rockies’ No. 1 prospect swatted his first pro grand slam in Single-A Fresno’s 9-8 win over Stockton on Wednesday night at Banner Island Ballpark, clanking the long ball off the left-field pole. Last week, he homered over a bus far beyond the right-field fence at Chukchansi Park. The ability to tap into that line-to-line power was paramount for Holliday heading into 2026.
"I've changed my setup a little bit, took out my toe tap, kind of went back to what I've always done with a little more of a stride and have my hands lower," Holliday told MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis in March. "I'm just trying to be shorter to the ball, be more efficient. Trust that I have the power if I tap the ball, it'll go, and I'm very fortunate to have that ability. Now it's just how efficient can I be and how much can I learn from at-bat to at-bat."
Holliday has hit safely in five consecutive games, logging 10 RBIs in that span, the most of any player in the California League. He has entered pro ball with the hoopla of being the son of 15-year big leaguer Matt Holliday and the younger brother of former No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday, but he’s also still just 19 years old on a circuit in which he’s nearly two-and-a-half years younger than the average competitor. He has yet to face a pitcher younger than him in his 80 plate appearances this season.
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All three of his home runs this year have come off left-handed pitchers, giving him reverse splits (.993 OPS vs. LHP; .712 vs. RHP) through nearly the first month of action. Any hitter will tell you it’s easier to hit when ahead in the count, which is where MLB's No. 19 prospect got himself for his second-inning roundtripper off southpaw Jackson Phipps (Athletics). With the count in his favor this year, Holliday is slashing .357/.700/.714. When behind, he’s produced just a .148 average and .434 OPS.
Despite entering the night with a career .233 average, Holliday has shown no signs of altering his approach in the box to acquiesce to wild hurlers. He walked five times Tuesday night, bringing his walk rate up to 18.7 percent on the year, sixth-best in the league among qualified batters. Even when Holliday is unleashing that powerful swing, he’s run into some bad luck with a .297 BABIP despite his 110 wRC+.
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As Holliday jogged around the bases Wednesday, Stockton broadcaster Tim Fitzgerald may have summed it up best:
“Don’t look now, folks, Ethan Holliday is starting to get comfy at this level.”