Washington Nationals Add Son of Former All-Star to Deep Farm System in Mock Draft
![Ethan Holliday throws to first during the Class 6A State Baseball Tournament as Choctaw plays Stillwater on May 9, 2024; Norman, OK, [USA]; at Norman North HS. Ethan Holliday throws to first during the Class 6A State Baseball Tournament as Choctaw plays Stillwater on May 9, 2024; Norman, OK, [USA]; at Norman North HS.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1620,h_911,x_0,y_166/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/washington_nationals_on_si/01jjsgma33jn0peg82yx.jpg)
Things certainly haven’t gone great for the Washington Nationals on the field over the last few seasons.
After winning the World Series in 2019, they have entered a rebuilding phase that has resulted in a lot of losses. In 2023 and 2024 they won 73 games each campaign, which is the most in a single year since their championship.
Losing that much certainly isn’t easy to stomach, but the only positive is that the team has a chance to add some elite young talent to the farm system because they are consistently finishing low enough in the standings to select high in the draft.
That, combined with some young players from trades beginning to blossom at the Major League level, has provided a bright outlook for the franchise, as the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and closer.
Later this year, in the 2025 MLB June amateur draft, the Nationals are going to have a chance to add another elite young player to their farm system as they landed the No. 1 overall pick via the draft lottery.
Who could they be targeting with that selection?
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has them going chalk in a recent mock draft that was put together, selecting star prep shortstop Ethan Holliday out of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.
That name will sound familiar because he is the son of seven-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday, who played 15 campaigns in the MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics.
His brother, Jackson Holliday, was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur June draft by the Baltimore Orioles and made his debut with the Big League team in 2024.
“With a 6'4", 200-pound frame and 65-grade raw power, Holliday has a profile that more closely resembles his run-producing father than his hit-over-power, middle infielder brother. He will likely wind up at third base once he fully matures, and his game is polished enough that he could quickly join James Wood and Dylan Crews as the Nationals offensive core of the present and future,” Reuter wrote.
Third base remains a massive need in Washington, as it is by far the biggest hole on their roster entering Spring Training this year. It was the only glaring weakness that wasn’t addressed this offseason as general manager Mike Rizzo did a good job plugging the other holes that existed.
Expecting him to change positions and hit the ground running as an MLB-level contributor is likely unrealistic, but the upside is certainly there for him to become a face of the franchise-level player.
It will also benefit him to be surrounded by other talented young players as he won’t face some of the same pressure other No. 1 picks do as the franchise savior.