With the Colorado Rockies in a state of fluctuation in this historically difficult year, the 2025 MLB Amateur Draft is going to be extremely important.
Due to anti-tanking measures in the current collective bargaining agreement, the Rockies will not be able to draft inside the top ten next season. That’s a difficult situation to be in, especially as the team reaches new lows and desperately needs to begin a rebuild. The Rockies farm system will need reinforcements as the team works to build for any potential future they may have.
This means that the Rockies cannot miss on their 2025 first round pick, something the Rockies have struggled with throughout their existence.
The Rockies have the fourth-overall pick this year, and even with three teams picking ahead of them, there are multiple strong candidates to hopefully represent the future of Rockies baseball.
3B/SS Ethan Holliday, Stillwater High School (Oklahoma)
Ethan Holliday is a name tied to the Rockies for a variety of reasons. There are multiple mock drafts that have the youngest son of former Rocktober legend Matt Holliday heading to the Mile High City if he’s still available at fourth overall.
Currently ranked as MLB Pipeline’s no. 1 draft prospect, Holliday is not only the best high school position player heading into this year’s draft, he might be one of the best raw left-handed hitters as well. He has a strong and effortless swing, as well as quick hands, to generate plenty of power at the plate.
Unfortunately, Holliday struggled somewhat in recent prospect showcases against fastballs. He has also demonstrated some swing-and-miss concerns. However, he’s also been making mechanical adjustments to his swing. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel pointed out adding a toe-tap and “tweak to his load” this spring.
I saw a matchup in Oklahoma last week of the other two candidates for the best prep prospect in the draft.
Stillwater HS shortstop Ethan Holliday (brother of Jackson, son of Matt) didn’t have a great day, but you can see the components for a power-and-patience third baseman. pic.twitter.com/3HVRcYK8MS
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) April 23, 2025
Built like his father, Holliday is already 6’4’’ and 210 pounds despite being just 18-years-old, and he potentially still has room to grow. While this means he might be sized out of shortstop, he has the footwork and arm talent to be a strong defender at third base. The Rockies could—as they did with the Holliday patriarch—also consider moving him to left field if necessary.
High school players are always a gamble in the draft, but if Holliday is still on the board when the Rockies go to the podium, he’s the most likely pick. If drafted, the Rockies will need to pull out all the stops to make sure he is developed properly if they want to attain his incredibly high ceiling.
LHP Liam Doyle, University of Tennessee
The Rockies have had some pretty good luck bringing pitchers from Rocky Top to the Rocky Mountains recently. They selected Chase Dollander and Seth Halvorsen in the 2023 draft, and both have quickly developed into big-league contributors. Could the Rockies look to repeat that success?
Left-handed starting pitcher Liam Doyle is currently ranked no. 8 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft list. The 6’2’’ 21-year-old struck out an insane 164 batters in 95 2⁄3 innings this past NCAA season. He posted a 3.20 ERA in 19 appearances and 17 starts for a Tennessee squad that ultimately didn’t make it to Omaha. Ironically, it was his former team in Coastal Carolina that fell to LSU in the final game of the College World Series.
Doyle’s bread and butter lies in his truly excellent four seam fastball. He struck out 105 hitters using the pitch, which is best targeted at the top of the strike zone—something we’ve seen Rockies pitchers do more often this season following the departure of Bud Black. The fastball is graded at 75 per MLB Pipeline and generally sits in the mid-to-high 90s with a high release point.
The New England-area native also has a strong offering of well-developed secondary pitches. His cutter (high 80s), slider (mid 80s), and splitter (mid-to-high 80s) are all graded at 55, but he has somewhat of a bad habit of leaving the slider and cutter hanging and getting punished for it.
Doyle has a unique delivery that sees him throw with high effort. However, he places his pitches well and has a strong control of the strike zone.
He’s also a bit of a lunatic, with Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello describing him to ESPN as being “like a guy in a bar fight on the field.”
The Rockies could absolutely use someone like that.
LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State University
Florida state lefty Jamie Arnold was a Golden Spikes semi-finalist in 2024 after turning in a 2.98 ERA over 19 appearances and 18 starts. He struck out 159 batters in 105 2⁄3 innings and was a key member of the Seminoles’ deep College World Series run.
When he turned in another 2.98 ERA season in 2025, this time over 15 starts, he further cemented himself as a possible top draft pick with some under-the-hood mechanical adjustments.
While he struck out fewer batters with only 119 over 84 2⁄3 innings of work and had a slightly higher BB/9 and HR/9, he gave up fewer hits while improving his WHIP and opposing batting average.
The 6’1’’ lefty utilizes a lower, whippy arm slot and impressive extension to generate movement and deception in his pitches. Arnold’s fastball is flatter and less explosive than Doyle’s, but still has some life to it, drawing comparisons to Chris Sale. It generally sits around 94 MPH and can top out around 97 MPH while still being able to miss bats.
Where Arnold impresses is with his well-developed breaking pitches, specifically his slider. The pitch sits in the mid-80s with up to 15 inches of horizontal break and racked up whiff and chase rates of over 50% during the 2025 college season. Arnold also working on a plus changeup that he’s shown good feeling for.
Like Doyle, Arnold has a strong command of the strike zone and is able to maintain his mechanics deep into games.
The Rockies have long claimed to be a draft and develop team, despite evidence to the contrary. With this year’s draft marking a critical crossroads in the organization’s history, the Rockies will need their actions to finally match their words.
Poll
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SS/3B Ethan Holliday
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LHP Jaime Arnold
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On the Farm
Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes
The ‘Topes will play a full six game series at home against the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) this week. The week is also packed with promotions, including multiple fireworks nights, a special “Lowrider” Mariachis de Nuevo México night, and mascot Orbit’s birthday!
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats
The Yard Goats will split six games with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) with three home games to start the set and three road games to end it. The Yard Goats have a one game lead on the Rumble Ponies so far in the second half.
High-A: Spokane Indians
The Indians will start their six game series against the Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels) with three road games before heading home for the final three. There will be fireworks on the Fourth of July in Spokane.
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies
The Grizzlies will play three games on the road against the Modesto Nuts (Seattle Mariners) before heading back to Chukchansi Park for the final three games of the set. There will be fireworks on Friday and Saturday.
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Here is each team’s MVP of the first half | MLB.com
With the first 81 games of the 2025 season done and gone, MLB.com named each team’s MVP for the first half. Unsurprisingly, the Rockies’ MVP is catcher Hunter Goodman. Not only one of the Rockies’ best hitters, Goodman is also one of the best catchers in the league and finished fourth in All-Star voting for the position in the National League.
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