As good as Jackson Holliday is, his brother Ethan Holliday is nothing like him, which could make him even better.

All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game / Matt Dirksen/GettyImages

There are many bloodlines in the game of baseball. Very often now, we witness second and third generation players being drafted, signing as free agents, etc. Having brothers selected as top-five draft selections with less than three years of separation in age is more of a rarity. As unique as it is, Ethan Holliday and his brother Jackson were born for this moment.

On one side of the country, you’ve got the former No. 1 overall draft pick Jackson Holliday making history as the youngest Orioles player since Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson (1957) to record four hits in a game. Meanwhile, 2,000-plus miles away, his little brother is in Phoenix preparing for the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

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Ethan Holliday can be even better than his brother Jackson

One thing Ethan has on his brother Jackson is size. At 6-4, 195 pounds, Ethan has a chance to be the best Holliday of them all. Many scouts believe he has more raw power and will be a more consistent hitter at the next level. Their father Matt speaks very highly of his son Ethan as his son prepares for the 2025 MLB Draft:

“People look at the size and some of those raw abilities. He’s got 111-mph exit velocity with the bat, he’s got an incredible strong arm, and just some of the tangible things at a young age that he was further along than Jackson was,” Matt Holliday said.

Not many people have gotten to see Ethan play more than Jered Goodwin, who is the Vice President of Scouting for Perfect Game. He also speaks very highly of the projected number one overall pick in next year’s draft:

“He does a lot of things that Jackson did. Only with more physicality. He’s a big human being like Matt is. He has the fluidity, grace, sweet swing, all of that stuff. You can see this guy being one of those new-age big shortstops with massive power. His tools will translate at the very highest level,” Goodwin said.

Expectations are already so high for Jackson, but with these cosigns, there will be even more expected from Jackson. It’s a ton of pressure for a kid, especially going into a season where the 17-year-old shortstop enters his senior year at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.

If Ethan is selected No. 1 overall in next year’s draft, the Holliday brothers would join Peyton and Eli Manning as the only brothers in sports history to each be drafted No. 1 overall.