Rockies baseball is in the blood of the Holliday family.

With the No. 4 pick, the Colorado Rockies selected Ethan Holliday 27 years after they took his father in the 1998 draft. Ethan also joins his brother and Orioles second baseman, Jackson, in professional baseball.

Over 1,600 miles west of Baltimore, a downtrodden Colorado team is stumbling through a season set for a last-place finish in the National League West. The Rockies need something to cling to as they seem poised for the worst winning percentage in the modern era.

Ethan Holliday provides an infusion of hope, just as his brother and father have in years past.

“There was a little something inside me that was kind of leaning towards the Rockies,” he said. “My mom says she had a feeling, too. So, I mean, we’re so juiced and so excited for this opportunity, and it’s pretty, pretty incredible.”

Both Holliday brothers grew up near ballparks with their father, Matt, and uncle, Josh. Matt became a seven-time All-Star and World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before he could be a world champion, the Colorado Rockies took a chance on Matt Holliday, not unlike the one they’re taking on his son.

Matt was chosen in the seventh round in the 1998 draft, and he spent four years with the team. Ethan was born in February 2007, when his father attended spring training in Tucson, Arizona. Later that season, Matt led the team to its only World Series appearance.

“Obviously, the organization has a special place in my heart, in our family’s heart and our lives,” Matt Holliday said. “So it’s pretty surreal to have him get drafted by the Rockies and to see some of the pictures they’ve already posted of Ethan so young in a Rockies uniform, and it’s a cool story.”

Jackson Holliday escaped his father’s shadow when he was drafted first overall by Baltimore in 2022. He’s improved from when he started in the majors last year, batting .259 and slugging .416 after Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins.

The spotlight now turns to Ethan Holliday as he tries to secure a legacy away from his family.

“I don’t really feel it as much as I used to. I’m kind of numb to it,” Ethan said of the pressures of growing up in such an accomplished baseball family. “But also, at the same time, I’m about to start a different speed of my baseball career. Made it through high school, which is great, but now it’s time to start the big man stuff. I’m super juiced, and my family’s gonna be in my corner, which is awesome.”

To his credit, he earned his No. 4 spot under the limitless skies of Oklahoma, a place where cornfields run parallel to chain-link outfield fences and families like the Hollidays are household names.

One word comes up often in scouting reports on the recent graduate of Stillwater High School: smooth. The 6-foot-4 18-year-old bats left-handed and fields the ball at shortstop well.

One glimpse, however, at Ethan Holliday’s stats, and it’s clear what the Rockies believe in. He batted .611 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs over 118 plate appearances.

Gatorade recognized him as the Oklahoma Baseball Player of the Year in a press release that featured big-time names such as Gary Sheffield and Clayton Kershaw.

As his budding career takes him far away from his brother, he’s finding ways to remain closer to Jackson.

His brother tried to make it back to Oklahoma for the draft, but the Orioles’ game was delayed because of the weather.

Instead, the two FaceTimed as Jackson got on the earliest plane he could out of Baltimore. Even though, he wasn’t there for the pick, the two will catch up over cards and watch some shows, according to Ethan.

“The second he got drafted, it was like, all right, now it’s your turn, and he’s, he’s been there for me,” Ethan said. “He’s one call away at all times, and he just told me to enjoy — that’s kind of what I’ve been focusing on the last few months, just enjoying this experience because it goes by fast. Now, moving on to a different phase, he’s going to be there for me again, going through the minor leagues, and how he navigated [it] and looking to lean on each other."

If Ethan Holliday can sprint through the Rockies’ farm system as quickly as his brother did, Baltimore and Colorado fans alike have a lot to look forward to, especially given the brothers’ competitive nature on and off the field.

This article has been updated.