The Rockies played their bonus pool fairly straight up this year, handing fourth overall pick Ethan Holliday the largest bonus of any player in the 2025 draft then rarely deviating by more than $100,000 or so away from the slot value of any given pick. In an era where players transfer schools at will and a mid-major school in the Midwest might have a roster full of players from California, Florida, New England, and everywhere in between, it seems many of Colorado's picks were players who not only stayed local for school, but stuck around for their whole career without transferring. That's a rarity these days, and it keeps with Colorado's old school philosophy of targeting high makeup players to create a strong clubhouse. Many of the players in this class have been described as just that by scouts – high makeup, team-first guys. Of course, that hasn't translated to *any* on-field success whatsoever, but as the saying goes, nice guys finish last in the NL West. This year's crop is a college-heavy class that features just one player under 21 years old, that being our class-headlining first rounder, instead banking more on safety to fill out a big league roster that badly needs help quickly.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-4: SS Ethan Holliday, Stillwater HS [OK]
Slot value: $8.77 million. Signing bonus: $9 million ($229,100 above slot value).
My rank: #4. MLB Pipeline: #1. Baseball America: #1.
It was one of the worst-kept secrets in baseball that the Rockies were enamored with Ethan Holliday, and as it turned out they got their guy. All it took was the largest signing bonus of any player taken in the 2025 draft, the largest signing bonus ever given to a high school player (beating his brother's record of $8.19 million in 2022), and tied for the fourth highest of all time. The son of seven time All Star Matt Holliday, Ethan's older brother Jackson was the first overall pick after a massive spring at Stillwater High School in 2022 and now plays for the Orioles. While Jackson entered his senior season more of a second round prospect, Ethan has been arguably the most famous name in the 2025 prep class since all the way back to his freshman season, when he was teammates with his brother. He has maintained that status as the odds-on favorite to go first overall throughout his time at Stillwater High School (also the alma mater of Rockies 2017 second rounder Ryan Vilade). With a huge target on his back, Holliday had an uneven summer on the showcase circuit in 2024 that dented his draft stock just slightly, causing him to fall out of the top five prospects on some boards in the fall and over the winter. However, he came back with a vengeance in the spring to torment Oklahoma high school pitching, batting .611 with 19 home runs as he looked like a man among boys on the field. Much more physical than his brother was at this stage, Holliday has at least plus raw power that he has tapped and tapped again in games for years, stemming from a quick, forceful left handed swing geared for lofting the ball with authority. Standing 6'4", he's already very strong and still has plenty of room to get stronger, giving him a shot to put up 40-homer seasons in Coors Field. There are more questions about the hit tool, as (admittedly elite) showcase pitchers found holes in his swing last summer and caused him to get out of his approach. He is a relatively disciplined hitter that has seen and handled plenty of top flight pitching, so the primary concern lies with his ability to handle quality stuff in the zone. It's not a major concern, or else he would not have been drafted nearly this high, but the microscope is powerful in the top five picks. Family connections to successful ballplayers have proven to be real advantages in recent years and Holliday of course has no shortage of that, so any in-zone swing and miss issues he's currently facing are likely to be taken care of in short order, even if there is a bit of a learning curve in pro ball. Defensively, he shows good actions at shortstop with natural instincts to make all the plays that come to him, though his size will likely push him to third base in time. He's not explosive on the defensive side and does show a strong arm, but with average speed at this point, he does have an outside shot to work hard and stick at that most important position. At peak, Holliday could hit 40 home runs with average on-base percentages in that Coors environment, a lineup cornerstone for the Rockies.
2-45: RHP JB Middleton, Southern Miss
Slot value: $2.17 million. Signing bonus: $2.07 million ($100,000 below slot value).
My rank: #40. MLB Pipeline: #41. Baseball America: #58.
While Coors Field is the toughest place to be a pitcher, making free agent deals a tough sell and the draft ever more important, the Rockies have actually done a pretty solid job of developing young pitching lately. First up is JB Middleton, a breakout star from down south. Middleton barely pitched as a freshman at Southern Miss and served as a reliever as a sophomore, but took a massive step forward in 2025 as he went 10-1 with a 2.31 ERA and a sharp 122/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 105.1 innings, garnering first team All-American honors from some outlets including Perfect Game and NCBWA. His fastball has now crept up to a comfortable low to mid 90's, reaching 97 at peak with running action. His best pitch is a hard, tight slider in the upper 80's that can function like more of a cutter at times, getting tons of swings and misses and providing the key to his success in 2025. There is also a firm changeup with some fade, looking like an average pitch for now with a chance for better as he gains more feel. The 6' righty is not the biggest guy on the field with a slender frame that currently carries 180 pounds and doesn't appear to have tons of room for more, but he regularly pitched into the late innings in Hattiesburg including going at least seven innings in nine of his sixteen starts and four outings of eight innings or more. At season's end, his 105.1 innings were tied for the fourth most in Division I, so whatever questions there are about Middleton's durability, he has done everything he can to answer them. At this point, his control is ahead of his command, as his impressive 6% walk rate showcased a pitcher not afraid to attack the zone. The Mississippi native has a chance for three above average or better pitches that he pours into the strike zone, with the next step being to fine tune that command inside the strike zone and perhaps bring the changeup a little further along. Otherwise, if he continues to chew up innings and hold his stuff late into the game, he could be a #3 starter at the big league level.
CBB-74: OF Max Belyeu, Texas
Slot value: $1.11 million. Signing bonus: $1.11 million.
My rank: #85. MLB Pipeline: #34. Baseball America: #33.
I felt throughout the draft process that Max Belyeu was a bit overvalued, and based on where he was ranked by major publications versus his draft position and signing bonus, it appears MLB organizations felt the same way. That said, it's a nice get here in the CBB round. Back in high school, Belyeu rode a big senior season to significant top five rounds interest, but held firm on his commitment to Texas and blossomed into one of the Longhorns' best bats, hitting .318/.414/.616 with 27 home runs in 106 games over his three year career. While his 2024 sophomore season was his biggest and netted him Big 12 Player of the Year honors, 2025 was a bit more challenging as he missed significant time during conference play with a thumb injury. Belyeu brings a strong presence to the box, combining a projectable 6'2" frame with plenty of present strength to give him above average power for now and a chance for plus down the line. He takes big hacks from the left side to tap that power, and so far he has against strong college competition. I think the hit tool is where major publications and the league diverged in opinion. Belyeu tends to get very streaky at the plate and he struck out in a third of his plate appearances in the Cape Cod League last summer. This spring, pitchers gave him much less to hit and he chased more as a result of that, this time striking out in a quarter of his at bats. When he's going right, he looks like a future lineup anchor. He turned a ton of heads at the Shriners Children's College Showdown on opening weekend, going 8-14 with two home runs and two doubles against Louisville, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State and actually began the season on an eleven game hitting streak in which he hit .468. Then there are the cold stretches, like later in the year when he went 3-27 with 14 strikeouts in his first six games back from injury. The North Texas native will likely always be streaky has some risk of falling into a platoon role where he can see mostly right handed pitching. Given the power and the long track record of getting hot and finding his stroke even against top competition, the Rockies likely see more than that, a hitter that can club 20+ home runs per season and maintain reasonable on-base percentages. The speed is average and the glovework is fringy, and with his body type he may slow down as he continues to tack on strength. That makes a corner outfield spot the most likely destination, though his plus arm could make him a decent right fielder.
3-77: 3B Ethan Hedges, Southern California
Slot value: $1.06 million. Signing bonus: $950,000 ($110,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #159. Baseball America: #125.
I don't think anyone expected Max Belyeu, who had projections as high as the first comp rounds, and Ethan Hedges, who figured to go closer to the middle of day two, to come off the board just a couple picks apart. The Rockies are big believers in the sum of the parts here, with Hedges coming off a huge, breakout junior season at USC where he hit .346/.462/.619 with 14 home runs and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. There is not one standout tool here, but he does a little bit of everything. He gets on plane early and gets his eyes behind the baseball, driving out and through the baseball to make consistent hard contact. The power has improved to fringe average after he hit just four home runs over his first two seasons, and at Coors Field he could wind up with 15-20 home runs per season at best if he can continue to turn on the ball consistently. It's also an average overall hit tool in that he makes good consistent hard contact, uses the whole field, and draws his walks, but can be prone to chasing and whiffing at times. He's great on the other side of the ball, with slick glovework that handles hot shots at third base reliably. Hedges served as USC's closer in 2025 and saved nine games with a 2.40 ERA while running his fastball up to 96, and while he'll be a hitter-only in pro ball, that arm strength comes in clutch at third base where the arm grades out as plus. If he can hit enough to stay on the field, he could contend for Gold Gloves at third base. That will be the key, and the Rockies love positive trajectory elevating a solid all-around game.
4-107: RHP Riley Kelly, UC Irvine
Slot value: $715,400. Signing bonus: $700,000 ($15,400 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #139. Baseball America: #139.
Sticking in Southern California, the Rockies bring in their second arm of the class and a very large human in Riley Kelly. The starting quarterback at Tustin High School, he wowed scouts with a huge senior season in 2022 and pushed himself into top five rounds consideration, but ultimately honored his commitment to UC Irvine as one of their biggest recruits ever to reach campus. He didn't get on the mound as much as he would have liked over his first two seasons as he battled command issues and a back injury, but took a big step forward in 2025 as he pitched his way into the Anteaters' rotation and ran with it, at one point allowing just two runs in a five start stretch (25.1 innings, 0.71 ERA). His fastball has crept up and now sits in the low 90's, touching 96 at peak with moderate life. His best pitch is a big, hammer curveball with huge spin rates and deep finish that has missed bats in bunches dating back to his prep days, while his changeup has been a positive development in Irvine and now projects as average if a bit firm. Kelly has upped the tempo in his delivery in college but still shows very streaky command, often appearing average on one day and well below average the next. It has made moderate progress lately and if it continues to trend in that direction, he could fit in the back of a big league rotation. He's just now finishing up filling out his big 6'5" frame, now pushing 240 pounds, and the Rockies will use that size to unlock a little more power in his arsenal. If the back problems are behind him, he otherwise looks durable enough to hold down a starting role, but that is something to monitor. There is nice upside here for a guy who seems to be unlocking the best version of himself.
5-138: OF Cam Nelson, Wake Forest
Slot value: $529,100. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($70,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
This one is a bit out of left field. While he comes from a power program, Cam Nelson has not seen much time on the field and did not appear on any major public draft boards, but the Rockies are massive believers in the raw talent and have him a slight over slot bonus here in the fifth round. Nelson came off the bench as a freshman in 2024, often as a defensive replacement, but slugged a paltry .202 with just thirteen singles and four doubles in more than one hundred at bats. He served in a similar role in 2025 but the bat took a step forward offensively, hitting .318/.489/.485 in limited playing time. Undersized at 5'11", Nelson immediately stands out for an excellent approach at the plate, running an absurd 22% walk rate that becomes all the more impressive when you consider he was a light hitting bench bat whom opposing pitchers likely weren't terribly concerned about pitching around. He employs a slasher approach at the plate, gashing line drives around the field consistently because he forces pitchers to give him something to hit and will foul balls off until he gets one he likes, but the Rockies see more power in the tank as he gets more consistent reps and learns to elevate the ball. The Baltimore native is also a good runner who plays a solid center field, while his days as a pitcher give him a plus arm to boot. Colorado sees an undervalued development project here in the left handed hitting outfielder that could blossom into a high on-base leadoff type with strong defense down the line. A more median projection would have him as a glove-first, hit-over-power fourth outfielder who could play all three positions well.
6-167: C Matt Klein, Louisville
Slot value: $400,400. Signing bonus: $425,000 ($24,600 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #224. Baseball America: #235.
Louisville catchers have an excellent track record lately, from Will Smith to Henry Davis to Dalton Rushing, and Matt Klein hopes to be the next. Klein, like other players in this class such as Ethan Hedges, lacks a standout tool, but by virtue of being a catcher, any surprise production would be a big bonus. Injuries have limited him a bit at Louisville and he only played 33 games in 2025 after getting hit by a pitch, but he produced when he was in the lineup and his under the hood numbers were even better. Klein uses a simple left handed swing to focus on line drives, which combined with a professional plate approach helps him keep the strikeouts way down (just 11.0% in 2025) while drawing his walks (13.1%) and getting on base (.431 OBP). That approach played against elite pitching in the Cape Cod League last summer as well, where he hit .375/.397/.417 with just an 11.4% strikeout rate in 25 games. While few doubt that he can hit pro pitching, turning that contact into impact will be the next step in his development. Klein isn't one to turn on the ball and try to hit it over the fence, causing his average raw power to play down in games. Unless Colorado can get him lifting the ball more consistently, which may come at the expense of his hit tool, he likely will always project for below average home run totals and may top out around 10-15 a year. However, given his approach and bat to ball, he may be able to trade some of that for some increased launch angle and be just alright, which would go a long way as a catcher. While the Louisville native isn't quite a Gold Glover back there, he gets the job done with average all-around glovework and arm strength and works well with pitchers. He projects as a backup catcher with a chance for more if he can unlock some of that power.
7-197: LHP Antoine Jean, Houston
Slot value: $311,900. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($111,900 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #196. Baseball America: #458.
Antoine Jean is a really interesting pick that may take a pretty unique path to the big leagues. A native of Montreal, he began his career at Alabama way back in 2020, where injuries limited him at times but he had success in the rotation when he was on the mound. After missing the 2023 season with Tommy John surgery, he transferred to Houston to pitch his fifth year on campus in 2024 and set career highs in starts and innings, albeit with a career-worst 5.97 ERA. When he returned to Houston for a sixth year of college baseball in 2025 for his age-23 season, something clicked. The power ticked up across his arsenal and he blossomed into one of the best relievers in college baseball, taking home Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors as he led all college relievers with 110 strikeouts. The fastball now sits low 90's and touches 96, not overwhelming velocity from a reliever but enough to play up with run and ride. He throws a pair of fall-off-the-table breaking balls in his curveball and slider, both of which dive late away from hitters, while his changeup is a fourth pitch but still one that will be usable in pro ball. His command is average, but he mixes and matches his offerings very effectively as a former soft tossing crafty lefty that now has average power across his arsenal. He can manipulate the shapes of his fastball and breaking balls, giving him a much, much deeper arsenal than the typical reliever. The 6'2" lefty is a bit slight of stature and may not get much bigger, but he has a history of starting and completed four or more innings on ten occasions in 2025, all in relief, and his arsenal is more than deep enough to start. Colorado will likely send Jean back into the rotation to start his career, where he could work his way up as a back-end starter. He turned 24 in August, making him one of the oldest players in this year's draft and already older than a quarter of the Rockies' 40 man roster (including Chase Dollander, Adael Amador, and Angel Chivilli while sharing an exact birth date with Ezequiel Tovar). That doesn't give him much time if he wants ascend the levels as a starter, though as a reliever he could be ready as soon as 2026.
8-227: 1B Tanner Thach, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $247,200. Signing bonus: $325,000 ($77,800 above slot value).
My rank: #156. MLB Pipeline: #151. Baseball America: #134.
Tanner Thach brings Colorado some of the best power in its 2025 class here in the eighth round, which is always fun to see at Coors Field. Thach reached UNC Wilmington's campus as a two-way player but quickly established himself as a primary hitter, setting the Seahawks' freshman record by hitting fifteen home runs in 2023. He exploded for 27 in 2024, this time breaking the school's single season record in general and good for #11 in the nation that year. While he couldn't quite match the power output in 2025, he still finished as the school's all time home run leader with 54 over three seasons. Listed at 6'4", 225 pounds, he shows plus raw power that he taps every bit of in games with a natural tendency to elevate the ball to the pull side, having done so consistently way back to his prep days at Perquimans County High School in eastern North Carolina. He also shows above average bat to ball ability that helped him cut his strikeout rate under 15% in 2025, and as a career .271/.359/.495 hitter over 55 games and two seasons in the Cape Cod League, he has proven he can handle high level pitching. At this point, the one drawback in the offensive profile is his proclivity to chase, as he has feasted on CAA pitching by consistently expanding the zone and letting his natural bat to ball do the work. At the next level, pro pitchers are likely to take advantage of that aggressive approach and feed him a steady diet of offspeed stuff, and if he doesn't adjust there is risk that he becomes a platoon bat that sits against left handed pitchers. Thach is also a well below average runner that will be limited to first base only, which puts a lot of pressure on the bat. Colorado is buying his track record not only in the CAA but on the Cape, which to them indicates that he will be just fine against pro pitching and could bring a Michael Toglia-like profile to Coors Field.
19-557: RHP Easton Marks, Florida International
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
The only Rocky Mountain product in this Rockies class is Easton Marks. A Denver native, he attended Arapahoe High School in nearby Centennial just to the south and began his career at Nevada, where he worked his way into the rotation as a sophomore but struggled in the hitter-friendly environment. Transferring nearly 2500 miles across the country to FIU, he found far greater success with the Panthers and became the school's first pitcher since 2019 to be named first team all C-USA. While he initially committed to transfer a second time to Miami in 2026, he'll head back home instead to begin his pro career. He has always thrown hard, now sitting in the low to mid 90's and grabbing 97 at peak. He can turn that over into a tight cutter with late movement, while he has tightened up his curveball with late bite down in the zone. Marks also throws a changeup with late fade to the arm side, giving him a really nice arsenal for the nineteenth round. The 6'1" righty struggled with command back at Nevada but dropped his walk rate from an ugly 17.6% as a sophomore in Reno to a more reasonable 11.7% as a junior in Miami. It's still below average command, but much more playable and the results speak for themselves. If he can continue to tighten that up, his four pitch mix can play in a big league rotation and the Rockies will have great value from the late rounds. He will probably need to jump another full grade in that regard, so a bullpen career is certainly a possibility.
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