The Sons of Baseball Legends: Eli Willits and Ethan Holliday Headed to the MLB Draft
Eli Willits’ earliest baseball memories are tied to playing catch with his father, Reggie, in the Angel Stadium outfield. In late June, Eli stepped back onto the field that his father called home for six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, in a private workout with the team that has the second pick in the 2025 MLB draft.Ethan Holliday, born in 2007, the same year his father, Matt, finished second in the National League MVP voting for the Colorado Rockies, fondly remembers a trip to Busch Stadium with his brother, Jackson, when Ethan was 6 or 7 years old, to watch his father play for the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams have picks in the top five selections of the upcoming draft, but there is no guarantee that Ethan will be available when Colorado picks at number 4 or St. Louis one pick later. The two Oklahoma high school stars have a lot in common: both are the sons of former Major League players who also have siblings who excel in the family business. Both are expected to hear their names in the early rounds of this year’s draft. And they have even forged a close friendship through baseball. But despite all the glamour that comes with potential stardom, both have learned from their parents how much behind-the-scenes work is needed on the road to the top of the draft.Eli was training last week for the Angels. For me, it was surreal. He was batting and taking ground balls, and my kids have been doing that with me since they were little. I would go with Jaxon and Eli to left field and we would take batting practice there; they were very small. That way, they could hit home runs towards the bullpen. It was a surreal moment for us as a family. I played my whole career in that stadium.
Reggie Willits
Do you like your name on the locker? Yes. Do you like going out in front of 50,000 fans? Yes. Do you want to get up at 4 a.m. and train? No. But that’s what it takes, and I always wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. I am very grateful for that opportunity.
Eli Willits
Jackson’s rapid rise — he occupied the number 1 spot on the 2024 top 100 prospects list — also helped put Ethan in the spotlight early in his high school career. Ethan has been the most well-known player on any field he’s been on for at least a year. Before his senior season, he became the first high school player to sign an NIL deal with Adidas, the brand Jackson signed with once he turned pro.I was his right-hand man that year. I was able to be in his meetings, be with him at the games and practices, when there were 40 scouts coming to each game and everyone had their camera ready when he was batting, I was right there with him. Obviously it’s a little different going through this myself, but that definitely took some weight off.
Ethan Holliday
But despite the apparent advantages of his baseball lineage, not everything has been easy for Ethan. For some scouts, he didn’t perform at his best last summer on the exhibition circuit against the best high school pitchers in the country. Entering the spring, some in the industry questioned whether he would live up to his potential and the publicity associated with his last name.
When asked an open question about the evolution of his swing and without mentioning that narrative, he was clearly aware of it in his answer.As expected from someone who has recently had a Major League star to turn to for baseball advice, Ethan handled the topic like a professional. He had a great season in high school, and those offensive concerns have diminished due to his performance.In high school, you face a good pitcher, and their plan is to throw off-speed pitches because they don’t trust their fastball. In the summer, pitchers come in for one inning and throw as hard as they can. It’s different. I never got anything but spin in high school, so making the adjustment for the summer was difficult. My dad has really helped me with my approach, my swing.
Ethan Holliday
Even though some wondered if Ethan would have a great spring, most scouts were optimistic because Matt is considered one of the best swing coaches in the sport. His son has adopted his father’s fondness for capturing the components of a swing.
When Matt talks about batting, it’s easy to see why he’s so respected, with the wisdom gained from playing with some of the best players of his time.I’ve had a leg kick my whole life. One day in the cage, I was messing around and watching videos of Barry Bonds and his toe tap. Then, I was toe-tapping and hitting balls where I wanted, and I hit four barrels in the next practice. Nothing has changed with my swing path or where my hands are, it just felt great, so I did it.
Ethan Holliday
After the adjustments to his swing, Ethan enters the draft with plus-plus power and has also improved defensively as a shortstop. He could be the first pick and should be off the board no later than the number 4 pick.I am fascinated by the swing, the mechanics of the swing, how it’s linked to your brain, the focus, and how everything works together. If your timing isn’t good, your swing will break down because when you’re late, your body gets scared; it knows. It’s going to change your front side a little bit, and the bat will get longer. I love talking about the swing. I love learning.
Matt Holliday
While the family was going through the reclassification decision, Eli’s success on the field during training with the best college players on his father’s team in Oklahoma (his brother Jaxon is also the shortstop) helped convince Reggie that his son would be ready for the next level.That’s why I decided to leave professional baseball, [Jaxon] was about to be a high school senior, and I hadn’t been able to see him play. I wanted to experience his senior year. When [Eli] came to us and wanted to reclassify, that was a difficult decision for us as a family. At first, I said ‘no way’. I wasn’t really interested in that. It took some convincing.
Reggie Willits
Eli remembers those first live at-bats. “The first hit I got, I was 14 years old and faced a 24-year-old pitcher. I was just trying to do my best. I really want to embarrass them… Age doesn’t matter, I want to prove that I am the best player on the field.” Eli did well in 15 to 20 practice at-bats and that began to ease his father’s concerns that his son would be outmatched by older competition. “I went home and told my wife, ‘I feel like he could play for us as a 15-year-old, so I’m pretty sure that as a 17-year-old, he’d be fine if he reclassified'”. The Sooners’ right fielder, Kyson Witherspoon, is a projected first-round prospect, and Willits had to face that level of pitcher as a high school student. Willits has held his own in these matchups, which helped him improve.We had some infielders get hurt, and we were short there at OU. We started putting Eli there to have some margin and not wear out our guys in the fall. He got some at-bats. He’s been practicing with us since he was 14. He was getting a lot of live at-bats at 15.
Reggie Willits
Similar to Ethan turning to his father for swing advice, Eli gained invaluable experience while accompanying his father when he was the Yankees’ coach from 2018 to 2021. Although seeing Aaron Judge take batting practice up close sounds like a pretty good perk of having a dad in training, the biggest influence might have come from learning from then-Yankees coach Carlos Mendoza, who is the manager of the New York Mets and considered one of the best infield coaches in the game.I had more confidence going into the summer exhibition season because I know I’m not going to see another Kyson on the mound there.
Eli Willits
Eli is a complete player, one who is above average in almost everything on the field, except for power. He is not the biggest, strongest, or fastest player in this draft class, despite entering the draft as one of the best prospects.I wouldn’t be anything like I am defensively without Carlos.
Eli Willits
They were also teammates on Team USA in Panama at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier.We’re not talking about the draft. We leave baseball out of this and just talk about our lives. We both like to fish, so we talk a lot about fishing… Last summer was when we really started playing together and getting to know each other. Ethan is now a great friend of mine.
Eli Willits
Edmond’s tournament became the year’s scouting event because Willits and Holliday participated. Stillwater and Fort Cobb-Broxton, where the two prospects play high school baseball, are a few hours apart and the schools compete in different classes. The round-robin event at Edmond Santa Fe High School, just outside of Oklahoma City, provided a midpoint for scouts to see both players. Willits and Holliday impressed several high-level scouts present from almost every team picking in the top half of the first round, even if their stats from those games weren’t eye-catching. When will the two meet on the diamond below? Holliday thought about the possibilities.In Panama, we hung out every day before and after the games, on the bus, in the locker room, we’ve talked basically every day since then, but I didn’t see Eli in person again until the Edmond high school baseball tournament.
Ethan Holliday
Willits and Holliday laughed when I asked them about a possible friendly rivalry regarding who will be drafted higher. Both said that couldn’t be further from the truth.It would be incredible if the next time we saw each other was in the Major Leagues. Probably the minor leagues? Anyone who makes it is very lucky. He’s a phenomenon.
Ethan Holliday
We’re both from Oklahoma. Oklahoma doesn’t get enough credit for the talent it produces. We’re very excited for each other; we’re each other’s biggest fans. There’s no bad blood, no rivalry, no Bedlam dispute.
Ethan Holliday
We are just two guys who really love baseball and are proud of Oklahoma.
Ethan Holliday
