Tyler Paddor | July 13, 2025

The 2025 MLB Draft is a huge one for Colorado. Not only do they hold a pivotal and valuable 4th pick along with four total selections inside the top 100, but this is the club’s last time picking in the top 10 until 2027 as a result of anti-tanking rules implemented with MLB’s draft lottery system.

With that being said, hitting on early picks is as important as ever. Let’s take a look at possible options with a 3-round mock draft.

Round 1 (#4 Overall) – Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater HS (OK)

Everyone is clamoring for Holliday. The son of Rockies great Matt Holliday is in prime territory to become the newest member of the Rockies organization. There’s huge interest from Colorado, and surely the youngest Holliday is open to joining a team that cherished his father en route to a World Series appearance.

Holliday has an interested party in Washington–the Nationals hold the 1st pick–but Holliday figures to get the highest bonus in this draft class and Washington may opt to spread their bonus pool out a bit farther. They may also opt for a safer approach to this draft with an interim GM just put in place.

In Holliday, the Rockies would be gambling on huge raw power. Holliday has a case for the best power in the entire draft class, let alone just among his high school peers. It’s comfortable 60-grade pop with the potential to develop into 70-grade, which could translate into at least 30 homers a year.

Holliday is athletic and nimble given his 6-foot-4 frame and will get a chance to play shortstop in the pros, though he’s expected to eventually outgrow the position and end up at third base.

There’s some risk in the bat of the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year as he has a tendency to swing and miss more than his elite prep counterparts, though not at an alarming rate. His smooth swing and bat control paired with an above average approach give him a chance to be an above average pure hitter as well, though he has hurdles to overcome.

If Holliday puts it all together, he has the upside of a perennial All-Star who could put up a .900 OPS with a few dozen homers.

Round 2 (#45 Overall) – Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama

Quick is a mammoth of a man who was a 4-star offensive lineman and top-250 prospect in the class of 2022 before pouring his attention into baseball at Alabama.

Quick fits the groundball mold to a tee with a 55% groundball rate this season. His upper-90s heater gets downhill and can miss some bats thanks to quality arm-side run. He’ll also mix in a cutter in the mid-90s and a true slider in the upper-80s range. There’s a changeup in Quick’s arsenal that can touch 91 with good downhill shape.

Quick’s arsenal isn’t built to miss bats which may drop him on some team’s boards but he’s got as much power as any arm in the class and had a strong showing this season with enough strike throwing. This pick would be very reminiscent of Brody Brecht’s selection last year–a high octane downhill arm that the Rockies will try and price out of the first round.

Competitive Balance Round B (#74 Overall) – Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas

Davalan won’t wow you with his tools; he stands 5-foot-9 without plus speed but he’s a gamer who gets the most out of his ability.

Davalan has an elite 94.2 zone-contact rate and a better than average 20.0 chase rate. Combinations like that come in small doses each year. Not to mention, Davalan has some sneaky pop with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 103.9 mph (~45-grade power), making him a well-rounded potential top of the order hitter.

Davalan has played some second base in his career but likely profiles in left field long term where his quick foot speed can manage, despite a fringey arm.

Round 3 (#77 Overall) – Ryan Prager, LHP, Texas A&M

Another underslot possibility, Prager passed up around $1M with the Angels last season to collect another year of lucrative NIL money before re-entering the draft. He’s got such a safe profile that he’s likely to be a popular pick in the 75-100 range for under $1M (as a senior, Prager has less leverage to push for a high signing bonus). Once again, this tracks with the Ethan Holliday selection as the Rockies will need to create a little flexibility later in the draft to meet Holliday’s bonus demands.

The former Aggie stepped back considerably this year with his max pitch velocity dropping from 93 to 91. With some rest and optimization, Prager could get back to the crafty arm he was last year that dominated the SEC.

Prager commands a quality slider and changeup, giving him the upside of a steady backend starter.