D-backs select SS Jackson Holliday, son of Matt Holliday, on mock drafts

Mock drafts from ESPN baseball analyst Kiley McDaniel and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo have the Arizona Diamondbacks selecting the son of a former foe with the No. 2 overall pick in this month’s MLB Draft.

Jackson Holliday, son of former Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, is a shortstop from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The left-handed batter was named Baseball America’s 2022 High School Baseball Player Of The Year last week after hitting .685 with 17 home runs in 40 games, according to Maxpreps.

2022 SS ⁦@JHolliday2022 (⁦@OSUBaseball⁩ commit) isn’t done yet sending a no doubter on one of the hardest balls we’ve seen hit all year to take the 4-3 lead in the top of the 10th
⁦@ShooterHunt⁩ ⁦@NathanRode⁩ pic.twitter.com/xeZFEOc9QK

— PBR Oklahoma (@PBR_Oklahoma) May 7, 2022

He also won a 2022 High School Gold Glove award and was part of the 2021 18U national team.

His father played 15 MLB seasons and was part of the 2007 Rockies that faced the D-backs in the National League Championship Series.

Holliday hit .333 with a pair of home runs in the series.

The younger Holliday is MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 prospect in the upcoming draft behind outfielder Druw Jones, the son of 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.

Prep shortstop Jackson Holliday moved up 22 spots in our latest top 200 prospects update for the 2022 MLB Draft 📈https://t.co/pebBmfi1Rr pic.twitter.com/6wCHTlNQRl

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 24, 2022

Mayo and McDaniel both wrote they project the D-backs would take Jones if he’s available and Holliday if the former goes first to the Baltimore Orioles. The D-backs and Orioles both finished 52-110 last year, but Baltimore won the tiebreaker based on their 2020 records.

If Jones gets here, Arizona will almost certainly take him. If he doesn’t I think there will be a full-freight option in Jackson Holliday or a discount option of Cal Poly’s Brooks Lee (25% chance). Elijah Green is also mentioned here, but I think he’s a secondary consideration. I’ll give Green, Jones and others a collective 25% chance.

The D-backs had the No. 4 farm system in MLB ranked by Pipeline before the season. Arizona’s 2021 first-rounder, shortstop Jordan Lawlar, is batting .357 in Single-A Visalia

The MLB Draft is set for July 17-19 in Los Angeles.

Follow @alexjweiner