Ethan Holliday signs historic Adidas NIL contract and is the leading prospect for the 2025 MLB draft

Ethan Holliday, one of baseball's top rising stars, has signed a historic NIL deal with Adidas, becoming the brand's first-ever baseball NIL athlete. An infielder from Stillwater High School, he comes from a baseball dynasty—his father, Matt Holliday, is an MLB legend, and his brother, Jackson Holliday, is a Baltimore Orioles outfielder.

Adidas Partnership with Ethan Holliday

Adidas stated that as part of the agreement, Holliday would showcase the most recent version of the ADIZERO Edge+ cleat.

Adidas' decision to sign Ethan is similar to what they did with his brother, Jackson Holliday, who signed a sponsorship deal with the apparel firm in 2022 before being picked first overall by the Baltimore Orioles.


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About NIL

The NIL policy allows athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness through sponsorships, endorsements, and partnerships while maintaining their amateur status. Introduced by the NCAA in 2021, the NIL rule enables high school and college athletes to sign deals with brands, just like professional athletes, as per Investopedia.

Future MLB Star in the Making

Holliday will play this season at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. He's committed to Oklahoma State, but given how much hype he's received as a draft possibility over the years, he's unlikely to attend college, said The Bleacher Report.

Scouting reports for Ethan have been nothing short of spectacular. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo stated in October 2023, when Ethan was 16, that he is a vastly different player than his brother, stated The USA Today.

Jackson appears to be a good fit as the first overall pick, stated The Bleacher Report . He entered 2024 as baseball's top prospect and played 60 games in the major leagues.

If the draft goes as it is planned with Holliday as the first one going to the Washington Nationals, that will be a first in the history of the MLB where there are two brothers who have come as the pick for the top one.

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The only other instance it happened was in the other major North American professional sports leagues, outside of baseball. As The Bleacher Report has stated, Ethan joins a group of Adidas MLB athletes, including Julio Rodríguez, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, and Teoscar Hernández.

FAQs

Q1. How tall is Ethan Holiday?
A. He is 6’4’’ tall.

Q2. Who are Ethan Holliday’s family members in MLB?
A. His father, Matt Holliday, and his brother, Jackson Holliday.