Sons of former major league All-Stars became the top two picks in Sunday’s draft — just not in the order that many expected.
The Orioles drafted shortstop Jackson Holliday, the son of 15-year MLB outfielder Matt Holliday, with the No. 1 pick. He became only the second son of a former major leaguer to be drafted with the top pick — joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. the son of 17-year MLB outfielder Andruw Jones who had been seen by plenty of experts as the potential top pickIt marked the first time ever the sons of former major leaguers were taken with the top two picks of the MLB draft.
High school outfielder Justin Crawford, the son of 15-year MLB outfielder Carl Crawford, went No. 17 overall to the Phillies. The 18-year-old Holliday posted a slash line of .685/.749/1.392 with 29 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, 74 runs, 79 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases in 40 games this spring as a senior at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. His 89 hits broke the national high school single-season record, which was previously held by Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto.
Holliday, who grew up around MLB clubhouses, was named Baseball America’s 2022 High School Player of the Year. The Orioles’ front office had kept tight-lipped about its plans in the days and weeks leading up to the draft. But Holliday now joins a rebuilding Baltimore organization that recently promoted former No. 1 pick Adley Rutschmann to the big leagues and still boasts two of the top five prospects in the game, per MLB.com.
The 18-year-old Jones, meanwhile, is seen as a five-tool player out of Wesleyan High School in Georgia. Like his father, a 10-time Gold Glover, Jones is a standout defensive center fielder.