Ad Disclosure
Charlie Condon would not be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft Sunday night. However, he did not have to wait long, and he may have found himself in a hitter’s paradise if he can reach the MLB level quickly.
Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana and Wake Forest pitcher Chase Burns were the first 2 picks of the draft, going to the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, respectively. Condon was quickly gone after those 2 players, heading to the NL West via the No. 3 pick of the Colorado Rockies.
Condon is the first 2024 SEC player to come off the board Sunday night:
GOT OUR DAWG pic.twitter.com/SHwohAvStA
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 14, 2024
After redshirting as a freshman in 2022, Condon embarked on an elite power-hitting career at Georgia. He swept the national honors in 2024 as the recipient of the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award.
Condon set the BBCOR era home run record in 2024 with 37 home runs to go with 78 RBI and 84 runs scored while also walking more than he struck out (57 walks to 41 strikeouts this season). Across the 2023-24 seasons, Condon hit 62 total home runs with a 1.433 OPS and a .523 OBP.
While Condon will have to progress through the minor leagues, landing with Colorado presents some tantalizing prospects for the future. The thin air of Coors Field could be tailor-made for Condon’s power, and he has all the tools to develop into a star slugger in MLB.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
