'Just living my dream': Cardinals' 2026 first-rounder tallies first pro homer
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Trevor Condon saw spin out of the pitcher’s hand. Seconds later, he flipped his bat, took a short hop and watched his first pro homer soar deep out of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
As the 13th overall pick in the 2026 Draft jogged the bases, all the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect could think about was getting back around to celebrate with his teammates in the dugout. But first, he stopped just before home to point to his grandparents who traveled from Hilton Head, South Carolina, to watch him play for the first time as a professional.
Once Condon crossed home plate, he dapped up fellow top prospect Alexander Frias (STL No. 4). He shared a hug with 2025 second-rounder Ryan Mitchell (STL No. 29), whom he played against during his high school days. There were high-fives all around as his homer was one of five Single-A Palm Beach slugged during an 11-0 win over Daytona on Tuesday night.
Condon’s parents -- who were instrumental in his amateur development both on and off the field -- were the recipients of his first pro hit. If the 18-year-old can get his hands on the first home run ball, they’ll add that to their collection as well.
“It’s been amazing, everything I wanted it to be,” said Condon of his first weeks in pro ball. “I’m just living my dream out here.”
Condon has appeared in six games thus far as a pro and has had an impact in nearly all of them. He’s hit safely in five outings and has a .280/.357/.440 slash line with a pair of stolen bases over that span.
One of Condon’s premier calling cards is his speed. Since his debut, he has already ripped off three “bolts” -- any run that reaches the 30 ft/sec sprint speed threshold, which is considered elite -- and five home-to-first times that have clocked in under 4.2 seconds. He is one of just two ranked prospects in the Cardinals' system with a 70-grade run tool, which also works to his benefit as he patrols center field, where he has made all of his defensive starts thus far.
“Something that’s really special with this organization is they care about who you are and what you want your game to be about,” said Condon. “They’re not trying to build you from the ground up, change everything in your swing -- they’re just letting you be you. That’s one of my favorite parts, just going out there every day and being who I am. I literally couldn’t be in a better spot.”
But before Condon could take his first full trek around the bases, he checked off another pro first in his third-inning at-bat -- his first ABS challenge.
“I was sitting there like, ‘Please don’t be a strike, please don’t be a strike,’” Condon laughed. “And it was one-tenth of an inch from the zone and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a good one.’”
That relaxed and effervescent personality drew the Cardinals to Condon throughout the pre-Draft process. Sure, he was the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year this season, hitting .504 and running like the wind, but the organization was confident about his knowledge of the game and his ability to make the necessary adjustments as he works his way through the system.
“We just called him in, and we didn’t even interview him [before the Draft],” Cardinals director of scouting Randy Flores said last month. “We just wanted 30 minutes to hang with him because we had already felt like we were at a good spot with getting to know who he was.”
The addition of Condon -- and his fellow 2026 Draft mates, ranked as the best class across baseball -- has been a boon to a system that has a straight-up arrow next to it. The Cardinals ranked fourth in MLB Pipeline’s in-season Farm System Rankings, and using the unofficial calculations from their infield, outfield, pitching and catching system series, St. Louis topped all 29 other clubs in combined points.
The organization gets a ringing endorsement from Condon:
“The Cardinals did an amazing job with who they drafted. Every dude in this organization is just so down to earth and so fun to be around.”