How Condon is taking advantage of Triple-A to prepare for big league success

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Charlie Condon, the Rockies' No. 2 prospect (No. 62 overall), has a 1.011 OPS, four home runs and 12 RBIs through 15 games for Triple-A Albuquerque. In the past, this type of start would have a player checking his airline app for a ticket to the Majors. But with a new front office, and with Sunday being Condon’s 139th Minor League game over three seasons, there is no clamoring at this point.

Arguing against a quick callup is the fact Condon is not on the 40-man roster. If called up at a time when there is no risk of having to send him back down, Condon would finish this season with all of his Minor League options. And there are educational reasons.

A weekend discussion with general manager Josh Byrnes shed light on how Condon, 23, is preparing for Major League success. Spoiler alert: Byrnes said Condon is doing quite well.

Hitting: Gauging any prospect is as much art as science, given the difference in quality of pitchers and the prevalence of extreme hitter-friendly environments in the Pacific Coast League. For his part, Condon is hitting high velocity, with two homers on fastballs, plus two on sliders and solid expected numbers against breaking pitches.

“Spring Training all the way through, he really swung the bat well, and he’s got huge power,” Byrnes said. “Facing Triple-A pitching, although it’s not Major League pitching, it’s a good test. He knows how to conduct at-bats.

“What all our hitters are hearing is they need to be making good swing decisions, being productive and, in his case, doing damage when you hit it, then keep punchouts under control. He’s doing all that.”

Defense: Condon played corner infield and outfield positions at Georgia. He settled in at first base after the Rockies drafted him third overall in 2024, but they reintroduced the outfield in Spring Training. He played right field on Sunday, his eighth start there; he has started seven games at first base.

In Spring Training, the baseball universe tested him with multiple plays that forced decisions on whether to be aggressive. It was a good start to his education.

“His sprint speed is about average, and with the jumps and angles, he looks OK,” Byrnes said. “He’s getting tested on all types of plays. Out here [Coors Field] is the biggest test, and that remains to be seen. The arm is fine.

“He’s accomplished a lot -- from first-round pick to Double-A, the Arizona Fall League. Triple-A is another test. He’s done really well so far but there’s an ongoing process developing.”

Handling adversity: This year has gone well, but Condon was tested by a hand injury that curtailed his performance the year he was drafted and he missed time at the start of last season with a fractured wrist.

“There’s mental resolve,” Byrnes said. “Charlie was a walk-on at the University of Georgia, and then he went to pro ball and got hurt. So it hasn’t always been a straight line. He’s had peaks and valleys. Something like this, with the level of scrutiny with fans and media and the highest level, knowing there’s going to be failure is important. It’s not easy and we don’t pretend that it is.”