Cardinals sign top pick Condon to bolster already loaded farm system

PHOENIX -- The Cardinals’ already-strong farm system got even stronger this week with the signing of No. 13 overall Draft pick Trevor Condon.

Condon, an 18-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder from Etowah High School in Woodstock, Ga., signed on Thursday for a bonus of $5,161,300 and gives the Cards an electric young prospect in the mold of Pete Crow-Armstrong or Brett Gardner.

Condon won the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year Award after hitting .504 and leading Etowah High to a state title this season. Condon was ranked No. 13 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft Prospects list, but it took a lot of hard work to get him there.

“Some people think I was always this [highly ranked prospect]. I wasn't. I was unranked for a long time,” Condon told MLB Pipeline’s Jesse Borek leading up to the Draft. “I felt the difference between success and failure. ... I put my head down and I put the blinders on, and I went and got it, and that's why I'm here today.”

Condon is still growing into his power tool, which is understandable for a 5-foot-11, 170-pound high schooler, but MLB Pipeline’s pre-Draft profile said he "may have the best combination of hitting ability and speed in this high school crop."

Condon’s 70-grade run tool was among the highest in the Draft and he ran a 4.38 second 40-yard dash as a 16-year-old. Mix that speed with his size, playstyle and personality and it’s no wonder people are quick to throw out the PCA comp.

“I can get people riled up, but I can also get the motors turning for my team,” Condon said. “I flip the energy immediately. Even if it’s down, 5-0, and just hitting a double, that’s the little turn you need. That takes you a lot farther than running or my bat goes, because as you get older, you lose speed. But I can’t lose this personality; this is who I am.”

First-year Giants manager Tony Vitello recruited Condon before making the jump from the University of Tennessee and recalls liking not only the tools but the makeup.

“He works his [butt] off,” Vitello said. “Just his mentality about the 24 hours that are in a day is super impressive. Trevor's the same guy all the time -- super confident, super energetic.”

How confident?

Condon has goals that go way beyond signing his first professional contract. In his mind, the work has barely begun.

“I've had dreams since I was 6 years old of not only being a professional but a Hall of Famer,” Condon said. “I want to leave a legacy behind. I hope I impact some of the younger generations to go and be great. ...

“I love to win. I love being on that field, and I know that one day that timer is gonna tick off. I don't know when that time is and I'll never play again. So I'm never gonna let the game have an opportunity where I'm not giving it my all because that might be my last play.”

Joining Condon as the newest members of the Cardinals’ system is third-round pick Caden Ferraro, a left-handed-hitting outfielder from Texas Tech who posted a 1.085 OPS in his just-completed junior season. The 21-year-old who was selected 86th overall signed for $800,000.

Follow along here to monitor all the Cardinals’ Draft signings. Clubs have until 4 p.m. CT on July 27 to agree to deals with players selected from four-year colleges and high schools. If a draftee goes on to attend junior college, they have a draft-and-follow option, in which they can sign following the end of their juco season and up until the week before the beginning of next year's Draft for up to $225,000.