Condon quickly establishing himself with mindset, bat in Triple-A

MIAMI -- Charlie Condon arrived at Triple-A Albuquerque looking to make friends with his surroundings.

"This is nice … I've heard a lot about Albuquerque and the Isotopes, and really the whole PCL. I've heard more of a hitter-friendly league with altitude and things like that," Condon told Geoff Grammer of The Albuquerque Journal.

The Pacific Coast League has already been good to the Condon, 22, who is Rockies' No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 67 overall prospect.

On Saturday night in Oklahoma City in his second game with the club, Condon knocked two home runs and drove in five runs. The first of the homers off right-hander Ryder Ryan left Condon’s bat at 112.6 mph.

Condon didn’t hold back at all on that swing.

That league is so crazy that one can drive in a career-high five runs in a game his team loses, 13-6, but it was a good night for Condon.

The plan all along was Triple-A time for Condon, who rose to Double-A Hartford last year in his first full season since being drafted third overall out of the University of Georgia in 2024. But the team kept Condon in camp, partly to compete for the first-base job that TJ Rumfield won, but also to familiarize himself with big league surroundings and play some corner outfield.

Condon’s professionalism when it came to work habits and establishing routines for someone so new to professional baseball impressed the Rockies. For example, early in camp the Rockies gave him two days’ notice that he would play in the outfield, but he had already been working on it in the offseason and at camp. Condon also scouted himself and made improvements defensively at first base.

“Coming up playing baseball, the youth age all the way through college, you’re always told what to do and where to be,” Condon said. “Just being able to call your own shots has been an adjustment for me. It has been nice to be able to dictate my routine -- knowing I have the flexibility to do whatever I want to get ready to play.”