Fair or unfair, the burden of expectations is heavy for first-round Draft picks. Just ask Charlie Condon.
Betrayed by hand and wrist injuries during 2024 and '25 -- as well as inconsistency -- the Rockies' No. 2 prospect (MLB No. 68) endured an uneven first full pro campaign last year. But the Atlanta native showed glimpses of the player Colorado envisioned him to be coming out of Georgia as the third overall selection.
On Saturday, Condon provided even more evidence ... emphatically.
The 22-year-old hammered his first two Triple-A roundtrippers and drove in a career-high five runs during Albuquerque's 13-6 loss to Oklahoma City at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. It was Condon's second mulithomer game as a pro -- the first coming last Aug. 21 with Double-A Hartford.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Condon tallied his first Triple-A knock in his third plate appearance on Opening Night, and he wasted no time getting things rolling in game No. 2. The 6-foot-5 slugger kicked off the scoring with a three-run homer in the opening frame, a 112.6 mph rocket he tucked inside the left-field foul pole.
Condon struck again in his next at-bat in the third inning, launching another no-doubter that cleared the pavilion beyond the left-field fence that scored a pair and helped him eclipse his previous best of four RBIs, done twice in 2025.
Although there would be no more fireworks from Condon in the game, he did walk twice, a step in the right direction after posting an overall 12 percent rate last year (which dipped to 10.5 upon his promotion to Double-A Hartford).
To say Condon had a subpar campaign in 2025 would be harsh, but the 2024 Golden Spikes Award winner struggled after getting off to a hot start for High-A Spokane, batting just .209 in his first month at Double-A. However, he seemed to find himself as the season wound down, slashing .289/.409/.589 with six of his 14 homers coming in August.
He carried that over to a blistering Arizona Fall League campaign where he posted an .873 OPS in 98 plate appearances. That success continued into the spring where Condon slashed .385/.457/.718 with seven extra-base hits, three jacks and nine RBIs in 20 Cactus League games, solidifying his assignment to Triple-A and putting him within a phone call of the bigs.