Charlie Condon: 'Rockies Move Will Take Me To The Next Level'

July 23, 2024 Sports 19 Views

Charlie Condon speaks on his record-tying $9.25m deal to the Rockies, a move in which he feels will take his career to the next level.

Condon’s story so far

Condon initially explored Division III options before being offered a spot on the team by former Georgia coach Scott Stricklin, without a scholarship. Despite this, the Marietta native managed to make it work as a walk-on.

Due to his tall and skinny frame, Condon did not play as a true freshman as Georgia coaches had him focus on adding muscle.

As a redshirt freshman, Condon had an outstanding debut season, with a .386/.484/.800 slash line, 25 home runs, and 67 RBIs. He continued his strong performance in 2023 and had a memorable season in 2024.

Condon was awarded the 2024 Dick Howser Trophy, SEC Player of the Year honors, and was recognized as a consensus All-American and the Golden Spikes Award winner. He led Division I in batting average (.433), home runs (37), OPS (1.565), and total bases (233), and at one point homered in eight straight games, just one shy of tying the NCAA record.

Having signed his contract, Condon has already made history with his reported $9.25 million signing bonus, matching the largest in MLB Draft history. In a recent interview, he downplayed the dollar figure and instead focused on the opportunity ahead of him.

He said: “For me, it’s just about hearing my name called and knowing that my career was progressing to the next level. “I’m excited about getting to go out there and play better competition. I’m not really focused on the monetary side of things. If that comes with it, so be it. But I’m here because I love baseball. I’m here because I love getting better. I’m here because of the relationships that this game has brought me. It’s an awesome perk, but it’s not the main reason for me.”

Condon’s interview

Condon recalls the feeling after he had signed for the Rockies and what he hopes to achieve during his time there. He said: “I was extremely excited and happy to hear my name called and to be tied to the Rockies’ organization. It’s been an organization that does really well developing hitters. They know what they’re doing and how to teach power hitting. I’m really excited and really honored to be a part of the Rockies.

“As far as expectations go, I wouldn’t say that it’s anything crazy. External expectations seem to change as you continue to have success or not have success. What people around the game of baseball are going to think about me is going to continue to change, but I will always expect a much higher standard of myself than anyone else will expect from me.

“I think the beauty of baseball is that it’s never just like one light-bulb moment, one thing where it clicks and everything changes, and that’s why baseball is so beautiful. You’ve got to show up and earn your victories every single day.

“I knew that there were still so many levels to this game that I could continue to improve at. Just being able to buy into that and know that just because I can’t show off on the field right now, the work that I was putting in was still for good reason. That’s the approach I still take to this day.”