Charlie Condon MLB Draft Projection: 5 potential landing spots for Georgia baseball star
Charlie Condon might be the biggest story in college baseball. The Georgia third baseman/outfielder has had one of the most impressive batting seasons in the history of the sport. Given his ability to hit for both contact and power, Condon figures to be one of the most sought-after prospects in the upcoming MLB draft.
Here are five teams that would love to nab Charlie Condon.
Charlie Condon MLB Draft Projection: 5 potential landing spots
#1. Cleveland Guardians
Might as well start at the top, as Condon may well do that very thing. The Cleveland Guardians hold the top pick in the 2024 MLB draft and there's no indication that they wouldn't interested in Condon. Funny enough, the Guardians are 33-17 at the moment, so it's not like going to Cleveland would bury Condon with a non-competitive franchise.
The Guardians do have Jose Ramirez at third base, where Condon has played often in 2024. But first, Ramirez is 31 years old, and second, the Guardians' outfield is anything but nailed down. Third, the most typical designated hitter for the Guardians is hitting .179 on the season. Cleveland could well land Charlie Condon.
#2. Cincinnati Reds
Yes, the Cincinnati Reds have the No. 2 pick, and the franchise hasn't met with much success since the 1990 World Series. But Condon's bat would be a wonderful fit for a homer-friendly Great American Ballpark. Meanwhile, neither current third baseman Jeimer Candleario nor any of the Reds' outfield has marked themselves as irreplaceable.
The biggest issue against Condon is probably that he's not a pitcher. Cincinnati has a lineup full of young, talented hitting prospects. It's on the mound that the Reds seem perenially unable to put one foot in front of the other. Taking Condon wouldn't remedy anything on that front.
#3. Colorado Rockies
See the argument above for the Reds and multiply it. The Colorado Rockies are in a miserable run of baseball. At 16-33, the team is deep into rebuilding mode. Third baseman Kris Bryant was supposed to anchor that position, but he's been both injured and ineffective. Frankly, Charlie Condon could probably pick his spot in the Rockies lineup.
Again, though, the Rockies' 5.27 team ERA suggests the team might elect to go with pitching. While Condon is an elite prospect, a quality pitcher like Arkansas's Hagen Smith might be more attractive to the pitching-poor Rockies. But the thought of Condon hitting 50 homers in the thin air of Coors Field might change their minds.
#4. Oakland (or soon to be Las Vegas) A's
At first blush, the A's might not be the most obvious landing place for Condon. The purse strings in Oakland are notoriously kept tight. The A's have been competitive since the heart of the Billy Bean era, and the team is about to move to Las Vegas.
But the audacity to draft Condon – and pay the ensuing millions to sign – might lie with the move. In Las Vegas, the A's might get off their penny-pinching ways and go for broke, so to speak. The A's are hitting .223 as a team, so there's no real question that Condon could play there. Will Oakland be gutsy enough to make such a move? Well, Las Vegas just might be willing to make a gamble.
#5. Atlanta Braves
Look, time for a million disclaimers. The baseball draft isn't like the NBA or NFL draft. Teams can't swap picks or strategize endlessly. So this probably never comes to pass. But what if the Atlanta Braves could draft the star from Marietta, Georgia, who played at the University of Georgia?
The bottom line is this – the Braves have the No. 24 pick in the 2024 MLB draft. There's absolutely no way in the world that Condon slides that far. But, if he somehow did, Atlanta wouldn't need two seconds to consider whether or not they'd love to draft him.
Where do you think Charlie Condon lands in the 2024 MLB draft? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.