High School

Former Georgia high school star selected No. 3 in MLB Draft by Colorado Rockies

Charlie Condon formerly played at the University of Georgia after playing at The Walker School

Andy Villamarzo

Georgia's Charlie Condon (24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during Game 3 of the Super NCAA Regional against NC State at Foley Field on Monday, June 10, 2024 in Athens, Ga. NC State won 8-5.
Georgia's Charlie Condon (24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during Game 3 of the Super NCAA Regional against NC State at Foley Field on Monday, June 10, 2024 in Athens, Ga. NC State won 8-5. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Georgia high school baseball's all-time leader in home runs came off the board early of the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft on Sunday evening.

Former The Walker School standout Charlie Condon was selected No. 3 of th 2024 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. Condon played his collegiate ball at the University of Georgia before being drafted by the Rockies.

In 2023 at Georgia, Condon followed up his redshirt year with a breakout campaign and batted .386 at the plate with 25 home runs and 67 runs batted in. The power hitter in his second season (2024) for the Bulldogs belted 37 homers, setting the NCAA BBCOR home run record.

According to MLB.com's draft breakdown of prospects, Condon was the No. 2 overall prospect. Down below is the breakdown by the website on the former Bulldog.

Scouts and college recruiters took little notice of Condon when he was a physically underdeveloped Georgia high schooler, and he wound up going to Georgia as a walk-on. He redshirted in 2022 as he continued to gain strength, then earned national freshman of the year honors last spring by slashing .386/.484/.800 with a Southeastern Conference freshman-record 25 homers. He won the Golden Spikes Award and SEC Player of the Year accolades while posting even better numbers this spring, leading NCAA Division I in batting (.433), slugging (1.009), OPS (1.565), homers (37), extra-base hits (58) and total bases (233).

A leading candidate to go No. 1 overall, Condon should surpass Jeff Pyburn (No. 5 overall in 1980) as the highest-drafted player in Bulldogs history because he has a huge offensive ceiling. He has top-of-the-scale raw power that plays from foul pole to foul pole and his combination of bat speed, strength and leverage in his 6-foot-6 frame allows him to mishit balls yet still drive them out of the park. Despite his long arms, he keeps his right-handed swing relatively compact and controls the strike zone while repeatedly making loud contact against all types of pitching.

Though he's a below-average runner, Condon is reasonably athletic and covers ground with long strides once he gets going. After splitting time between first base and the outfield corners as a freshman, he has played all three outfield spots and third base this spring. He's not quick enough for third or center but he does have solid-to-plus arm strength and can provide average defense in left or right field.

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivega

Published |Modified
Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

Home/Georgia