No. 3: Georgia’s Charlie Condon receives call of a lifetime from Major League Baseball

FORT WORTH, Texas – The tall, skinny kid from Marietta who struggled to get noticed coming out of the Walker School became the highest drafted baseball player in the history of the University of Georgia on Sunday. Charlie Condon, the most decorated player in Georgia baseball history, was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the No. 3 overall pick as the Major League Baseball Draft Sunday night here at Cowtown Coliseum.

The Cleveland Guardians went with Travis Bazzana, a second baseman from Oregon State, with the No. 1 overall selection. The Cincinnati Reds went with Chase Burns, a right-handed pitcher from Wake Forest, with the No. 2 pick.

“It is super exciting stuff to be part of an organization that has got so much history in such a cool ballpark with really great people within the organization all around,” Condon said. “It has been awesome. All I can think about is my teammates at UGA who have propelled me into this position. I would not be here without you guys. I will always remember that.”

That Condon was not the top pick was a bit of a surprise considering how he dominated college baseball this past season. He swept the sports’ top awards, including the Dick Howser Trophy as the best collegiate player in the nation and the Golden Spikes Award for the best amateur player on all levels. He slugged the most home runs (37) of any collegiate player in the last quarter-century and posted the highest OPS (1.565) in the SEC by 131 points. He batted .433, walked 57 times and struck out 41. His exit velocities consistently exceeded 100 mph and sometimes approached 120.

So, unquestionably, Condon was the best player available in the 2024 draft. And eventually, he should get paid accordingly. But Condon’s draft opportunity came in just the second year that the MLB’s first-round draft order was fixed via a lottery and during a time in which teams utilize a pool system that allows them to spread money among more draft picks. So the best player doesn’t always go first.

It might be a while before Condon knows exactly how much money he’ll sign for, but it’s expected to be the tops in baseball, according to draft analyst Jim Callis of MLB.com. LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, last year’s No. 1 selection, received a record $9.2 million signing bonus. Wes Johnson, now Georgia’s head coach, was Skenes’ pitching coach at LSU.

Condon is represented by Brandon O’Hearn of VaynerSports, a national agency with offices in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles. O’Hearn has been advising the Condon family for two years, ever since first seeing him play in the Northwoods summer league as a redshirt freshman at Georgia.

Condon, 21, received the life-changing call at home in Marietta among a small gathering of family, friends, coaches and teammates. He’s the middle child in a close-knit family that includes his father, Jim; mother, Rebecca; older brother, Matt, and younger sister, Sarah. Jim Condon works in industrial real estate.

All the children have attended the Walker School, a small, private high school not far off Interstate-75 in Marietta. There, Condon starred both as a baseball player and a quarterback for the football team. Before former Georgia coach Scott Stricklin finally came through with a late, preferred walk-on offer for Condon, he was poised to play both sports in Division III at Sewanee University in Tennessee. At the time, Condon was 6-foot-5 and weighed just 196 pounds.

As a sure-fire, first-round pick, Condon was invited to join the All-Star festivities in Arlington and draft day activities in Fort Worth. But if Condon has proven anything beyond being exceptionally good at the game of baseball, it is that he is inherently humble and fiercely avoids fuss. MLB cameras and a small video crew from UGA were present for the big moment in the Condon’s home, however.

Meanwhile, the last month for Condon has been a whirlwind. From the moment the 10th-ranked Bulldogs lost to N.C. State in the NCAA Athens Super Regional on June 10, Condon has been on the move. First, he went to Omaha for the College World Series, where he would have preferred to have been with his entire team. Instead, he was there to attend presentation ceremonies for the Golden Spikes and other postseason awards.

From there, Condon returned to Marietta only long enough to pack bags for his next stops. Those were for trips to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Denver and other MLB cities to interview and with team officials and tour facilities.

Condon’s legacy at Georgia will be long-lasting. He leaves as the most-decorated player in program history. The trophies came because Condon led the NCAA in batting (.443), home runs (a BBCOR-era record 37), slugging percentage (1.009), total bases (233) and OPS (1.565). Named the 2024 SEC Player of the Year, he ranked third nationally in on-base percentage (.566) and posted a team-high 57 walks, including 28 intentional free passes. He had seven multi-home run games and homered in eight consecutive contests from April 26-May 9, one shy of the NCAA record.

Condon is expected to be a corner outfielder in the major leagues. At Georgia, he made starts at third base, first base and all three outfield positions. With Condon batting No. 2 in the lineup, the Bulldogs finished 43-17 this past season, losing 8-5 to N.C. State in the final game of best-of-three Athens Super Regional. It was Georgia’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament since 2008, when future big-leaguer Gordon Beckham starred for the team.

“What he’s done for the University of Georgia and our baseball program in a short time is unrivaled,” Johnson said. “The great thing about Charlie is you always hope your best player is a great human being, who is caring and a great teammate. Charlie checks all those boxes.”

Jeff Pyburn was selected fifth in 1980 and was the highest-selected Georgia player before Condon.

Georgia could have joined LSU and UCLA as the only collegiate athletic programs to produce a No. 1 selection in the pro baseball, basketball and football drafts – Condon in baseball, Anthony Edwards in basketball, and four football players, Travon Walker being the latest.

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