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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Colorado Rockies and outfielder Charlie Condon have reached an agreement on a deal that includes a $9.25 million signing bonus, tying the Major League Baseball record for money offered to a player drafted, sources tell ESPN.
Condon, who was selected with the third pick in Sunday’s draft, matches the bonus that No. 2 pick Chase Burns received from Cincinnati on Thursday. No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana agreed to an $8.95 million bonus with Cleveland this week, according to sources.
The 21-year-old Condon, who played third base at the University of Georgia but is expected to be an outfielder with the Rockies, has hit 37 home runs this year, the most since the NCAA began mandating BBCOR bats in 2011.
With his tremendous power and excellent batting decisions, Condon has a .433/.566/1.009 batting average and has scored 78 runs with 57 runs and 41 strikeouts this season. ESPN’s Kelly McDaniel ranks Condon as the No. 1 prospect on his 2024 draft picks list.
The bonuses given to Condon and Burns — both represented by Finer Sports — exceed the $9.2 million Pittsburgh gave to Paul Skinis, the 2023 first-round pick who started the National League All-Star Game this week.
In Condon, the Rockies have secured the kind of player who doesn’t need the support that Coors Field will provide. And while the Rockies’ greatest strength may be their young outfielders—including center fielder Brenton Doyle and left tackles Nolan Jones, Jordan Beck and Zach Finn—the opportunity for a game-changing player like Condon was too tempting to pass up.
After being drafted out of high school, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Condon immediately sparked interest at Georgia in 2023 after redshirting his freshman season. He was the unanimous national first-year player of the year and followed that up with an even better season in 2024, winning the Golden Spikes Award as the best player in college baseball. Because Condon was 21 on draft day, he was eligible to be drafted as a sophomore.
Between Condon, Iowa right fielder Brodie Brecht, Texas right fielder Jared Thomas and South Carolina right fielder Cole Messina, the Rockies’ draft has been well-received across the industry and should greatly enhance the farm system of a team that is 34-63, a half-game ahead of Miami as the worst team in the National League.
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