With the MLB draft only about two months away, many names are being considered for the first overall pick. In the 2023 draft, it was much simpler with LSU pitcher Paul Skenes being an easy choice. However, in 2024, several names are making noise and their case for the top spot, none more so than University of Georgia first/third baseman Charlie Condon.
After redshirting his freshman year at Georgia, Condon had one of the best freshman seasons in school history in his second year. He had a .386 batting average with 25 homers (an SEC freshman record) and 67 RBIs. He received numerous awards for these numbers, including National Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-American, and National Freshman Hitter of the Year. He played mostly first base and outfield that season, having a respectable .992 fielding percentage.
Photo Cred: Georgia Bulldogs
He started to become well-known by the middle of this freshman year, thanks to his 37-game on-base streak, which included hits in 24 consecutive games. He also had multiple multi-homer games, including a three-home run game against then-second-ranked Florida. He won the team’s triple crown in 2023, leading in average, home runs, and RBIs, and was expected to have an even better season in 2024. However, no one could have anticipated the level of performance Charlie Condon is currently achieving.
In his now historic 2024 season, Condon is hitting .452 through 53 games, leading Division I. He has a .567 on-base percentage, 75 RBIs (tied for ninth in D1), and has struck out only 39 times. The stat that has caught everyone’s attention, besides the batting average, is his home run total. On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Condon stepped into the batter’s box for his second at-bat of the game. After already smoking a double in the first inning, he launched the first pitch he saw from South Carolina’s Ty Good into left field. This was his 34th homer of the season, setting a new NCAA BBCOR era record, making him the first person in the 21st century to reach this mark.
Photo Cred: NCAA.com
This home run also extended his home run streak to eight games, just one shy of the record set by Florida’s two-way star Jac Caglianone earlier this year. Caglianone also held the previous record for home runs in a season in the BBCOR era, hitting 33 in 2023.
BBCOR (Bat-ball coefficient of restitution) refers to composite metal bats, which the NCAA implemented in 2011 following a 2009 investigation into bat efficiency over extended use. Condon uses a Marucci Cat X, making him one of the few home run leaders with this bat.
Photo Cred: X.com
Condon’s record now includes 35 home runs and ranks him first all-time in the BBCOR era. He will have one last regular season series, the SEC tournament, and the NCAA tournament to continue moving further up the history books. He is now tied for sixth place on the NCAA single-season home run leaders along with Mike Willes, who also hit 35 home runs during his 1988 season at BYU. Home run number 35 came in Saturday’s (May 18th) 19-11 loss against Florida.
This historic season of his also comes at the doorstep of the MLB draft. Taking place from July 14-16, all the draft boards at the start of the season had either West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt or Caglianone going first. However, as of now, Condon and Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana are both making cases as to why they should be the top pick.
Photo Cred: MLB.com
