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Denver, CO

Rockies draft Georgia slugger Charlie Condon with the third pick

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Rockies draft Georgia slugger Charlie Condon with the third pick


The Rockies said they would pick the best player available in the Major League Baseball draft with the third overall pick.

As it turned out, they just might have landed the very best player in the draft when they selected Charlie Condon, a third baseman/outfielder out of Georgia.

“He’s the kind of guy who has the chance to change the face of the organization,” Danny Montgomery, assistant GM of scouting, said. “(With his) power and the ability to do things defensively, and a little bit of versatility, we were all extremely happy.

“We would have been happy with any of the other four guys we had (targeted), but this guy is really special.”

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Condon, 21, began his baseball journey as a tall, skinny kid from Marietta, Georgia, who began his college career as a walk-on and became the highest-drafted baseball player in Bulldogs history.

“It’s been a lot of hard work by myself and hard work by the people around me,” Condon told MLB Network Sunday night. “The thing that I have learned along the way is to trust your own process and be comfortable in your own skin.”

With the first overall pick, Cleveland took Travis Bazzana, a second baseman from Oregon State. In something of a surprise move, Cincinnati picked Chase Burns, a right-handed pitcher from Wake Forest, with the No. 2 pick. A lot of draft analysts predicted that Colorado would draft Burns.

There were other power hitters available with the third overall pick, including Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone, who was drafted by Kansas City with the sixth pick, and Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz, who was picked by Oakland at No. 4. The Rockies were tempted to take both players, but Condon’s polished skills, power, versatility and personality won them over.

“There were some very, very good hitters at the top of this draft,” said Marc Gustafson, Colorado’s senior director of scouting operations. “We broke down all of the attributes they had, so it was tough. It was almost like 1A and 1B, and we went back and forth and debated it.

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“But at the end of the day, our history, our scouts’ eyes, the multiple looks we had from a lot of different personnel, we just felt like Charlie Condon was the pick for the Rockies.”

Added Montgomery: “With Caglianone, this was a tough call. This went all the way up until an hour before the draft, and I’m telling you the truth. We banged this back and forth and had private meetings with (GM) Billy (Schmidt).

“In the end, somebody has to finish second and we just felt like (Condon) was our guy.”

Condon dominated college baseball in 2024. 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 at all levels.

He hit 37 home runs, the most by a collegiate player in the last quarter-century and also posted the highest OPS (1.565) in the talent-rich Southeast Conference. He batted .433, walked 57 times and struck out 41.

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In the competitive balance portion of the draft, Colorado selected Brody Brecht, a right-handed pitcher from Iowa, with the 38th overall pick. With the 42nd pick, it took Texas outfielder Jared Thomas.

Condon has raw power, with an exit velocity consistently topping 100 mph. With his lanky 6-foot-6-inch frame, he’s drawn comparisons to current Rockies first baseman Kris Bryant, who won a National League MVP with the Cubs in 2016, and current Philadelphia All-Star Alec Bohm. Although Condon has the arm to play third base, he could end up as a corner outfielder.

“I’ve told everybody and told you guys a lot that it’s underrated how good of an athlete he is,” Georgia coach Wes Johnson told reporters recently. “You look at it now, he’s played first, he’s played third, he’s played all three outfield spots now at a high level.”

Condon told MLB Network: “What I want to do is continue to develop my defensive versatility.”

Before Condon received a late walk-on offer to attend Georgia, he planned to play football and baseball at Division III Sewanee University in Tennessee. At the time, Condon was 6-foot-5 and weighed just 196 pounds. He now weighs 216 pounds.

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Condon is the first position player the Rockies have selected in the first round since 2021 when the team took outfielder Benny Montgomery out of Redland High School (Pa.). The Rockies took right-hander Gabriel Hughes out of Gonzaga in 2022 and right-hander Chase Dollander out of Tennessee last season. Condon is the 13th position player all-time to be selected in the first round by the Rockies.

Brecht, at 6-foot-4, can throw a 100 mph fastball and has a biting slider. He struck out 128 batters in 78 1/3 innings but also walked 49. A two-sport athlete for the Hawkeyes, Brecht caught nine passes as a redshirt freshman wide receiver in 2022 before giving up football.

Thomas, from Waxahachie, Texas, is a left-handed batter. He hit .336 with 76 RBIs during his two years at Texas. In 2023, he was the Longhorns’ leadoff hitter and mashed 16 homers and was 18 for 18 on stolen base attempts. His .349 batting average led Texas and ranked eighth in the Big 12.

 

Georgia first baseman and outfielder Charlie Condon (24) during Georgia’s game against UNCW during the second round of the NCAA Athens Regional Tournament at Foley Field in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, June 1, 2024. (Kari Hodges/UGAAA)

 

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Denver, CO

Denver visits Eaglestaff and North Dakota

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Denver visits Eaglestaff and North Dakota


Denver Pioneers (8-18, 2-9 Summit League) at North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (9-17, 3-8 Summit League)

Grand Forks, North Dakota; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fightin’ Hawks -8.5; over/under is 152.5

BOTTOM LINE: North Dakota takes on Denver after Treysen Eaglestaff scored 24 points in North Dakota’s 80-69 loss to the UMKC Kangaroos.

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The Fightin’ Hawks are 6-5 on their home court. North Dakota ranks second in the Summit League in rebounding with 34.7 rebounds. Amar Kuljuhovic paces the Fightin’ Hawks with 6.8 boards.

The Pioneers are 2-9 in conference games. Denver is 2-12 against opponents with a winning record.

North Dakota averages 77.5 points per game, 1.9 fewer points than the 79.4 Denver gives up. Denver averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 fewer made shots on average than the 8.9 per game North Dakota gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Eaglestaff averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Fightin’ Hawks, scoring 18.3 points while shooting 34.1% from beyond the arc. Mier Panoam is shooting 52.0% and averaging 16.7 points over the past 10 games.

DeAndre Craig is scoring 13.5 points per game and averaging 3.7 rebounds for the Pioneers. Sebastian Akins is averaging 11.2 points and 1.7 rebounds over the last 10 games.

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LAST 10 GAMES: Fightin’ Hawks: 3-7, averaging 80.4 points, 31.1 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.6 points per game.

Pioneers: 2-8, averaging 69.1 points, 26.7 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 5.5 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.8 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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Denver, CO

Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets: Game preview, prediction, time, TV channel

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Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets: Game preview, prediction, time, TV channel


The Portland Trail Blazers, when healthy, don’t match up well with the Denver Nuggets.

On Monday, the Blazers lost 146-117 at Denver while playing without Robert Williams III and Jerami Grant. Both are questionable for Wednesday night’s rematch.

Scoot Henderson (ankle) and Deandre Ayton (calf) are out.

Should all four miss the game, the Blazers would have virtually zero chance to win.

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Denver destroyed the Blazers in virtually every statistical category on Monday. Losing Ayton and Henderson dramatically impacts the team’s ability to score in the paint, where the Nuggets held an 88-46 advantage in the first game.

The Blazers’ best shot to win would be to get hot from three-point range. Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe have the ability to do so, but it’s unlikely all three will get going enough on the same night to give Denver much trouble.

Prediction: The Nuggets could take the Blazers lightly, resulting in a relatively close game, if they put forth a better overall effort than they did on Monday.

But it would be reasonable for the Blazers to be cautious and not play Grant or Williams, with this being the final game before the All-Star break.

If just one sits out, along with Henderson and Ayton, the Blazers will absolutely leave Denver with another loss.

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• • •

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS AT DENVER NUGGETS

What: Trail Blazers (23-31) at Nuggets (35-19), 6 p.m., Wednesday.

Where: Ball Arena, Denver.

Radio: Rip City Radio (KPOJ 620 AM).

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TV channel: KATU (Antenna: 2.2 in Portland. Xfinity: 302 and 1170. DirecTV: 688-1. KUNP (Antenna: 47.1. Xfinity: 16, 302, 1170. DirecTV: 47. Spectrum: 184).

How to Watch: Rip City TV Network. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch this game live for FREE with the help of an HDTV antenna on your local ABC affiliate (Charge 2.2 in Portland). These antennas are very easy to install and cost around $20. You can purchase one at your local Bi-Mart or Fred Meyer, or buy one online at Walmart or from Amazon and have it shipped quickly to your home. Here are some instructions on how to set up an HDTV antenna on your television or other display. You can find out more about which channel Rip City TV Network is on in your area by using the channel finder here.

• • •

ODDS (Oregon Lottery/DraftKings)

Moneyline: POR +295 | DEN -375

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Spread: POR +8.5 | Over/Under: 233

INJURIES

Blazers: Robert Williams III (right knee soreness), Jerami Grant (right knee soreness) and Kris Murray (left quad contusion) are questionable. Deandre Ayton (left calf strain), Scoot Henderson (right ankle sprain) and Matisse Thybulle (right ankle sprain) are out.

Nuggets: Jamal Murray (left knee inflammation) and Aaron Gordon (right calf injury management) are probable. Michael Porter Jr. (left hamstring tightness) is questionable. Russell Westbrook (left hamstring strain), Peyton Watson (right knee sprain). Vlatko Cancar and (left knee surgery), DaRon Holmes (right Achilles tendon repair) are out.

NEXT UP

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All-Star break. The Blazers host the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m. Feb. 20.

— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)





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Denver, CO

Broncos Reacts Survey: Should Denver try to trade for Deebo Samuel?

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Broncos Reacts Survey: Should Denver try to trade for Deebo Samuel?


The San Francisco 49ers have decided to put wide receiver Deebo Samuel on the trade block. He joined Los Angeles Rams standout Cooper Kupp as two veteran wide receivers now on the market. For the Denver Broncos, I think of the two only Samuel could make sense and that’s where our SB Nation Reacts survey is going this week.

Denver is among teams listed as best destinations for Deebo. With Courtland Sutton turning 30 this year, Deebo Samuel isn’t that far behind having just turned 29. Sutton is also entering the final year of his contract. Deebo could be a short-term rental that could enhance the weapons available to Bo Nix next season.

The only question is compensation. Here’s the hypothetical: if the compensation lands in a range that you think is in the value range, should the Broncos pull the trigger on a trade? Vote below and I’ll share the results later this week!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Denver Broncos fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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