If all you saw from Charlie Condon this season was the past month, you’d be hard pressed trying to figure out exactly when the Colorado Rockies prized power-hitting prospect is still wearing an Albuquerque Isotopes jersey.
Entering Saturday night’s game against Sugar Land, Condon was riding a 10-game heater that included hitting .316 with a .422 slugging percentage and a monstrous .895 slugging percent with two triples, six home runs, 16 RBIs while also drawing six walks in the stretch.
He’s not just getting on base at a rate the Rockies like to see, but he’s consistently getting the power numbers.
Among Pacific Coast League leaders, Condon entered the weekend tied for third in homers (14) and runs scored (56), fifth in walks (45) and tied for sixth in extra-base hits (30).
And yet, he’s still in Albuquerque.
“For me, it’s just about playing my best baseball wherever I’m at,” Condon said. “Even if that were to happen for me (his first Major League call up), that scenario would never change. You can’t really play this game looking to be in different places. You kind of just got to handle your business with wherever you’re at. … Sure, it’s tougher as you get closer, but same approach all the way through.”
Entering the season as the organization’s No. 2 rated prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, Condon played well enough is Spring Training, by all accounts, to make the Opening Day Rockies lineup, at least at the plate.
But the plan was some more reps in the corner outfield spots (he’s been a first baseman primarily in his career) would benefit his ability to not be a bouncer — going up and down from MLB to Triple-A once he final does make his debut with the Rockies.
“He knows, because we shared it with him in Spring Training, that when we bring him, it’s going to be with the idea that he’s really ready — his foundation is solid,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said Friday, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. “It’s that he’s ready not to just survive at this level.”
Condon didn’t exactly kill it at the plate over his first couple months of the season, at least not in terms of his power hitting, which quite frankly is what his primary MLB trait is. But that doesn’t mean the first couple months weren’t without progress.
“I know the home runs weren’t there, the power numbers weren’t there,” said Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez. “But he had a real good approach early on, getting on base and taking his walks. Then he got into a little slump, but then lately he’s worked his butt off with (hitting coach Matt) Snyder trying to get back to that to that form, and I think the power numbers are showing.”
Condon said his recent success has been as much technical as mental.
“It was a little bit of both,” he said. “There were some things in the swing that were that were keeping me from being on time consistently and really being able to create the loft and ball flight trajectory that you need to slug successfully. … (and) finding the pregame recipe and the feels that I need to feel that are best for me.”
Now, the only thing keeping Condon from the MLB roster seems to be that, despite their dismal record, the Rockies actually aren’t in much need of rushing up a first baseman or corner outfielder only to sit the bench every other day when he could be getting regular at bats and time in the outfield for the Isotopes.
“Patience is the number one ingredient when you’re a baseball player, and he’s done that,” Lopez said. “He’s the one guy that you don’t have to tell him, ‘Hey, go out there and shag (balls during batting practice). Take your ground balls.’ He does all that every day, and I think at times you’ve got to slow him down.”
So, for now, Albuquerque fans get to enjoy the hot bat of one of baseball’s top prospects a little longer in an Isotopes uniform.
We’re going streaking!
The Isotopes entered the weekend with two active franchise-record streaks at the plate — at least one of which was extended on Saturday night.
2B Chad Stevens’ first inning single to left field on Saturday night extended his Triple-A on-base streak to 44 games with the Isotopes (that’s every game he’s played for the Isotopes this season, a franchise record) and 54-consecutive Triple-A games overall as the streak included the final 10 games he played last season in Salt Lake.
The streak has been broken up several times, not by games without reaching base, but by call ups, both with the Los Angeles Angels last season and he’s appeared in 16 games with the Colorado Rockies this season.
The Isotopes’ other active franchise record streak entering Saturday’s game was SS Ryan Ritter’s 31-game hit streak — a franchise record and tied with former Albuquerque Dukes star Pedro Guerrero in 1979 for the all-time Albuquerque professional baseball record.
Ritter, who was 0-for-3 in his first three plate appearances on Saturday night, has been up and down with the Rockies twice and on his current trip back to Albuquerque, he was injured and spent two months on the Injured List.
Meanwhile, OF Zac Veen, who worked a children’s skills camp Saturday morning, had a regular day off, but has been on a tear lately as well.
Including his 2-for-5 showing in Friday night’s win that included a two-run first inning homer, Veen is riding a 21-game hit streak of his own that includes a slash line of .432/.446/.864 with seven homers over those 21 tames.
Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
