Why Is Charlie Condon Struggling In His Pro Debut?

Rockies top prospect Charlie Condon is still very early into his pro career. The sample size is still far too small to make any meaningful declarations as the No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft settles in. Yet those monitoring Condon’s debut are likely surprised by his struggles, especially his 30% strikeout rate.

So what’s going wrong for the top draft prospect in the 2024 class? Today, Carlos Collazo dives into Condon’s early data — buttressed by some recent video — to dissect Condon’s early performance, his swing and whether there are any larger concerns moving forward.

CONDON JOINED THE HOT SHEET SHOW EARLIER THIS MONTH

BREAKOUT PITCHING PROSPECTS

10 Unlikely Breakout Pitching Prospects Who Emerged In 2024

Pitching breakouts come from the damnedest of places and rarely from the players we expect.

We often fall in love with the loud spring performer, or the high-upside prep who signed for overslot money later in the draft. But instead, breakouts often come from older pitchers who have figured something out. It could be a new pitch, added velocity, a new plan of attack or even a change in pitch usage.

The unpredictable nature of baseball and player development makes following the game, and more specifically prospects, a fun guessing game. Among the 10 pitchers discussed today, few people outside of their own families would have pegged them for potential future stardom. Yet they are all among the best minor league performers in 2024.

Below, Geoff Pontes identifies 10 of this year’s biggest breakout pitching prospects, which includes strong developments for the Rangers and Nationals, as well as plenty of prospect video.

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SEPTEMBER CALLUPS

One Callup From Every Team We’d Love To See In September

Sept. 1 isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still a significant day for MLB rosters. On Sunday, teams can expand from their current 26-player MLB rosters to 28 players for the remainder of the regular season. Teams can only have 14 pitchers among those 28 players, so the callups largely end up being one position player and one pitcher.

Until the current CBA, teams were allowed to expand up to 40 players on the MLB roster for September, which meant waves of minor leaguers arriving to serve as defensive replacements, pinch hitters, pinch runners, extra bullpen arms and spot starters. Now, it’s a much more modest expansion.

Whether it’s because of that or just the different desires of teams, many logical Sept. 1 callup candidates have already gotten the call to the majors. Dylan Crews, Niko Kavadas, Rece Hinds, Bryan Ramos, Jacob Lopez and Tyler Gentry have all been called up this week. Rhett Lowder is expected to make his Reds debut on Friday, too. 

Here’s our look at one player for each organization we’d love to see get a call to the majors when rosters expand.

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HERE’S WHAT’S TRENDING AT BASEBALL AMERICA….

• With early debuts from Skenes & others, the 2023 draft class is already setting records

• Carlos Collazo picks a summer showcase all-star team among top prep draft prospects

• Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo dish on the most exciting high school draft prospects in the upcoming class

• The Prospect Wire is loaded with fresh intel

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