Coggin doesn't believe Condon will take long to make The Show
Wherever Charlie Condon lands in Day One of Sunday’s Major League Baseball Draft, Georgia hitting coach Will Coggin does not think it will take him long to get there.
“It would not surprise me if he made it up there in a year or less,” Coggin said in a telephone interview with UGASports. “He’s only going to keep getting better. Not only does he work hard, but he works smart, so he’s only going to get better, too.”
Condon is expected to make history when his name is called Sunday night when the draft's first round gets underway at 5 p.m.
Most predictions have the Bulldogs’ home run champion to go in the first two picks, either to Cleveland at No. 1 or Cincinnati at No. 2.
Former Georgia great Jeff Pyburn was picked No. 5 by San Diego in 1980, with Derek Lilliquist (1987) and Emerson Hancock (2020) going No. 6 to Atlanta and Seattle, respectively. Gordon Beckham went No. 8 overall to the Chicago White Sox in 2008.
Coggin said Condon’s adjustment to the pro game should be seamless.
“I think the sky is the limit for him,” Coggin said. “Just from the adjustment standpoint, it will be keeping his body in great shape, being able to play every single day, instead of 56 you go to playing 150-something, so the day-to-day grind of that. Other than that, Charlie is about to put on some more weight as he begins to get older. He’s just going to hit the ball further and further.”
Coggin expects his former pupil to weigh between 225 and 234 in the pros.
Coggin also believes Condon is as prepared for the spotlight as any big leaguer he’s ever coached, a list that includes Oakland outfielder Brent Rooker and Texas first baseman Nate Lowe.
“I would say he’s as prepared as any player I’ve ever coached. To have as much media around him, social media, attention, as much hype … I’ve never been around a player who has had more hype throughout his season and handled it better than what he did,” Coggin said. “That load might be tougher for other people to handle, and obviously he was our best player, we went as he went. I just thought he handled it as well as it could possibly be handled. It was a team-first mentality, it was selflessness, and it was truly remarkable to watch the way he carried himself day to day. He could have been as arrogant as he wanted to be, but it was all about Georgia.”
Whichever team takes Condon will be getting a player capable of playing several spots on the field.
At Georgia, Condon started at all three positions in the outfield, third base and first.
“I’ve coached a first baseman (Lowe) who’s won a Gold Glove and he’s just as good if not better than him at his age,” Coggin said. "He’s a really good defender at first. I think he could be a good defender in left and right. It just depends on where the organization wants him.”
As the days wind down before the start of next week’s three-day draft, Condon is taking a break from media requests, of which there have been many.
It’s understandable why he’d want to catch his breath.
After sweeping every major award there was to win in college baseball after hitting .433 with 37 homers and 78 RBI, the Marietta native has been in high demand.
The level Condon played at the entire season is something Coggin will not soon forget.
“At the level that Charlie played at, it’s incredibly challenging. You try to get them hot and keep them hot,” Coggin said. “A lot of it is just paying attention to the video. Every single day you’re going to have a chance to hit batting practice or a game, so just continuing to keep an eye out for and keep something from happening, rather than reacting to it when something goes wrong.”
