This week marked the final week in the 2024 regular season for Advanced A-ball. As such, it was my last chance to catch a couple of high-profile prospects in Everett. With the Indians in town, that gave me a chance to see the 2024 third-overall pick, Charlie Condon. Also in the mix were Colt Emerson, Cole Carrigg, and Michael Arroyo. The AquaSox got out to an early 3-0 lead by the top of the fifth inning, but Spokane stormed back. A foul-tip non-call plated a run in what turned into a three-run inning for the Indians. From there, they never looked back. Spokane scored again in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings en route to an 8-4 victory over Everett.

Notable prospects playing for the Indians included Charlie Condon (Rockies no. 1), Cole Carrigg (Rockies no. 7), Dyan Jorge (Rockies no. 15), and Kyle Karros (Rockies no. 18). LHP Welinton Herrera also made an appearance. He’s unranked but was featured in our underrated National League prospects earlier this month.

For the AquaSox, top prospects in this one included Colt Emerson (Mariners no. 1), Lazaro Montes (Mariners no. 3), Michael Arroyo (Mariners no. 12), and Jared Sundstrom (Mariners no. 30). It was a prospect-heavy matchup with plenty of takeaways to be found.

OF Charlie Condon (Rockies no. 1): 0/4, BB

It’s been far from smooth sailing for this year’s third-overall pick. None of that changed in the season’s final week, or in the game I attended on Wednesday. Condon failed to make any real hard contact on the night. Even the contact he made was stock full of pop-ups and weak foul balls. At one point, he entered the game with the bases loaded and one out. It was a key, clutch situation that saw Condon ground into an inning ending double play. Condon was visually frustrated most of the night, and it’s clear that he’s beginning to press a bit too much at the plate. An offseason will do him well. After the double-play groundout, Condon slammed his helmet to the dirt just past first base. Following a pop out to the catcher in another at-bat, Condon stood at the plate for an extra moment in clear frustration.

Much of Condon’s struggles at the plate looked to stem from a lack of confidence. On numerous occasions early, Condon would check his swing on hittable pitches. It seemed as if he was having a hard time with pitch recognition. More often, he’s simply swinging for elevation too much. Condon’s swing path could be straighter to the baseball. Instead, on his groundouts, Condon would swing upward and ahead of the pitch. It’s a poor swing plane that simply isn’t working right now. An offseason adjustment and some time off would suit the Rockies’ top prospect well. The talent is still clear for next season and beyond.