Guardians Must Select This Player With No. 1 Pick in MLB Draft

Cleveland is in a fun position for the MLB Draft. 

The Guardians have a firm grasp on first place in the AL Central and also have their pick of the litter in a stacked MLB Draft beginning July 17. 

That might make it seem like they can’t go wrong with whoever they pick, but they would be remiss if they passed over Charlie Condon. 

Cleveland Shouldn’t Draft Based on Positional Need

Some MLB mock drafts have Cleveland drafting West Virginia's J.J. Wetherholt, some have them taking Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana and Florida’s Jac Caglianone has been linked to them for some time.

But Condon is the correct selection. 

One mistake some teams make is drafting based on positional need, but unless it’s for a lack of pitching depth, that’s shortsighted.

Nearly any team has the flexibility to fit a generational bat into their lineup, and you never know how positional needs can change with a free-agent signing, a trade, or a minor leaguer making unexpected growth.

It’s completely understandable to want a middle infielder like Wehterholt or Bazzana. The Guardians have Andres Gimenez and Brayan Rocchio at second and shortstop, respectively, which leaves a lot of room for improvement. 

But they also have openings in the outfield (Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan/Daniel Schneemann) and DH (David Fry). 

Charlie Condon is the Clear Choice for Guardians in MLB Draft

Let’s start with the obvious about Condon, a Georgia slugger who can play first base, third base and any outfield position. 

He’s coming off a campaign in which he hit the most home runs in a season (37) in the BBCOR era (since 2011). 

Not only did he hit 37 home runs, but he also batted .433 with a .556 on-base percentage (!!). He had 100 hits, 84 runs, and 78 RBI in just 60 games in the SEC – the best conference in college baseball. 

The MLB scale of grading prospects goes from 20-80, with any grade over 50 being above average and grades of 70-80 in the elite range.

Condon’s tools rank as: 60-grade hitting, 70-grade power, 40-grade running, 55-grade arm, and 50-grade fielding. 

No hitter in the draft has a better-combined grade of hitting and power than Condon. 

And despite how well the Guardians have been hitting this season, you can’t bank on that continuing forever. Jose Ramirez turns 32 years old in September, and Condon could be the next JRam type of player to keep this franchise humming for years to come. 

A big downside to drafting Condon is that his allotted bonus will handcuff how the rest of the draft goes for them, but you don’t get many chances to draft No. 1 overall, and he’s worth it.

More Cleveland Guardians Team News: