Charlie Condon, Rockies’ first-round pick, gets first taste of Coors Field

Charlie Condon hit 37 homers and batted .433 his junior season at Georgia, so of course he was excited to take batting practice at Coors Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Alas, a pending thunderstorm meant that the tarp was down. No BP. No infield practice alongside major leaguers. No racing across the ballpark’s huge outfield.

“It would have been cool to get to hit out there and see it fly,” the 21-year-old corner infielder/corner outfielder said.

Still, the Rockies’ first-round choice in this summer’s draft (third overall) was able to soak up his first visit at Coors. And he did get to hit in the indoor batting cage.

“It was so cool to put it on and wear Rockies across my chest and kind of take a tour around the facility,” he said. “It’s an incredible ballpark. It’s my first time here and to get to see it in person was really fun.”

There are great expectations on Condon’s broad shoulders, especially after he signed a record-tying $9.25 million bonus. But the 6-foot-6, 220-pound, finely-tuned athlete appears capable of handling the load.

“You can tell this guy has a really good head on his shoulders and I really liked the initial impression,” said manager Bud Black, who met Condon in person for the first time on Monday. “I saw him working in the cage … and it’s a really good swing.”

Condon, considered the best hitter in college baseball by many, struggled in his first bit of limited action in pro baseball. In 25 games for High-A Spokane, he hit .180 with a .518 OPS. He hit one homer, one triple and four doubles while driving in 11 runs. He struck out 34 times, a 31.2% clip. But, keep in mind that he was competing with players who, on average, were 1 1/2 years older than him.

However, when Spokane beat Vancouver, 3-2, on Saturday night to win the Northwest League title, Condon hit 2 for 3 with an RBI.

“To get to help them close out the championship doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.

As for his own performance, Condon admitted that it didn’t match his expectations.

“It wasn’t what I wanted it to be, by any means,” he said. “But at the same time, I learned a lot. The biggest thing for me this year was learning the adjustments that I need to make. I know that professional baseball is a big step up from college baseball.

“There is a lot to be learned from failure and I think that’s a big part of this game, being able to take the positives out of things that didn’t go so well and move on from there.”

When asked what lesson he had learned, Condon said getting used to playing so many days in a week is a challenge.

“You have to have a routine that helps you fix your errors, whether it be mechanical or your approach,” Condon said. “Having a routine that you can fall back on every day is the biggest thing.”

Condon said his body feels as good as when the college season started. Next up is the instructional league in Arizona. The league started Monday and Condon will begin playing on Wednesday and continue through Oct. 5.

McMahons donate $1 million to Children’s Hospital

Third baseman Ryan McMahon and his wife, Natalie, announced a $1 million donation grant to Children’s Hospital of Colorado. The grant will assist families with expenses related to their child’s treatments at the hospital.

“My wife and I sat down and thought about it for a long time,” McMahon said. “We knew wanted to do something with kids. Just seeing the work that Children’s does and the programs they have set in place, made it feel like the right choice.

“We’re excited to join their team over there. The (staff) is in the battles for those kids every single day, so to be a part of that feels pretty good.”