Charlie Condon didn’t just have a big day at Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday. He put together the kind of performance that forces everyone to look twice.
The 23-year-old went 4-for-5 in a 10-6 win over Tacoma, and the line only gets more ridiculous from there: two grand slams, a double, and a franchise-record nine RBIs. For Albuquerque, he was the difference. For the Rockies, he was another loud reminder of why his name keeps coming up.
Condon’s first grand slam traveled 428 feet and came off the bat at 106.8 mph. The second one went 383 feet and snapped a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning. By the end of the night, he had turned in the biggest game of his professional career.
And this wasn’t some one-off hot streak carrying a light résumé. Condon has now played 120 games for Albuquerque and is hitting .275/.390/.519 with a .909 OPS.
He has piled up 25 home runs, 23 doubles, seven triples, 90 RBI and 99 runs scored. That’s the kind of production that keeps a prospect firmly on the radar.
The Rockies picked Condon No. 4 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, betting on the offensive upside that made him such a high-end talent in the first place. After injuries slowed him in 2024, he needed a strong season in 2026. He has delivered one.
His summer wasn’t spotless - he did cool off some - but even through the dips, he stayed above a .900 OPS. That matters. It shows the production hasn’t vanished just because the calendar got longer.
For Colorado, the bigger question is how much more Condon needs to prove in the minors. There’s no reason to rush him into the majors for a few weeks in what’s already a lost campaign. What he has done at Triple-A is enough to earn a real shot at a major-league job next season.
Whether he gets a look before then is anyone’s guess. But Sunday made one thing obvious: Charlie Condon is still pushing, and his arrival feels close.
In Other News...
Rockies Get An Encouraging Rotation Update Fans Needed
A pair of familiar arms took a positive step Wednesday, as Jose Quintana and Kyle Freeland each made rehab appearances for Double-A Hartford and combined for five scoreless innings in a 4-0 win. Quintana, working back from a left elbow sprain, handled two innings, while Freeland, who has been sidelined by cervical radiculopathy, worked three hitless frames, giving the Rockies a needed reminder that rotation help is inching closer.
Freeland is expected to get back to the major league mound before Quintana, and both pitchers sounded upbeat about where they stand physically and where they want their careers to go from here. Quintana said he is aiming to keep pitching in 2027, while Freeland said he is keeping an open mind about what comes after the 2026 season, but for now the encouraging part is simpler for Colorado: two veterans are getting through their work and trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies Fans Have Seen This Award Snub Story Before
The National League Rookie of the Year conversation has gotten crowded fast, with Sal Stewart putting up the kind of offensive production that jumps off the page, JJ Weatherholt earning attention for his defense and all-around value, and TJ Rumfield doing a lot of the quieter work that tends to matter more over time than in a headline. Rumfields on-base skill and disciplined approach have been part of the case for him, even if the broader media buzz has not always followed along.
For Rockies fans, there is a familiar edge to that kind of race. Ballpark factors can complicate the way rookies are judged, and voter bias can tilt the discussion toward the flashiest numbers or the loudest markets. Rumfields profile has already become a test of whether evaluators are willing to look beyond the obvious names, which makes this one worth watching even before the votes get cast. [Read more 🡒]
Rockies May Have Found A Bullpen Piece Worth Watching Closely
Mark Manfredi has given the Rockies at least one encouraging look in a bullpen that is always searching for answers. Acquired in the trade involving Antonio Senzatela, he has already made a small but notable impression in the majors, working to a 1.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 11.3 innings. His pitch mix is simple enough to track, with a fastball and slider doing most of the work, and opposing hitters have had a tough time doing much with either one.
The stuff has played well enough to make him a name worth following closely, but the next step is where the real test begins. Manfredis chase rate and walk rate point to the kind of command refinements that separate a promising reliever from a dependable one, and the Rockies will be watching to see whether his strikeout ability can keep carrying him when hitters stop offering at pitches out of the zone. [Read more 🡒]
