Trevor Condon didn’t need long to start feeding the hype machine.
The Cardinals’ first-round pick, taken 13th overall in this year’s MLB Draft, has already found himself in the middle of a familiar conversation: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs star and possible National League Most Valuable Player has been the comparison point since the draft, and after Condon’s latest blast in a Cardinals affiliate uniform, it got even louder.
On Saturday in bridge league action, Condon turned on a pitch and launched a huge home run. He held the pose for a beat, admired it, then broke out an emphatic bat flip before jogging around the bases. The clip did the rounds quickly, and it’s easy to see why people keep making the connection.
The swing. The energy.
The swagger. That’s the part that jumps off the screen.
Of course, Condon hasn’t even played in a single official minor league game yet, so nobody should get carried away and start putting him in Crow-Armstrong’s lane just because of one viral swing. But the appeal is obvious. If Condon keeps driving the ball, flashing top-end speed, defending center field at a high level and bringing that kind of presence every night, the PCA comparisons are going to keep coming.
That’s part of what made him such a strong first-round fit for St. Louis in the first place.
The Cardinals used the pick on a high school center fielder with a chance to become a true difference-maker at a premium position. MLB Pipeline graded Condon as a 55 prospect in this class, pointing to 70-grade speed, 60-grade hit and fielding tools, plus an above-average arm and average power.
There’s also a belief that more power could come as he develops physically, and if that happens, his ceiling gets even more interesting.
The Cardinals also like what they’ve seen away from the field. Condon has been praised for his work ethic, and he’s been open about his goal of becoming a Hall of Fame player. He carries himself with the kind of confidence that can make a fan base fall in love fast and make opponents roll their eyes even faster.
He’s now part of a Cardinals farm system that already includes position player talent like Rainiel Rodriguez and Joshua Baez, along with fellow draftee Rocco Maniscalco and other prospects such as Leonardo Bernal, Jesus Baez, Sebastian Dos Santos, Emmanuel Luna, and Yario Padilla. Add in the organization’s pitching depth, and there’s a lot for St. Louis to be excited about.
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