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Taking a look at 2 recent 2024 MLB Mock Drafts for the Rockies

For the rebuilding Rockies, one of the few bright spots during the year is the MLB Draft. After the MLB Draft lottery, we take a look at a couple of recent mock drafts.

By Tanner Vogt |
San Diego Padres v Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres v Colorado Rockies / Doug Pensinger/GettyImages
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In the midst of a full-blown rebuild, the most exciting time of the year for Rockies fans is when the MLB Draft comes around. In the second year of the MLB Draft lottery system, the Athletics (who had the worst record in baseball) ended up popping up with the fourth overall pick. For the Rockies (who had the second worst record in baseball) ,this meant that they now had best odds to end up with the number one overall pick. Unfortunately, they ended up with the third overall pick, getting passed by the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.

The Rockies will still be in a really good spot come draft time. The Rockies are in desperate need of some high-end pitching, as evidenced by their top two picks in 2023: Chase Dollander and Sean Sullivan, and this draft is pretty weak at the top in that department

With the Rockies obviously needing pitching, and the draft (at least, as of December 2023) lacking the obvious top-end talent of previous drafts, the Rockies will have to be creative this year. The Rockies should take the approach of best player available, because at the third overall pick, you want to get talent in any way you can. For a team bereft of elite and high upside prospects, the Rockies would be wise to take this approach. It's now worth examining two recent, and different, mock drafts to see who they have the Rockies selecting.

Bleacher Report - OF Charlie Condon, Georgia

Bleacher Report released its most recent mock draft shortly after the draft order was announced, and they had the Rockies selecting a big-time bat out of Georgia, Charlie Condon. They list him as an outfielder, and his profile on Georgia's website lists him as an OF/1B. He is probably athletic enough to play a corner outfield spot, but he is most likely going to end up as a first baseman.

With Condon likely to end up at first base, you are relying completely on the bat, and it is a very good one. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Condon lit up the SEC (one of the strongest conferences in baseball), slashing .386/.484/.800 with 25 home runs (seventh in all of Division 1 baseball). Condon was rewarded by Baseball America as a First Team Freshman All-American, as well as a Baseball America Second Team All-American. It was all capped off with him earning the SEC Freshman of the Year award.

A big college slugger with a corner profile defensively fits the mold the Rockies have targeted time and again early in the draft.
Joel Reuter via Bleacher Report

Condon will have just turned 21 by the time the draft rolls around, and is one of the best bats in the draft, which features some pretty good college lumber (metal?) this year. Condon has plenty of upside -- literally, standing at 6'6" and 211 pounds. He has plus raw power and he profiles as a true slugger that could be a force playing in Colorado for a long time. If the Rockies were to draft Condon, he would most likely slot in anywhere from two to five in the team's prospect ranks.

Future Stars Series - RHP Chase Burns, Wake Forest

For the next Mock Draft, we will take a look at Joe Doyle over at Future Star Series and his latest mock draft. In his most updated version, he has the Rockies taking a right-handed pitcher out of Wake Forest, Chase Burns. The Rockies have acknowledged that they need pitching help, and the best way to do that is via the draft. In 2023, they took Chase Dollander and Sean Sullivan in the first two rounds. They took Gabriel Hughes with their first pick in 2022 as well.

Burns is similar to recent Rockies pick Chase Dollander, in that both are well-built right-handers that will sit in the upper 90s, touching 100 regularly, with plus sliders. Both also have similar control issues. Burns has the potential to be a legit front of the rotation starter, though there is some reliever risk due to the command issues.

Burns has no-doubt top-of-the-rotation upside if he can continue to polish up his command out of the stretch and show he can work long innings. A fastball up to 100 mph and a slider that routinely sits 90 mph is top shelf stuff.
Joe Doyle via Future Star Series

Burns would immediately become the 1A/1B for top pitching prospect in the system with Dollander, most likely slotting in the three to five range. The Burns pick would be one that could pay huge dividends for a team that has struggled to develop and keep its pitching recently (and, understandably, struggles to recruit elite free agent starters to the high altitude. The Rockies pitching starts to look pretty solid if you factor in Chase Burns, Chase Dollander, Sean Sullivan, the return of Gabriel Hughes, and Carson Palmquist (who should move up a lot of prospect rankings).

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