Wes Johnsonof Georgia is lucky enough to coach one of the best baseball prospects in America right now in Bulldogs’ slugger, Charlie Condon. He’s projected by many to be the top overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft because of his unbelievable power at the plate. The Golden Spikes Award finalist has led the nation in home runs for much of the season. And he’s set records in the process, shattering the mark for the most home runs in a single season (34) of any player in the BBCOR era.
While at LSU, Johnson was also lucky enough to coach one of the most gifted prospects in all of baseball in their former superstar pitcher, Paul Skenes. Recently, Bulldogs head coach Wes Johnson had the tough task of comparing Condon to another baseball phenom, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
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“Well you know, obviously, I’ve had some great players. Whether I was with the twins or the guys that I’ve been around in college. It’s more mental. You know, the physical stuff. Some of it they’re just blessed with, but then they continue to develop their talent. But it is mental when two guys are similar, the great ones that I’ve been around. They just have a different mind. They want to challenge themself daily. And when they do that, if they don’t get the result they always want, they understand that you know, they’re gonna get better because of the challenge, how hard it was,” Johnson explained.
More on Charlie Condon and his remarkable 2024 season
To the surprise of nobody in College Baseball, Georgia superstar Charlie Condon was named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday. One of three players still in the running, Condon is joined by Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana and Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith as he hopes to become the first Bulldog to win the award given annually to the nation’s top amateur player.
“It’s a huge honor to be a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award,” said Condon on Wednesday. “It might be an individual award, but there’s a lot of people that have supported me and allowed me to be the best version of myself. Without the guys behind me, and the guys in the locker room and what we have going on here, I’m nothing special. I owe a lot of credit to them, and they are going to continue to be the heartbeat of this team, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Condon becomes the fifth player in school history to be named a finalist, joining pitcher Cris Carpenter (1987), pitcher/designated hitter Derek Lilliquist (1987), pitcher Dave Fleming (1990) and shortstop Gordon Beckham (2008). Condon was a semifinalist for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award (won by LSU’s Dylan Crews) when he was the consensus National Freshman of the Year and capped his first year playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer.
Condon and Georgia will face No. 10 NC State in Game 1 of their Super Regional. That series will begin on Saturday, June 8th, with the game beginning at noon EST.
On3’s Palmer Thombs also contributed to this article.
The post Wes Johnson pressed to compare Charlie Condon, Paul Skenes appeared first on On3.