NEW YORK — Charlie Condon, a walk-on at Georgia who became national player of the year, and Travis Bazzana, a former cricket player who left Australia for Oregon State, could be the top two picks in baseball’s amateur draft on Sunday night. Cleveland has the top choice for the first time after winning the draft lottery in December and Cincinnati selects second. “The general consensus is that it’s probably close to an average draft year,” Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager of amateur scouting Brian Barber said.
“I don’t think it’s a secret, you’re going to see the top half of the draft dominated by college position players.” Condon, a 6-foot-6 third baseman and outfielder, led the NCAA this year with a .433 average and 37 homers.
The 21-year-old homered in eight straight games from April 26 to May 9, one shy of the NCAA record, and won the Golden Spikes Award. Bazzana, a 21-year-old second baseman, batted .407 with 28 homers and 66 RBIs.
While most draft picks spend years in the minors, there are exceptions. Third baseman Nolan Schanuel made his major league debut last Aug. 18, 40 days after the Los Angeles Angels drafted him 11th overall, and Texas outfielder Wyatt Langford was on this year’s opening-day roster.
Top pick Paul Skenes made his debut for Pittsburgh on May 11 and is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA in 11 starts. He is set to start Tuesday night’s All-Star Game with the fewest big league appearances for an All-Star.
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