Rockies Mailbag: What does future hold for Charlie Condon, Drew Romo, Sean Bouchard?

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.

Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag.

Charlie Condon is obviously not close to making the big club, but how’s he doing in minor league camp? Is he beginning to gain traction as a professional baseball player?

— John, Denver

John, great question. Condon, the third overall pick in last summer’s draft with sky-high expectations, had a terrible debut professional season. At the Rockies’ fanfest in January, general manager Bill Schmidt said there was a reason for that.

“The thing with Charlie last year … he had bruised his thumb and kinda didn’t tell us that he had bruised his thumb,” Schmidt said. “So he kinda played through it, which I think affected the performance.”

Condon hit just .180 with one home run, four doubles, 11 RBIs and a .518 OPS in 25 games at High-A Spokane. That was disappointing, considering he won the Golden Spikes Award at the University of Georgia last year, hitting .433 with 37 home runs, 20 doubles, 78 RBIs and a 1.565 OPS in 60 games.

It’s hard to judge where Condon is now. Minor league camp is just that, a camp. We won’t know much more about Condon until the season begins. I expect he will return to High-A Spokane to start 2025. I still believe he’s going to be an impactful major league player.

How far away is Drew Romo from being the starting everyday catcher?

— Cooper, Calgary, Alberta

Cooper, Romo is at least another season away. That’s one of the reasons why the Rockies re-signed veteran Jacob Stallings. Romo does some things very well and he’s improved his blocking skills. He’s also more confident managing a game. Manager Bud Black said there has been “marked improvement” in Romo’s all-around game.

Romo played in 16 games in his debut 2024 season, hitting .176 (9 for 51) with a .208 on-base percentage. He got little playing time down the stretch because the Rockies wanted to see what Hunter Goodman could do. Romo hasn’t hit for power while Goodman has, so I think Goodman will make the 26-man roster and Romo will begin in Triple-A Albuquerque. I wrote about Goodman early in spring training.

Romo is only 23 and he was drafted straight out of high school, so he faced a steep learning curve. Catching is one of the most challenging positions in team sports and it will take more time for him to become a primary catcher.

Drew Romo’s return throws to the mound are a joke! Why is this allowed to continue? His “rainbow” return throws allowed at least one runner to steal third from second last year. Think the opposition didn’t notice? More to come…

— Tom Peck, Erie

Tom, Romo’s throws back to the mound are unsightly but the Rockies don’t seem overly concerned, as I wrote late last summer. He has no issues when he comes up firing from behind the plate. He’s still trying to overcome “the yips” when he makes throws back to the pitcher.

Manager Bud Black said recently that Romo is not lobbing the ball back as softly as last season.

But I agree that the opposition will look to take advantage of Romo’s push throws to the mound. He needs to clean it up.

What is Sean Bouchard’s future on the team? He took a step back last season, but he’s (shown) a lot of good stuff but isn’t talked about much.

— Spencer, Golden

Spencer, injuries have been the main topic regarding Bouchard over the last two seasons. That’s a shame because he’s shown glimpses of being a solid, steady outfielder when healthy.

Bouchard, 28, is having a solid spring and I would not rule him out for a spot on the 26-man roster. Entering Tuesday, Bouchard was hitting .444 (7 for 18), with one homer, two doubles, one triple, three RBIs, four strikeouts and no walks. Cactus League statistics can be misleading, but Bouchard has looked good.

Bouchard debuted in 2022 with a big splash, hitting .297 with a .954 OPS and three homers in 28 games. But he had surgery for torn left biceps in spring 2023. Last season, Bouchard suffered an oblique injury and began the year at Triple-A Albuquerque. He played in just 31 big-league games and hit .187 with one homer. He had postseason surgery for a fractured hamate in his right hand.

Bouchard is a strong, dark horse candidate to make the roster.

Greetings Patrick, thanks for great stories throughout the fall and winter. With power hitting and pitching at the top of the pyramid of success for the Rockies, which dynamic are they closest to being competitive in? The Rox won’t lose another 100 games, as a few of these top picks will filter through, as Carnac the Magnificent told me. Cheers on another baseball season!

— Robert Emmerling, Limon

Robert, thanks for your kind words and for continuing to read my coverage.

First of all, the Rockies will not lose 100 games again. I’m sure of that. My spring training prediction is a 72-90 record. The Post’s sports editor Matt Schubert predicts 75 wins for the Rockies. That’s no reason to do a victory dance but it’s a step in the right direction.

As to the crux of your question, I believe the Rockies’ pitching will be markedly improved this season. I’m still not sold on the offense because the high strikeout rate remains problematic.

Is it too early to worry that Nolan Jones might not return to his 2023 form?

— Jason, Visalia, Calif.

No, it’s not too early to worry. That’s why I wrote my recent Sunday feature: “Can Nolan Jones be the comeback kid? The Rockies are counting on it.” The Rockies are hopeful that Jones will rebound but they are far from certain that he will.

Jones’ spring training started rough. He was hitless in 13 at-bats with two walks and four strikeouts. Entering Tuesday’s game, Jones was hitting .056 (1 for 18) with one RBI, two walks and five strikeouts, but the Rockies tell me that Jones’ swing has looked very good lately. The left fielder hit 2 for 3 Tuesday afternoon to raise his average to .143.

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