Instant Reaction, Grade for Cardinals' 1st-Round Pick Trevor Condon

St. Louis goes high school bat...

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With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Trevor Condon, an outfielder from Etowah H.S. in the state of Georgia.

Was that the right move? What will Condon's future in the St. Louis organization hold? And what did the pick say about the direction of the Cardinals in terms of player development and future trajectiory?

Glad you asked, because we're here to get into all of that. And it starts with a classic letter grade...

Grade for Cardinals' Trevor Condon pick: A-minus

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There's nothing at all to complain about here, as Condon could well have been the most talented player on the board at the time of the Cardinals' selection. But that also doesn't mean we have all positive things to say about the pick, so let's dive into the specifics.

Condon was MLB.com's No. 13 prospect overall in this year's class, so his selection fell right where some of the experts thought it should. The site gave him a 70 grade for his speed, so it will be interesting to see whether that grade lasts well into his twenties.

"He has a motor that rivals PCA."

Mark DeRosa breaks down the @Cardinals' first round pick, Trevor Condon.

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With high school position players, there's always a ton of uncertainty about how the bat will adjust to high levels of velocity and movement at the upper levels of the minor leagues. We can look at things like swing path and anecdotal chase rate, but the reality is we don't know whether Condon will get to the minors and thrive, or struggle to handle the pitching.

But you draft athletes first, and Condon has every chance to become a Gold Glove, high-motor center fielder in the big leagues. Two-time All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong is never a bad name to be compared to, even if he plays for the Cardinals' arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

Condon's 5-foot-11, 178-pound frame isn't prototypical size, but it's playable at a bare minimum. A lot of the best center fielders these days are shorter and/or slimmer in stature, whether it's Crow-Armstrong, Andy Pages, or Ceddanne Rafaela.

Bottom line: We love the pick, but it's going to be a good few years before we find out whether that instinct was right.