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Charlie Condon (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With just five days left in the regular season, it is reasonable to say that the race for national player of the year has been narrowed down to just five players. Of those five, four play in the SEC: Georgia’s Charlie Condon, Florida’s Jac Caglianone, Texas A&M’s Braden Montgomery, and Arkansas’ Hagen Smith. The lone non-SEC player? Oregon State star second baseman Travis Bazzana. All five candidates have valid arguments as to why they should take home national player of the year honors, though one seems to be separating himself from the pack with each passing game.
Georgia slugger Charlie Condon is currently in the midst of an historic season. His nation-leading 34 home runs are the most in a single season since the turn of the century, but he also leads the country with a .454 batting average. At 6-foot-6, Condon’s operation in the box is uniquely compact and explosive for someone of his stature. He does a nice job of keeping his long levers in sync, and consistently pulverizes the baseball to all fields. Condon boasts double-plus power, but he also has an advanced feel for the barrel. With two-thirds of the triple crown all but locked up, it is hard to imagine Condon not taking home the award at this point.
Speaking of historic seasons, Travis Bazzana this year has broken a plethora of long-standing Oregon State program records. The Australia native is in the midst of a career season in which he is hitting .424/.589/.972 with a career-high 60 RBIs and a video game–like strikeout-to-walk ratio of 66-to-28. His 26 long balls are a new Oregon State single-season record, but perhaps most impressively his 239 career hits are a new program record. Bazzana is a high-level athlete who boasts an explosive operation in the box with elite bat speed that he pairs with an equally impressive feel for the barrel.
His pitch recognition skills and swing decisions are outstanding, and he seemingly punishes anything that is thrown within the vicinity of the strike zone. While it might be hard for Bazzana—or anyone—to overtake Condon at this point, the potential No. 1 overall pick has had one of the best careers in Oregon State history.
Jac Caglianone is arguably the most recognizable name in college baseball. The 6-foot-6 Adonis has had another fantastic season on both sides of the baseball, but particularly at…