Throughout his age-30 marketing campaign, Blackmon raked at a .331/.399/.601 clip whereas main the majors with 725 plate appearances. He drilled 37 residence runs, 35 doubles and an MLB-best 14 triples. Blackmon gained the NL batting title whereas main the majors with 213 hits and 137 runs scored. That’s unbelievable manufacturing even at Coors Subject and deservedly earned him his second straight Silver Slugger award. Blackmon completed fifth in NL MVP balloting and helped the Rox to their first playoff berth in eight years.
Colorado was bounced by the Diamondbacks within the NL wild-card recreation. It might return to the postseason the next 12 months with Blackmon once more taking part in a central position. He hit .291/.358/.502 with 29 homers and an NL-leading 119 runs. The Rox knocked off the Cubs within the wild-card contest that point round, although they had been swept by the Brewers within the division sequence (during which Blackmon went 1-for-12).
Early in that 2018 season, Blackmon and the Rockies agreed to a $94M extension. The deal paid him $21M yearly from 2019-21 and got here with participant choices overlaying the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. That locked Blackmon up by means of his 30s and kind of ensured he’d spend his total profession in Denver.
Blackmon had yet another glorious season, connecting on 32 homers whereas hitting .314 to earn one other All-Star nod. But the workforce dropped to 71-91 in 2019. The Rockies went 26-34 through the shortened schedule whereas Nolan Arenado’s relationship with the entrance workplace deteriorated. Colorado traded Arenado the next winter and has primarily been mired in a rebuild ever since — though the entrance workplace has been reluctant to acknowledge it as such.
That has coincided with Blackmon’s decline as he’s gotten into his mid-30s. He continued to hit for stable averages till this season and remained one of many more durable gamers in MLB to strike out. Blackmon hasn’t hit for a similar form of energy he did throughout his 2016-19 peak, although, and he needed to transfer off middle area on the finish of the 2018 season. Blackmon has spent extra time at designated hitter than in proper area for the previous three years.
Regardless of the drop in manufacturing, Blackmon’s standing throughout the group hasn’t wavered. The Rockies re-signed him final September on a $13M deal for what’ll be his last season. Blackmon has unlocked one other $1.5M in incentives and will safe $500K extra if he logs 25 plate appearances during the last week.
The 38-year-old introduced his retirement with a profession .292/.352/.479 slash to his identify. He has performed in additional than 1,600 video games and tallied over 6,800 plate appearances. Blackmon is three hits shy of 1,800 and has 991 runs scored, 797 pushed in and 226 residence runs. Each Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs credited him with roughly 20 wins above substitute. It’s truthful to surprise if that’s artificially pushed down considerably by his residence park, although, as Blackmon by no means graded properly by public defensive metrics with a lot floor to cowl in MLB’s largest outfield.
Blackmon has six extra video games so as to add to these totals. Regardless of the exact numbers, he’ll stroll away as top-of-the-line gamers in franchise historical past. He’s second behind Corridor of Famer Todd Helton in hits, runs scored and plate appearances with the Rockies. Blackmon is sixth in Colorado historical past in residence runs and would tie longtime teammate Carlos Gonzalez for fifth if he connects on one this week. He’s seventh amongst place gamers in franchise historical past by measure of Baseball-Reference WAR.
The Rockies end the season with a pair of residence sequence. They’ll host the Cardinals for 3 video games earlier than wrapping issues with a weekend set towards the Dodgers. That’ll afford the Colorado fanbase a chance for a correct farewell. MLBTR congratulates Blackmon on a wonderful run and needs him the most effective in retirement.
