Charlie Blackmon is looking it a profession. The four-time All-Star introduced this night (on X) that he’s retiring on the finish of the season.
“As a child you play the sport since you find it irresistible, like nothing else issues,” Blackmon wrote. “I nonetheless play the sport that means, however I don’t really feel like a child anymore. My perspective has modified. I’ve been blessed to name town of Denver and The Colorado Rockies my baseball house for everything of my profession. I’m grateful for the help of this group, my teammates, and most of all Rockies followers. It’s with a grateful coronary heart and a profession’s value of reminiscences that I select a brand new path.” Blackmon went on to thank his household as a part of an extended assertion.
Blackmon spent components of 14 seasons within the majors and performed 17 years professionally. That whole run got here with the Rockies. Colorado drafted the lefty-hitting outfielder out of Georgia Tech within the second spherical in 2008. Blackmon reached the large leagues three years later and broke out among the many greatest outfielders within the Nationwide League in the course of the last decade.
Colorado traded Dexter Fowler to Houston over the 2013-14 offseason. That paved the best way for Blackmon, who’d been a part-time participant over the earlier couple years, to take over in middle subject. Then-manager Walt Weiss penciled him into the Opening Day lineup in ’14. That kicked off a stretch of 11 straight years (together with this season) by which Blackmon was a part of Colorado’s season-opening lineup.
Blackmon ran with the chance, hitting .288 with 27 doubles and 19 house runs to earn his first All-Star nod. He had comparable numbers the next yr earlier than actually rising as an offensive drive in 2016. Blackmon hit .324/.381/.552 with 29 longballs to earn his first of consecutive Silver Slugger awards. He returned to the All-Star Recreation amidst a profession yr the next season.
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 house 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. They’d return to the postseason the next yr, with Blackmon once more taking part in a central function. 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 have been swept by the Brewers within the Division Sequence (by which Blackmon went 1-12).
Early in that 2018 season, Blackmon and the Rockies agreed to a $94MM extension. The deal paid him $21MM yearly in 2019-21 and got here with participant choices overlaying the 2022 and ’23 campaigns. That locked Blackmon up by way of his 30s and kind of ensured he’d spend his whole profession in Denver.
Blackmon had yet one more wonderful season, connecting on 32 homers whereas hitting .314 to earn one other All-Star nod. But the crew dropped to 71-91 in 2019. They went 26-34 through the shortened schedule whereas Nolan Arenado’s relationship with the entrance workplace deteriorated. Colorado traded Arenado the next winter and have basically been mired in a rebuild ever since — despite the fact that 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 subject on the finish of the 2018 season. Blackmon has spent extra time at designated hitter than in proper subject 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 $13MM deal for what’ll be his closing season. Blackmon has unlocked one other $1.5MM in incentives and will safe $500K extra if he logs 25 plate appearances over the past week.
The 38-year-old introduced his retirement with a profession .292/.352/.479 slash to his identify. He has performed in additional than 1600 video games and tallied over 6800 plate appearances. Blackmon is three hits shy of 1800 and has 991 runs scored, 797 pushed in, and 226 house runs. Each Baseball Reference and FanGraphs credited him with roughly 20 wins above alternative. It’s truthful to marvel if that’s artificially pushed down considerably by his house park, 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 probably the greatest 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 house runs and would tie longtime teammate Carlos González 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 house sequence. They’ll host the Cardinals for 3 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 superb run and desires him the perfect in retirement.
Picture courtesy of USA Immediately Sports activities.
