SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — During a recent spring training workout at Salt River Field, several Rockies players milled around the cage, waiting to take their cuts during live batting practice.
Charlie Blackmon was in a different place. The iconic outfielder-turned-designated-hitter was near third base, measuring his steps, practicing, testing himself.
“I was getting reads off the bat,” Blackmon explained. “I wasn’t very good early in my career doing that, so I’ve been practicing that during BP for a long time. It doesn’t take any time, so I figure I might as well be doing that instead of just standing around. I try to make the most of my time.”
It’s that attitude, attention to detail and work ethic that have made Blackmon one of the most beloved teammates in Rockies history.
“He’s already on the Mount Rushmore of Rockies along with Larry (Walker) and Todd (Helton),” third baseman Ryan McMahon said. “That’s a distinction he’s earned and one he deserves.”
Blackmon, who turns 38 on July 1, is entering his 14th major-league season. He’s played in 1,500 games. When the Rockies line up against the Diamondbacks on March 28 at Chase Field, he will be making his 11th career opening-day start. The only player who has more in a Rockies uniform is Helton, the newly-minted Hall of Famer, who did it 16 times.
Blackmon signed a one-year, $13 million contract at the end of last season. I wasn’t surprised that the Rockies re-signed Blackmon. The young, rebuilding team needs his leadership. I was shocked that they gave him $13 million.
I was thinking that Blackmon would get somewhere around $7 million. By comparison, the Pirates gave franchise icon Andrew McCutchen a one-year, $5 million deal to return for another season. True, McCutcheon partially tore his left Achilles tendon last fall, lessening his value, but he’s every bit the icon that Blackmon is. McCutchen, the 2013 National League MVP, got his 2,000th hit last June and was sitting one homer shy of 300 when he pulled up while running out a double against Milwaukee on Sept. 4.
Still, my quibble with how owner Dick Monfort chooses to spend his money doesn’t diminish Blackmon’s legacy with the Rockies.
For the record, even if Blackmon was tempted to explore playoff pastures with another team, he always planned on returning to Colorado.
“That was Plan A, for sure,” he said Saturday morning.
What are his goals for 2024?
“I’m just looking to have a great time this year and win as many games as possible,” he said. “I feel really good.”
When I asked him if this season would be his last hurrah, Blackmon made it clear that he was not ready to discuss that subject. But, clearly, he believes he can still play at a high level. He wouldn’t have come back if he had any doubts.
Blackmon will primarily be a designated hitter but he wants to play in right field as often as he can, or at least as often as manager Bud Black will line him up there.
“We’ve got to manage his workload,” Black said. “We want him to be productive for the full year and feel good physically.”
Blackmon missed 52 games last season with a fractured right hand after he was hit by a pitch in June. He returned on Aug. 14 and resembled the Chuck Nazty of old. In 40 games after the fracture, he hit .297 with three home runs, posted a .386 on-base percentage and drove in 14 runs. From Aug. 14-Sept. 9, he put together a 22-game on-base streak that was the fourth-longest of his career. He slashed .333/.448/.487 during the streak.
The back of Blackmon’s baseball card is impressive. He ranks second in franchise history only to Helton in hits (1,690), doubles (310) and total bases (2,771). He’s the franchise leader in triples, with 63. His 41 career leadoff home runs are the 10th-most in major league history.
Blackmon’s influence in the Rockies’ clubhouse goes way beyond the numbers. Without prompting, young players such as Sean Bouchard, Nolan Jones, Brenton Doyle and Michael Toglia talk about Blackmon’s influence and his presence. Blackmon is not a raw-raw guy but he is a leader.
“Charlie’s just a great teammate and one of the hardest, if not the hardest workers, I’ve seen,” Black said. “He’s good on the team in so many ways — primarily on the field with what he does performance-wise, but who he is as a person, leader, mentor.”
Blackmon loves talking hitting and the mechanics of the game. He’s generous with words about his teammates. Talking about himself is not something he enjoys.
But he does understand his role as the Rockies’ elder statesman. And he takes pride in it.
“If you are setting out to structure a team, you want your older guys to be good character guys who set the standard for the team,” he said. “That’s not why I do all the things I do to prepare, but that gives you the best chance of having a good culture.
“I’m not in everybody’s face and I don’t lead big group talks. But at the same time, my day-to-day preparation is something that people look at and take notice of. That’s a good thing.”
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