| Charlie Blackmon | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Blackmon with the Colorado Rockies in 2021 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1986-07-01)July 1, 1986 (age 39) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 7, 2011, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2024, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .293 |
| Home runs | 227 |
| Runs batted in | 801 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Charles Cobb Blackmon (born July 1, 1986), nicknamed "Chuck Nazty", is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder who spent his entire 14-yearMajor League Baseball (MLB) career with theColorado Rockies. He made his MLB debut in 2011. Blackmon throws and bats left-handed, stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), and weighs 220.4 pounds (100.0 kg).
A native ofDallas, Texas, Blackmon attended theGeorgia Institute of Technology and playedcollege baseball for theYellow Jackets. The Rockies selected him in the second round of the2008 amateur draft. Blackmon is a four-timeMLB All-Star, a two-timeSilver Slugger Award winner, and the 2017National Leaguebatting champion.
Born inDallas,Texas, Blackmon is of partialEnglish ancestry. Raised inSuwanee, Georgia, Blackmon was an outstanding baseball player atNorth Gwinnett High School, as a left-handedpitcher and outfielder. Aside from baseball, Blackmon also competed inbasketball andfootball, and was named Academic Player of the Year three times.[1]
Blackmon enrolled atYoung Harris College and playedcollege baseball for the school as a pitcher for two years.[2] At Young Harris, Blackmon won 15 games and had 138 strikeouts in 127 innings for the school, and was drafted for the first time after his freshman season.[1] In 2005, he playedcollegiate summer baseball in theCape Cod Baseball League for theCotuit Kettleers.[3][4]
Blackmon received a scholarship toGeorgia Tech and transferred in the fall of 2006.[5] Blackmon had been recruited by Georgia Tech after his freshman season but returned to Young Harris for his sophomore season as he had promised the team he would play for two seasons. Blackmon continued to pitch until his fourth and final year at Georgia Tech, after redshirting due to elbowtendinitis. As a fourth-year junior outfielder for Georgia Tech, Blackmon hit .396, hit eight home runs, and stole 25 bases as the leadoff hitter.[6] Blackmon also excelled academically, receiving various honors including being named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.[7]
TheColorado Rockies selected Blackmon in the second round of the2008 Major League Baseball draft. Blackmon had previously been drafted in the 28th round in the2004 draft by theFlorida Marlins as apitcher and in the 20th round of the2005 draft by theBoston Red Sox, declining to sign both times.[7] He spent 2008 with theTri-City Dust Devils, hitting .338 in 68 games. In 2009, he was promoted to theModesto Nuts, and hit .307 with 30stolen bases in 133 games. In 2010, he played for theTulsa Drillers and started 2011 with theColorado Springs Sky Sox.[8]
The Colorado Rockies called Blackmon up to the majors for the first time on June 6,2011.[9] Blackmon recorded his first MLB hit on June 8 againstDustin Moseley of theSan Diego Padres with a one-out single to right field. He recorded his first MLB RBI on June 11 againstMatt Guerrier of theLos Angeles Dodgers, driving inSeth Smith with a single. Blackmon hit his first MLBhome run on July 1, his 25th birthday, as a pinch hitter againstJoakim Soria. He broke his left foot while baserunning on July 7[10] and missed the rest of the season. He finished 2011 with a .255 batting average in 27 games.[11]
Blackmon split the next two season between the Rockies and Triple-A. Combined in 2012 and 2013, Blackmon hit .301 with 8 home runs and 31 RBI in 124 games for the Rockies.[12] After the 2013 season, the Rockies tradedDexter Fowler to theHouston Astros, creating an opening for Blackmon to win the center field job in 2014.
Entering the2014 season, Blackmon competed for playing time in center field withBrandon Barnes,Corey Dickerson andDrew Stubbs.[13] In the Rockies' home opener on April 4, Blackmon notched six hits from the leadoff spot in a 12–2 win overArizona Diamondbacks. He homered, doubled three times, and tallied five RBI.[14][15] He joinedTy Cobb,Jimmie Foxx,Edgardo Alfonzo, andShawn Green as the only players in MLB history to have six hits, five RBI, and four extra-base hits in one game, a feat since matched byAnthony Rendon andShohei Ohtani.[16] Blackmon was named to the2014 MLB All-Star Game, the first selection of his career.[17] In his first full season in the majors, Blackmon finished with a .288 batting average, 28 stolen bases, and 19 home runs. In 2015, Blackmon stole a career-high 43 bases and hit .287.[12]
On April 14, 2016, the Rockies placed Blackmon on thedisabled list withturf toe.[18] He returned to the lineup two weeks later.[19] Blackmon was named the NL Player of the Week for the weeks of June 20 and August 15.[20] At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Blackmon won aSilver Slugger Award for the first time in his career. He batted aslash line of .324/.381/.552, which were all the career highs up to that point. This went along with 29 home runs and 82 runs batted in.[21]
Blackmon had a career year in 2017. For May 2017, Blackmon won his firstNL Player of the Month Award. He led the NL with 42 hits and 5 triples, was second with a .359 batting average, fourth with 24 in runs scored, tied for fifth with RBI, and tied for seventh with a 1.037on-base plus slugging (OPS).[22] He was the starting center fielder in the2017 MLB All-Star Game, batting leadoff.[23] Blackmon set an MLB record for the most RBI by a leadoff hitter when he homered versusHyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers on September 29 to reach 102 RBI, surpassingDarin Erstad's record set in 2000.[24][25]
In 159 games played during 2017, Blackmon hit .331/.399/.601, winning the NL batting title. All three slash line statistics were the highest in his career. He became the first player in history to lead the major leagues in hits (213), runs scored (137), triples (14), and total bases (383) in the same season.[26] He had the most total bases in a season sinceDerrek Lee in 2005. The Rockies finished the year with an 87–75 record, clinching an NL Wild Card spot.[27] Blackmon was fifth in 2017 NL MVP voting.[28]
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On April 4, 2018, Blackmon signed a six-year contract extension worth $108 million.[29] Batting .276 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs, he was named to the2018 MLB All-Star Game.[30] On September 30, hehit for the cycle against theWashington Nationals.[31] He finished the 2018 season hitting .291/.358/.502 and led the National League with 119 runs scored. He had a hit, a walk and a run in the Rockies'Wild Card Game win over theChicago Cubs, but hit only 1-for-12 as his team was swept by theMilwaukee Brewers in theNational League Division Series.[32]
In 2019, he batted .314/.364/.576 with 32 home runs and 112 runs scored. He was named to his fourthAll-Star Game. In the shortened 2020 season, Blackmon hit .405 in his first 28 games, but regressed towards the tail end of the season, finishing with a .303 batting average and 6 home runs in 59 games.[33] He led the Rockies with 42 RBI. In 2021, Blackmon batted .270/.351/.411 with 13 home runs and 78 RBIs. He led all National League outfielders with 14 assists.
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For the 2022 season, Blackmon played in 135 games for Colorado, hitting .264/.314/.419 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI. On September 28, the Rockies announced that Blackmon would undergoarthroscopic surgery to repair a tornmeniscus in his left knee, prematurely ending his season.[34] Following the season, Blackmon exercised an $18 million player option to remain with the Rockies in 2023.[35]
In 96 games for Colorado in 2023, he batted .279/.363/.440 with 8 home runs and 40 RBI. On September 29, 2023, Blackmon signed a one-year, $13 million extension with the Rockies.[36]
On September 23, 2024, Blackmon announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2024 season.[37][38] In 124 games for the Rockies in 2024, he slashed .256/.329/.412 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI. When he retired, Blackmonled the Rockies in career triples and hit by pitches and was second toTodd Helton in games played, runs scored, hits, doubles, extra base hits, total bases, and strikeouts. He also ranked second in stolen bases and caught stealing behindEric Young Sr.[39][40]
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In 1624 games over 14 seasons, Blackmon compiled a .293batting average (1805-for-6165) with 996runs, 334doubles, 68triples, 227home runs, 801runs batted in, 148stolen bases, 485walks, .353on-base percentage and .479slugging percentage. Defensively, he posted a .987fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[41]
On January 25, 2025, Blackmon was hired by theColorado Rockies to serve as a special assistant to general managerBill Schmidt.[42]
Blackmon is a Christian.[43] He was in a Bible study group with the Rockies.[44]
Blackmon and his wife, Ashley, were married in 2018.[45] They have two children, Josie and Wyatt.[46] Blackmon resided in theBelcaro neighborhood ofDenver during the season.[47]
Blackmon grew up as a fan of theAtlanta Braves.[5] Blackmon's father, Myron, was a track and field athlete atGeorgia Tech.[6] Blackmon graduated from Georgia Tech in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in finance.[48]
In 2016,Denver 7 reported that Blackmon, despite his Major League salary, drove the same2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee to spring training every day that he had as a high school senior.[49]
Blackmon used "Your Love" byThe Outfield as his walkup song, with Rockies fans regularly singing the word "tonight" in the chorus.[46]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month May 2017 June 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle September 30, 2018 | Succeeded by |
