Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon set for final week of career

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies’ roster was in the locker room Tuesday with a familiar name leading the group: Charlie Blackmon.

The veteran outfielder has batted at or near the top of the order in Colorado for years and will do so as he wraps up his All-Star career in the final week of the season. Blackmon announced Monday that he would retire after Sunday’s game after 14 seasons, all with the Rockies — a tenure surpassed only by franchise icon and Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton.

Blackmon spoke to reporters at Coors Field with his family, most of his current teammates and a former teammate, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, in attendance.

“I feel like I’ve never really worked in my life, but I work really hard,” said Blackmon, with daughter Josie, 3, and son Wyatt, 1, on her lap. “So it’s going to be a lot different on the other side. But at the same time, I think it’s the right decision. The game is played at such a high level that it really demands a certain amount of time, physical ability, health and strength.”

Blackmon, 38, was clean-shaven when he made his major league debut on June 7, 2011. He split time between the minor leagues and Colorado before sticking with the Rockies in 2014, and began growing out a bushy beard. It was the start of a six-season stretch in which he hit .306 with 163 homers and 472 RBIs.

He won the National League batting title in 2017 with a .331 average, drove in a career-high 101 runs from the leadoff spot and helped Colorado reach the playoffs in 2017 and 2018.

“To me, he’s the best leadoff hitter I’ve ever had the chance to play with,” said Arenado, who played with Blackmon for seven seasons in Colorado before being traded to the Cardinals in 2021. “And one of the smartest players I’ve ever had the chance to play with, too.”

Blackmon will retire as the franchise leader in triples (he had 67 heading into Tuesday’s game) and second to Helton in hits, doubles, total bases and games played. Blackmon had an injury-plagued 2023 and wasn’t sure if he’d continue, but a strong finish to the season convinced him to play in 2024.

“I expected it last year if things didn’t go my way,” he said. “I broke my hand and was able to come back and play well. It was kind of a blessing, like the game was taken away from me for a little while and I realized I wasn’t done. I still wanted to play.”

“I knew coming back this year was the right decision. I went into this season with my eyes wide open, knowing that it could very well be my last. I knew before spring training started that this would likely be my last season.”

Blackmon, who has appeared in the last six games with a .249 batting average, 11 home runs and 48 RBIs, said he wants to be involved with the organization in the future.

“I’ve already had conversations with some very important people who are going to allow me to be a part of the group,” Blackmon said. “I still want to be a part of the Colorado Rockies family, but I’m not sure exactly how yet.”

He hasn’t made a decision about his beard.

“My wife Ashley has never seen me without it, so I’m a little worried about how it’s going to be received,” he said. “There’s going to come a day when I have to show my naked face.”

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