Some men are accomplished athletes. Others are great leaders. Charlie Blackmon was both during his 14-year MLB run. His playing days may be over, but the longtime fan favorite is still looking to utilize this impactful combination in his second act. The Colorado Rockies are hiring him to serve as the special assistant to general manager Bill Schmidt, per MLB insider Robert Murray.
Blackmon retired at the end of last season after spending his entire career with the Rockies. The team only reached the playoffs twice during that span (2017-18) and failed to advance past the National League Division Series, but without Blackmon, the fan base would have endured uninterrupted despair for almost a decade and a half. It is only fitting that he is now tasked with helping the franchise crawl out of the basement and return to relevance.
Charlie Blackmon bleeds Rockies purple
The 2008 second-round draft selection stamped a distinguishable mark in Coors Field, accumulating a lifetime .293 batting average, 227 home runs, a .479 slugging percentage and .832 OPS. Blackmon is the team’s all-time leader in triples (68) and ranks second, behind only Hall of Famer Todd Helton, in hits (1,805), doubles (334), runs scored (996), total bases (2,956) and games played (1,624). No. 19 is embedded in Rockies baseball.
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Blackmon’s peak featured two Silver Slugger awards, a batting title, four All-Star Game selections and a top-five MVP finish in 2017. Beyond his impressive accolades, though, he brought invaluable wisdom and enthusiasm to the clubhouse. His wild beard, while highlighting his fun-loving demeanor, can unfairly obscure his intelligence at times. All of the 38-year-old’s best traits will ideally be on full display in the front office.
Colorado is counting on it. Bill Schmidt scouted Charlie Blackmon out of college and knows the wealth of baseball insight and experience he can bring to the special assistant position. There will always be inherent limitations facing this club– smaller payroll and a rough park for pitchers– but changing the organizational culture is an attainable goal.
Blackmon can once again provide the Rockies with the jolt they desperately need, even if it goes unseen this time. Following consecutive 100-loss seasons and six straight losing campaigns overall, change is long overdue. And this familiar, beloved figure might just be the man to implement it.
