Charlie

Blackmon

Perfect way to end it. Blackmon singled in the fourth, got a big hug, and left in his final MLB game. Blackmon ends his 2024 season with a slash of .256/.329/.412, and while he won’t be heading to Cooperstown, he will deservedly be called one of the great Rockies; helping the team the postseason and being named an All-Star four times.

Blackmon will get a start in center in his final game. The 38-year-old will likely come off the field at some point, and will get a massive ovation as one of the longest tenured — and best — Rockies to play in their short history. Brenton Doyle is not in the lineup with Blackmon getting the nod.

Blackmon hit his 12th homer of the year, and his 226th —and possibly final — homer of his MLB career. The outfielder has already announced that the 2024 season will be his last, and while he definitely slowed down from his elite fantasy seasons, those who have rostered Blackmon in the past should look back on his career with fondness.

Although it’s nowhere in the announcement, we assume it’s effective at the end of the season and not immediately with six home games to go. The 38-year-old Blackmon ended up spending his entire career with the Rockies after being drafted in the second round in 2008. His best year came in 2017, when he led the NL with a .331 average, 137 runs scored, 387 total bases and 13 triples in finishing with a 1.000 OPS and placing fifth in the MVP balloting. He made four All-Star teams in his 14 seasons.

Blackmon also homered Friday and barely missed out on a second one in that game, so he seems to be feeling it right now. With the Rockies at home all week, starting Tuesday, he makes sense as a late addition in mixed leagues. We never like to assume with the Rockies, but it should be the final Coors Field homestand of his career, and it seems unlikely that he’ll spend much time on the bench during it.

Blackmon bested Charlie Morton in the battle of Charlies with two early hits and cut Atlanta’s lead to two runs. Yet, that was the extent of the Rockies’ anemic offense outside of Coors Field. They wouldn’t record a hit after the fifth inning of this game and drifted quietly into the night. Similarly, Blackmon has an .871 OPS in Coors Field this season but that drops down to .560 on the road.

It hasn’t been a great season for the 38-year-old, who is hitting .249/.323/.391 with nine home runs and 41 RBI; however, the Rockies will spend this entire week at home and not face a single left-handed starting pitcher, so perhaps Blackmon can produce for fantasy teams in deeper formats this week.

This will be the third straight left-handed starter the Rockies have faced so left-handed hitters McMahon, Charlie Blackmon, and Jake Cave are all getting the day off. McMahon usually doesn’t sit against lefties, but he has been ice cold since June 1st, so the Rockies are more inclined to give him a day off. Aaron Schunk will start at third base and hit ninth while rookie Jordan Beck plays center field in Blackmon’s place and Sam Hilliard starts in right field over Cave.

Blackmon is batting .238/.314/.286 during the second half, and he’s gone 12 straight games without an extra-base hit. We’d worry about him losing some playing time with Jordan Beck up and Nolan Jones set to be activated soon, but these are the Rockies... he’ll likely remain a fixture against righties.

Blackmon is back at designated hitter and leading off on Tuesday night at Coors Field following a two-game absence due to a left eye bruise that he suffered last Friday when he was hit in the face by an errant throw from Padres infielder Xander Bogaerts.