Veteran Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon announced his retirement from baseball via social media on Monday night. He’ll play his final games in Denver this weekend, when the Rockies host the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 38-year-old said in a post on X and Instagram, “I don’t know what is on the other side of the fence, but I take solace in knowing one thing remains constant. Although names and faces will change, the game will continue to be played.”
— Charlie Blackmon (@Chuck_Nazty) September 23, 2024
Blackmon has spent all 14 years of his major-league career with the Rockies, for whom he’s played 1,618 games since debuting as a 24-year-old in 2011. A four-time All-Star, he has assembled an admirable career, batting .292/.352/.479 with 226 home runs and 797 RBIs. He has been worth 20.4 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.
Blackmon’s best season came in 2017, when he led the majors with 213 hits, including a majors-best 14 triples, and 137 runs scored. He also led the National League with a .331 average, the high-water mark for his career.
During his prime years, starting with his first full season in the majors in 2014 and ending with 2019, he batted .306, had a 120 OPS+ and hit 163 home runs.
Blackmon, a Georgia Tech product drafted by the Rockies in the second round in 2008, is one of the most prolific players to put on a Colorado uniform. On franchise leaderboards, he is second to Hall of Famer Todd Helton in hits (1,797) and he ranks fourth in RBIs and sixth in home runs. He also holds the Rockies record for triples with 67.
Blackmon last played more than 135 games in a season in 2021, when he played in 150. Slowed by a hand fracture in 2023, he played just 96 games. A hamstring strain sidelined him in June this season, though he spent minimal time on the injured list.
After going 0-for-3 with two walks on Sunday, he was batting .249/.320/.398 with a 93 OPS+ across 118 games in 2024.
(Photo of Charlie Blackmon: John Fisher / Getty Images)
