Four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon will retire at the end of the season after spending his entire career with the Colorado Rockies.
The outfielder, known for his bushy beard, shared his decision on Monday. The Rockies will honor Blackmon during their final homestand this week and hold a tribute for him before the last game of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Blackmon played 14 seasons with the Rockies and is the franchise leader in triples with 67. He ranks second in games played with 1,618, runs scored with 991, hits with 1,797, doubles with 333, extra-base hits with 626, and total bases with 2,942. In 2017, he won the NL batting title with a .331 average.
In an Instagram post, Blackmon wrote: “As a kid you play the game because you love it, like nothing else matters. I still play the game that way, but I don’t feel like a kid anymore. My perspective has changed. I have been blessed to call the city of Denver and the Colorado Rockies my baseball home for the entirety of my career.
I am grateful for the support of this organization, my teammates, and most of all Rockies fans. It is with a thankful heart and a career’s worth of memories that I choose a new path.”
The Rockies drafted Blackmon in the second round of the 2008 draft from Georgia Tech. He made his major league debut on June 7, 2011, against San Diego.
The 38-year-old Blackmon has a .292 batting average, with 226 home runs and 148 stolen bases as he approaches his final games. He is also a two-time Silver Slugger.
“When Charlie told me of his plans to retire I got a little emotional, as I’m sure many fans will when they see the news that one of the greatest Rockies of all-time will no longer take the field,” Rockies owner Dick Monfort said in a statement.
