Colorado Rockies news and links for Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Late yesterday, the news became official: Charlie Blackmon announced his retirement.
Evan Lang wrote a terrific overview of Blackmon’s career yesterday, and our coverage on Purple Row will continue throughout the week. But I was interested in speculating on what this may mean for the Colorado Rockies going forward.
An unused #19 uniform will create some challenges as well as some opportunities.
Who assumes Blackmon’s leadership role?
This year, the Rockies have taken seriously the charge to “let the kids play.” This is a much younger team than the Rockies have fielded in recent years. But in the midst of all that, players have repeatedly referred to the importance of Blackmon’s clubhouse leadership.
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
Now, though, someone else must assume that role.
Certainly, Kris Bryant is a veteran player, but his heyday was not as a Rockie. Perhaps the job will fall to Ryan McMahon or one of the veteran pitchers (e.g., Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela). But it’s something the team will need to sort out in the coming months.
Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than Blackmon providing a veteran presence; in addition, he connected an older Rockies team and tradition to its present. A related point involves the loss of institutional knowledge. When any long-term employee leaves, something is lost about the workings and history of the place.
These things tend to sort themselves out, but there will be adjustments.
What happens with his salary?
This season, Blackmon is earning $13 million (before incentives). The only Rockies earning more are Kris Bryant ($28 million) and Kyle Freeland ($15 million).
Moreover, the Rockies seem unlikely to make significant free-agent signings this offseason. (There have been some rumors about a closer, but we’ll see. A trade seems more likely.)
Given the crop of inexpensive young talent that should be arriving at Coors over the next couple of seasons, it’s money Dick Monfort can devote to other priorities.
Also, no one knows what happened with the Rockies’ TV contract. Presumably, this year was less profitable than the team’s last contract with AT&T SportsNet — though we’ll probably never know. It may be that Blackmon’s salary goes to fill some of that lost revenue.
Who is the designated hitter?
The easy answer is Kris Bryant. Such a move would give him a steady place in the lineup and eliminate some of the wear and tear that comes from playing defense.
However, given his injury history, whether even being a consistent DH would be too physically demanding for Bryant remains to be seen. Even if he is in the lineup regularly, can he produce at the rate Blackmon has? Here’s what FanGraphs shows when comparing the two players over the last three years:
FanGraphs
Blackmon has simply been a much more productive (and healthier) player.
The Rockies have yet to figure out, really, what to do with the DH position though Blackmon came to fit in there nicely. How they will make the best use of this spot in his absence remains to be seen.
What happens in the outfield?
Clearly, Blackmon’s best defensive days were behind him — this year, he only played 182.2 innings in right field. Finally, an outfield spot has truly opened up. How will the Rockies use it?
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Back at RockiesFest, Bill Schmidt said that the Rockies realized they had a wealth of outfielders and that not all of those players would stay with the team. Instead of paring down their inventory, however, the Rockies added more outfielders (e.g., Jake Cave and Greg Jones).
Now, it’s an issue the team will need to address as they prepare for their window of contention to open.
Who brings the noise at Coors Field?
This is going to seem ridiculous, but it’s not a small thing.
You really have to experience a game at Coors Field to get it, but when “Josie’s on a vacation far away…” starts playing over the sound system, the ballpark comes alive. Fans stop doing what they’re doing and watch.
There’s no other way to put it: Rockies fans love Charlie Blackmon.
Photo by Rachel O’Driscoll/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images
On one hand, whatever. Players come and go. That’s just how it is. On the other, Dick Monfort has built a franchise that relies largely on the in-park experience, and Charlie Blackmon has very been a big part of that.
What happens now?
Blackmon had a carefully cultivated look — he’s immediately identifiable, a franchise icon. Who’s next? Perhaps this is tied in with the Rockies’ lack of a clear identity, but it’s not an inconsequential question.
Closing thoughts
Charlie Blackmon will go down as an important Colorado Rockie. The question now is what’s next?
For Blackmon, we know he’s off to spend time with family, fish, hunt, and take on a well earned vacation. (Maybe he’ll be back, but who knows?)
For the Rockies, we’ll see.
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Zach Agnos Outtake #1
Last week, I wrote about an interview with Hartford Yard Goats closer Zach Agnos. Unfortunately, everything did not fit in a single piece, so I thought I’d throw a few outtakes into my Rockpiles
(Think of it was watching those scenes on the cutting room floor after a movie.)
When I interview pitchers, I like to ask them to describe a pitch they would steal from a fellow pitcher if they could. Here’s Agnos’ answer:
It doesn’t really fit with my arsenal, but if I could steal one pitcher’s pitch, I would steal Blake Adams 12-6 curveball. Catching that thing is just not fun. You see it come out of his hand, you know it’s a curveball, and it goes straight, and as it drops down, it picks up velocity as it comes down. So it’s just like a bowling ball.
And you see these hitters aren’t having much success against it either. I mean, it’s a really good pitch. So, yeah, it’d be a nice add, but wouldn’t fit with my stuff.
Adams is our No. 47 PuRP.
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Has Hunter Goodman passed Drew Romo as the Rockies’ Catcher of the Future? | Just Baseball
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A Pitcher List conversation with Jaden Hill | Pitcher List
When I was in Denver for the Chicago Cubs series, Jaden Hill answered a few questions. (Yes, he explained the story behind his Joker glove.)
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Play it again, Sam
Sing it with me one more time:
Congratulations to Charlie Blackmon on a well earned retirement!
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