Charlie Blackmon
Charles Cobb Blackmon (born July 1, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2011, as a member of the Rockies. Blackmon throws and bats left-handed, stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), and weighs 220.4 pounds (100.0 kg).
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A native of Dallas, Texas, Blackmon attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, and played college baseball for the Yellow Jackets. The Rockies selected him in the second round of the 2008 amateur draft. Blackmon is a four-time MLB All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and the 2017 National League batting champion.
Amateur career[edit]
Born in Dallas, Texas, Blackmon is of partial English ancestry. Raised in Suwanee, Georgia, Blackmon was an outstanding baseball player at North Gwinnett High School, as a left-handed pitcher and outfielder. Aside from baseball, Blackmon also competed in basketball and football, and was named Academic Player of the Year three times.[1]
Blackmon enrolled at Young Harris College and played college baseball for the school as a pitcher for two years.[2] At Young Harris, Blackmon won 15 games and had 138 strikeouts in 127 innings for the school, and was drafted for the first time after his freshman season.[1] In 2005, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Cotuit Kettleers.[3][4]
Blackmon received a scholarship to Georgia Tech, and transferred in the fall of 2006.[5] Blackmon had been recruited by Georgia Tech after his freshman season but returned to Young Harris for his sophomore season as he had promised the team he would play for two seasons. Blackmon continued to pitch until his fourth and final year at Georgia Tech, after redshirting due to elbow tendinitis. As a fourth-year junior outfielder for Georgia Tech, Blackmon hit .396, hit eight home runs, and stole 25 bases as the leadoff hitter for the team.[6] Blackmon also excelled academically, receiving various honors including being named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.[7] He graduated from Georgia Tech in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in finance.[8]
Professional career[edit]
Draft and minor leagues[edit]
The Colorado Rockies selected Blackmon in the second round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. Blackmon had first been drafted in the 28th round in the 2004 draft by the Florida Marlins as a pitcher, and was also drafted in the 2005 draft in the 20th round by the Boston Red Sox.[7] He spent 2008 with the Tri-City Dust Devils, hitting .338 in 68 games. In 2009, he was promoted to the Modesto Nuts, and hit .307 with 30 stolen bases in 133 games there. In 2010, he played for the Tulsa Drillers, and spent the first half of 2011 with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Personal life[edit]
Blackmon has spoken about his Christian faith, saying, "The love that JC (Jesus Christ) has for me, even though I don’t deserve it is unimaginable. You know, that grace is something that I try to understand every day, but it’s hard to comprehend! I try and learn more about Christ every day, and will continue to walk my path and trust every opportunity that opens to me. I just want to represent our God in what I do, on the field, how I treat people and walking by faith."[32] Blackmon is also in a Bible study group with the Rockies.[33]
Blackmon grew up as a fan of the Atlanta Braves.[5] Blackmon's father, Myron, was a track and field athlete at Georgia Tech.[6]
In 2016, Denver 7 reported that Blackmon, despite his Major League salary, drove the same 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee to spring training every day that he drove to school every morning as a high school senior.[34]
Blackmon and his wife, Ashley, were married in 2018.[35] Blackmon resides in the Belcaro neighborhood of Denver during the season.[36]