DENVER (AP) — Yes, Charlie Blackmon has picked up a bat since retiring from Major League Baseball last fall. Not the wooden kind. One of those big, fat colorful ones his young kids play with.
“Sometimes Daddy needs an at-bat, can't play defense all the time,” Blackmon cracked Saturday after the Colorado Rockies announced he's taken on a new role with the club as a special assistant to the general manager following 14 seasons as their sparkplug center fielder.
“It’s really great to have the opportunity to continue to be involved with the organization and the game,” Blackmon said. “I’m super excited, and I’m sure the Rockies are happy to have me around a little bit.”
Blackmon, who spent his entire major league career in Colorado, said he's not the type to just turn baseball off. In his new role, he'll assist GM Bill Schmidt in all facets of baseball operations but he'll start out on a part-time basis and work out of his Atlanta-area home.
Initially, he'll focus on scouting and player development, two areas that have long intrigued the former pitcher-turned-outfielder.
“All the players think they know what's best, we think we've got it all figured out,” Blackmon said. “We always play GM on the bus and talk about players and personnel from other teams. You know, minor league players they saw or contracts that were signed. Players are interested in that. We have other interests, but we talk about baseball a whole lot.”
Schmidt said Blackmon will visit spring training for a week, splitting his time between the major and minor league camps. “I think it's important to developing a relationship with the young kids down below,” Schmidt said.
Blackmon retired last year after 14 seasons with the Rockies, for whom he batted .293 with 1,805 hits and 227 homers. A four-time All-Star, Blackmon ranks first in franchise history in triples (68), along with second in games played (1,624), doubles (334), runs scored (996) and extra-base hits (629).
Blackmon was selected by the Rockies in the second round of the 2008 amateur draft after playing at Georgia Tech. He won the 2017 NL batting crown with a .331 average. He also helped the team to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018.
“His leadership, deep understanding of the game and passion for this franchise make him the perfect fit to step into this new role,” Schmidt said. "We’re thrilled to have him bring his unique insight and experience back to the Rockies players and front office.”
The Rockies sent Blackmon off in style in his final day at Coors Field as a player in September. His wife, Ashley, and two young kids, Josie and Wyatt, joined him on the field for a pregame ceremony, where he was presented with a plaque. He also received a Toyota truck that had been perched on top of a sign in left field. His kids each threw a pitch to him.
Blackmon said the best part of retirement is spending more time with his family, something he'll be able to continue doing this season as he figures out which direction he'll ultimately take in his post-playing days.
“I do think that this first year I’m going to spend a whole lot of time with my family and I'm just glad to be able to have that baseball outlet," Blackmon said. “I'll come to spring training, I'll be at instructs and hopefully I'll get to scout some. And I'll do a lot of things but it's not a full-time role and so I don't know what it'll look like in the future.
"But I do think this first year it'll be good to have a lot of different experiences around the big league side, the scouting side, some amateur players, some minor league players.”
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With contributions from AP Sports Writer Pat Graham.
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