Rockies Outfielder Looks to Faith in Retirement Announcement: ‘Saved By Grace’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is grateful for his faith as he announces his retirement from the MLB.
“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,” he posted on Instagram. He expressed his gratitude to the city of Denver and the Rockies, which were his home for his entire baseball career.
“Today I’m a ballplayer looking over the fence into uncertainty. For what is behind me, I am grateful. My cup runs over. I have been blessed more than any man should expect,” Blackmon added. “I was afforded this opportunity by my parents and sister, who supported my passion and have always been there. My wife Ashley has continued to support my dream and works so hard to give our kids the same opportunities I received.”
“But most importantly, I have been saved by grace and divine intervention has tilted the scales in my direction,” he emphasized. “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.”
The athlete has a career to be proud of.
“Blackmon, 38, has been a part of the Rockies organization since they made him a second-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2008,” CBS Sports reported. “He went to play all of those 14 big-league seasons in Colorado. Over that span he tallied 1,797 hits; 226 home runs; 333 doubles; 67 triples; 148 stolen bases; and a WAR of 20.8. All of that makes Blackmon one of the best players in Rockies franchise history. He’s also a four-time All-Star and two-time Sliver Slugger, and he won the National League batting title in 2017.”
Rockies owner Dick Monfort revealed that he got “a little emotional” when Blackmon, who Monfort calls “one of the greatest Rockies of all-time,” told him of his retirement.
“It has been an absolute privilege watching Charlie’s career from start to finish here at Coors Field,” he added. “Charlie’s passion and dedication to the game of baseball, this organization and our great fans was on display every single day and I can’t thank him enough for pouring his heart into every game and every at-bat over the course of his 14 years here.”
Faith, though, has always been Blackmon’s priority.
“Baseball is something that I spend a lot of time doing but you can’t turn baseball into an idol, what you derive your self-worth from,” Blackmon told the Christian Broadcasting Network in 2017. “It has to be something you do, not who you are. And once I figured all those things out, honestly baseball seemed a lot smaller to me, with the ups and downs and the struggles of failure that are going to happen, inevitably, within the game of baseball.”
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