The Colorado Rockies star thinks his impressive batting average should have an asterisk.
Once MLB implemented the 60-game season after an agreement with the MLB Players Association, fans and pundits alike were debating whether the league should even hand out MVP and Cy Young Awards due to the short sample size of games. Baseball purists believe that owning an impressive batting average should only count in a full 162-game season.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is currently batting .472 through 18 games this season. Even though it’s highly doubtful he can retain that average, Blackmon stressed his belief that it should contain an asterisk.
“I don’t think .400 is a realistic mark for today’s game,” Blackmon told the media on Tuesday, via ESPN. “The pitching is too good. The stuff is too good. There’s more specialization. I don’t think it’s something that will happen. It’s just too far away from the average.”
This is Blackmon being the humble player that he is. You can’t help but respect it. But come on, give yourself some more credit, Charlie!
Charlie Blackmon’s start to the season is incredible
Watching Blackmon’s performance through the first third of the 2020 campaign is even more incredible considering how he started off the year. After the MLB and MLBPA agreed to terms on the season, news broke that the Rockies outfielder tested positive for COVID-19, which kept him out of the start of the team’s summer camp.
Blackmon recovered in time for the start of the season and was an instant hitting machine. This past Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Blackmon’s batting averaged increased to .500 during his 17-game hitting streak! However, that reached its conclusion on Wednesday evening, as he went hitless in the team’s series finale against Arizona.
What’s even more impressive is that Blackmon’s .472 average eclipses the league’s average of .235. That’s truly impressive.
Besides his batting average, Blackmon has 34 hits, 20 RBI’s a .506 on-base percentage and 1.187 OPS, all of which are league-highs.
If the 2020 calendar year has proven anything, it’s that we have to embrace the new and crazy. There’s no normal anymore, even in baseball. People who are calling for the season to have an asterisk need to lighten up. Accept the weird!