When it comes to something that sounds as simple as hitting a baseball, it turns out that simplicity is one of the most difficult things to attain. So what does it take to make contact using a bat and a ball? Well, 2014 All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon lets us know.
And in true Blackmon form, he makes it interesting.
“Hitting is difficult to talk about,” Blackmon said, “because hitting is difficult,” Blackmon explained to Nick Groke of The Denver Post.
His teammate, DJ LMahieu, explained it’s difficult to understand Blackmon’s thought process, or even talk to him about it.
“I can’t talk to him,” he said. “He has a formula for hitting in his head. I can’t understand it.”
The one thing that is understandable is Blackmon’s ability to put impressive numbers to his name. The 30-year-old holds on to a .298/.348/.476 career line. This season, he possesses a .974 OPS and a career-high .306 ISO.
He does have the confidence boost of playing at Coors Field for half of his games, but it’s still scary to pitch to him no matter where in the world he’s hitting. He’s also continuously showing signs of improvement even after blowing out 30 candles on his last birthday cake.
“I don’t think I’m there yet,” he said. “But I feel comfortable in the sense that I’m prepared for most situations I might experience.”
He also told The Post he’s feeling good and his only concern is why pitchers won’t throw him fastballs over the plate. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the high Z-Contact-percentage he has with a 40.5-percent hard contact rate.
Sometimes something that is difficult to explain doesn’t need to be explained at all. And while his hitting philosophy may be laborious to some, Blackmon’s mind stays blank. He doesn’t like distractions, he’s not even a fan of music when he’s hitting in the cages.
“He’s not typical,” said Jeff Salazar, the Rockies’ assistant hitting coach. “He looks at more than just getting a hit. He looks at the evolution of what an at-bat should be.”
Whatever it is, it’s causing him to be one of the top-hitting outfielders in the game.