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Charlie Blackmon Should Be The Starting Center Fielder In 2015
If the 2015 season were to start today, the Colorado Rockies would have substantial depth in the outfield. The Rockies should look to Charlie Blackmon to be the everyday starter in centerfield.
With the possibility of a Carlos Gonazlez trade looking less likely, the Colorado Rockies likely already have all of the outfielders for their 2015 season. Charlie Blackmon had a break out season in 2014 and should be the lock for the starting centerfield job next season.
Thomas Harding of mlb.com took to Twitter earlier this week to answer fan questions and one that popped up asked about his projected outfield starters in 2015. Harding tweeted back:
@abbeyshea Cargo in right, Blackmon in center, Dickerson in left, with Stubbs working in. That's barring a trade.
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) January 2, 2015
If Gonzalez is going to be with the Rockies at the start of the season, the centerfield position is the only one up for grabs. Blackmon and Drew Stubbs are the two most likely candidates for the job.
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In my opinion, Harding is exactly right. Blackmon had a more productive season than Drew Stubbs in 2014 and should be the starting centerfielder come opening day.
Blackmon and Stubbs had similar offensive numbers in 2014. Blackmon hit .288/.335/.440 and Stubbs hit .289/.339/.482. The biggest difference between the two offensively was homeruns and RBI. Blackmon finished with 19 HR and 72 RBI in 2014 while Stubbs finished with 15 HR and 43 RBI.
Regarding defense, Blackmon has the slight upper hand on Stubbs. Blackmon had a .979 fielding percentage while Stubbs had a slightly lower percentage at .969.
Early last season, Blackmon had a full-on breakout party that lasted nearly a month and a half. The 28-year-old was a legitimate MVP candidate for nearly two months of the season. After the first month of the season, he led the National League in nearly every category, including WAR (Wins Above Replacement).
Of course, like all good things, his hot streak eventually came to an end. But with his hot start and above average play for the rest of the first half of the season, he was voted into his first All-Star game and represented the Rockies at the mid-summer classic.
It’s unlikely that Blackmon will have another hot start like he did last season, but you cant rule it out entirely. When push comes to shove, Blackmon should be the starter over Stubbs. Plain and simple.