Colorado Rockies Roundtable: Who is the 2016 Team MVP?

Nolan Lees

It’s hard to argue with Trevor about Arenado, but I think Charlie Blackmon really established himself as one of the game’s elite center fielders in 2016.

Blackmon made his debut in back in 2011, and up until last season, he looked like yet another Rockies hitter that could only be relied on in home games. In 2015, for instance, Blackmon had an outstanding BA/OBP/SLG line of .331/.390/.500 at Coors Field, but a dismal .238/.300/.395 line on the road.

Then 2016 rolled around, and all of a sudden, Blackmon is mashing the ball no matter where he’s playing. He has a .313 batting average in road games this season, just a shade below his .324 overall batting average. In fact, by some metrics, Blackmon has actually played better away from home. He has a higher slugging percentage and 17 of his 29 total home runs in road games this season.

It’s hard to overstate what a dramatic shift that is. It’s not that Blackmon was a bad player before 2016, but his value was always limited by his meager production on the road. But now, it appears the sky is the limit for the 30-year-old. Blackmon has always had nearly identical numbers against left- and right-handed pitching, so if 2016 is a sign of things to come, the Rockies have themselves one of the most complete, “match-up proof” players in MLB.

Arenado is terrific, and it’s hard not to love Carlos Gonzalez‘s game as well, but there’s an argument to be made that Blackmon is actually the best all-around player on the Rockies.