“I do not think I can give it much credit, to be honest” – The Denver Post

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is the hottest hitter in baseball with an MLB-leading handball average while riding on a 14-point hit line.

His reaction? Something like … Meh.

“I do not think I will be able to give a lot of credit, to be honest,” Blackmon told reporters Tuesday at a video conference. “I think it will be too easy to say that strange things happen. The COVID got us. You play in a bubble without fans. It counts, sure. This is Major League Baseball on the field of premiership and it counts.

“But for the moment, I find it different.”

Blackmon were, presumably, more dialed in the success of the Rockies team with Colorado (11-5) leading the NL West entering the Game 2 matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks (7-10) on Tuesday night . But even in early baseball times, Blackmon’s other world deserves applause this short season.

Blackmon’s .484 batting average, with 26% of the schedule complete, is the highest through 16 games since Barry Bonds in 2004 (.525). Blackmon credits his success to being what he calls “process-oriented” on the plate – analyzing every baseball, because it comes with the mindset to “win every pitch.”

It works.

On Tuesday night against Arizona, Blackmon extended his hit streak to 15 games on the first field he faced right-hander Zac Gallen with a single on a line drive to right field.

“This is definitely a kind of extended stretch where I feel pretty good,” Blackmon said pregame. ‘I have to admit I’m pretty lucky. I hit a lot of ground balls where no one was playing. I hit some floaters across the field and I took some fastballs in the middle.

“I would not say I am perfect, but I have had good results and have been able to limit my mistakes for a while.”

Should Blackmon’s torrid continue, with only 44 games left, it opens the door to breaking a major baseball barrier: batting .400 for the season. It’s not done since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.