Jake McCarthy has stabilized the Rockies’ leadoff spot

He may not have a bushy beard, the untamed mullet, and “Your Love” playing before every at-bat, but Jake McCarthy has invoked the spirit of Charlie Blackmon while batting leadoff for the Colorado Rockies.

Just don’t tell him that.

“I got to meet him. I played against him, obviously, over the last few years in Arizona here,” McCarthy said. “I mean, obviously a great player. I understand. He batted leadoff for these guys for a long time. He also hit lefty, and he had the long hair, too. But I’m a little

hesitant to accept any comparison to that guy. You know there’ll be a statue of him in Denver one day. So as humbling as that comparison is, I’m gonna deflect.”

Since Blackmon’s retirement after the 2024 season, the Rockies have battled instability in the leadoff spot, starting 13 different players at the top of the lineup between 2025 and 2026. To put that in perspective, from 2014 to 2024, the Rockies started 26 individual players not named Charlie Blackmon in the leadoff spot.

Blackmon’s prowess as an elite hitter with a sharp eye at the plate to go along with devastating power at the top of the order is enough to make anyone shudder at the thought of being compared to him. Blackmon was, after all, perhaps one of the greatest leadoff hitters in the history of the game.

It’s been a revolving door of different attempts to install a leadoff hitter since his retirement, but McCarthy appears to be the answer the Rockies have been looking for, even if it’s not a one-to-one comparison.

Finding the rhythm

The Rockies toyed with a couple of leadoff hitters in the first half of the season. At the end of April, it looked like Edouard Julien had settled in as the ideal leadoff hitter for the Rockies, but a disastrous month of May forced him back into a bench role. Halfway through May, the Rockies turned to McCarthy in the leadoff spot until he fell ill during a series toward the end of June. Willi Castro filled in and found success in the role, splitting time with McCarthy. However, since July 8, McCarthy has been the Rockies’ sole leadoff hitter when he plays and has put up big numbers.

Over that 26-game stretch, McCarthy has batted .315/.342/.523 with four home runs and 16 RBI. He has 35 total hits, including nine doubles and a triple, and has struck out 16 times with four walks in 117 plate appearances. The hot streak has boosted McCarthy’s numbers as he is now batting .306/.343/.516 with a career-high 13 home runs on the season. Out of the leadoff spot alone, he is batting .307/.338/.543 in 59 games.

He’s also been making an immediate impact in games this season. He is the first Rockie with multiple first-pitch leadoff home runs in a single season and the first Rockie with at least four leadoff shots in his first season with the club. While his numbers as the first hitter of the game aren’t as good as one would hope, the fact that he is still able to set the table and have an impact the rest of the game speaks volumes to his effectiveness.

Over the last week, McCarthy dominated against the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals, earning National League Player of the Week honors. He led the NL in batting average (.519), OPS (1.352), hits (14), and total bases (23), while his eight runs scored tied for second. He even had a game against the Cardinals where he became just the second player since 1920 to have four hits, two homers, three RBI, and two stolen bases in a game, joining Shohei Ohtani.

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For McCarthy, the mental approach for leading off involves several ingredients, but at the root of it all is one simple goal: get on base.

“It’s still something that I’m working on,” McCarthy said, “[being] someone who just gives a really ‘grinder’ at bat at the top. But I also want to slug. When I get on base, I want to steal bases. So I just think it’s a number of things, just trying to be dynamic. But again, I think the number one thing is if I’m standing on first for the guy batting second, I think that’s a win. So I just want to do that as much as possible.”

Thanks to his dynamic efforts batting first, the Rockies leadoff hitters lead all of baseball in batting average (.294), rank 10th in on-base percentage (.343), seventh in slugging (.462), sixth in RBI (69), 12th in runs scored (79), fourth in stolen bases (21), and 13th in wRC+ (107).

“I think we have a lot of depth in our lineup, and if I’m slugging, that’s great,” McCarthy continued. “But I just think if I get on first base and maybe take an extra 90 [feet] stealing a base, I just know the guys behind me are going to have good at-bats. So I think we all complement each other pretty well. It’s been a really fun offense to be a part of.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer also recognizes what a valuable tool a quality leadoff hitter like McCarthy can be for a ballclub.

“Jake has been so huge for our team. First and foremost, he sets the tone every day for us on both sides of the ball and base running,” said Schaeffer. “Having him in the leadoff spot has been huge for us — just a jolt every game. You know what you’re going to get. It’s a unique skill set. Not a lot of people in the league have what he has, and we’re so happy to have him. I’m just so happy for him that he’s having success and that he’s getting recognized.”

A scenery change for the better

When the Rockies acquired McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks, there was no way of telling how he was going to respond in Colorado. In 2025, he saw a career-low as he slashed just .204/.247/.345 in 64 games with the Diamondbacks. He played much better with Triple-A Reno, but the big league performance and roster crunch made him expendable in the eyes of the front office.

Whether the change of scenery was all he needed or the Rockies coaching staff reinvigorated him, McCarthy took the struggles in stride from the previous season.

“Last year was pretty rough,” McCarthy said, “but I think when you don’t play well, you learn, and it’s an opportunity to sort of step back and say, ‘Here’s what went well, here’s what I do well’, and just reflecting on it,” he said. “And I think I’ve done a good job.”

“It’s just getting back to what makes me good. I think last year I just got away from doing what I do well, being competitive on a daily basis,” he continued. “A lot of at-bats ended in a pop-out, or early, weak contact. Now I’m just trying to hit as many line drives around the field as possible”

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McCarthy has certainly achieved that goal as he carries a career-high 27.3% line drive rate this season, 10 points higher than in 2025. As a result, he has also dropped his 49.4% ground ball rate from last season to 38.6% this season, another career-best. While he acknowledges that the big outfield of Coors Field has likely helped, it has mainly been for stretching an apparent base hit into a double. In fact, he is batting .318/.345/.559 with eight home runs and 15 doubles at Coors Field while slashing .294/.342/.469 with five home runs and 10 doubles on the road.

What’s been a massive improvement has been the consistency of McCarthy’s platoon splits. Back in 2024, the best season of his career before 2026, McCarthy batted .284/.340/.358 against left-handed pitching. This season, he is hitting lefties with a .333/.366/.573 slash over 107 plate appearances. He’s doing that while also having a career year against right-handed pitching with a .297/.336/.496 slash line.

A stairway to heaven

In his first season with Colorado, McCarthy is putting up numbers that are reminiscent of Blackmon out of the leadoff spot. Since at least 2010, McCarthy’s 2026 has him placed in the top 10 in most offensive categories for leadoff hitters with at least 100 plate appearances in a season. He is surrounded primarily by Blackmon, which goes to show that the opportunities aren’t being wasted on him.

He may not have Blackmon’s mountain man appearance or his power bat, but McCarthy brings his own flair that makes you do a double-take to make sure it isn’t Chuck Nazty in the box. Between his dances after a double, pristine, flowing hair, “Stairway to Heaven” walk-up song, and a love of wearing the Rockies purple home run coat, McCarthy brings his own energy that the Rockies have sorely needed.

They never needed a Blackmon-clone; they just needed a player to step up and embrace the challenge. McCarthy has done just that with his new club.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity [the Rockies] have given me here to sort of go out and play every single day,” he said. “I just want to make them look good and continue to play hard. We want to win more games. That’s the most important, and I think we have almost two months left here to do that. So I’m looking forward to it.”

On the farm

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes 13, Oklahoma City Comets 7

After scoring just one run through the first four innings, the Albuquerque Isotopes scored 12 runs in the final five innings to take the opening game of the series in Oklahoma. Conner Capel had three hits, coming a single shy of the cycle, as he drove in a pair of runs. Adael Amador also had three hits while Nick Kent and Drew Avans each had two hits and drove in a combined five runs. Jack Mahoney started on the mound and went four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He then gave way to a parade of relievers who allowed just three runs on six hits the rest of the way.

Double-A: Erie SeaWolves 5, Hartford Yard Goats 2

Holding a 2-0 lead through the first four innings, Hartford’s offense went quiet as Erie rallied for five runs in the late innings to take the victory. Dyan Jorge and Braylen Wimmer led the team offensively, collecting two hits apiece to make up half of the team’s hit total. Zach Kokoska had a sacrifice fly in the second inning to drive in the first run, and Mike Antico had an RBI single in the fourth to account for the Yard Goats’ runs. Sam Weatherly started the game and went two scoreless innings. Cade Denton then took a bulk of 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts. Victor Juarez took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits over his two innings of work.

High-A: Everett AquaSox 16, Spokane Indians 2

It was a forgettable night for the Spokane Indians as it seemed pitching couldn’t buy an out and the offense couldn’t buy an out. The Indians had three hits, with Tanner Thach and Cameron Nelson each hitting a solo home run to account for their runs. Spokane used six pitchers on the night, with only Tyler Hampu being the lone pitcher to not give up a run, recording a single out in the eighth inning. The other five pitchers gave up at least two runs, with Ismael Luciano getting the brunt of the damage, giving up six runs in the sixth inning.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 7, San Jose Giants 2

It was a great night for pitching for the Fresno Grizzlies, but may have been overshadowed by a solid offensive evening. Brady Parker started on the mound and fired six no-hit innings, striking out six while walking four, departing the game after 90 pitches. Wilmis Paulino took over in the seventh and couldn’t keep the no-hit bid going as he gave up a solo home run, but he ended up locking down a three-inning save by allowing just two runs on four hits. Offensively, Fresno had an influx of 2026 draftees join the team. Daniel Jackson had two hits, including a home run. Ryan Niedzwiedz had two walks and Cort MacDonald had two hits, including a triple. Christian Arguelles continues to hit well, as he had two hits, including a double.

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