Baseball players are famously superstitious. In Charlie Blackmon’s case, he confessed to being a “little stitiious,” while mic’ed up during the 2018 All-Star Game.
More than banking on luck, Blackmon was notorious for his dedication to his routine. Gabe Bauer, the Rockies director of physical performance, shared a prime example of Blackmon’s meticulousness during Rockies Fest in January.
“He’d show up early, he’d go through all the prep work, he was a very routine-oriented person. Down at the minute,” Bauer said.
“[T]here’s one story in spring training, one of the affiliate strength and conditioning coaches was around Charlie. Charlie went up to this person and asked him what time is game time, because spring training is usually, like, 1:05 or 1:10, right? The strength coach said 1:05. The game was actually at 1:10. Charlie never spoke to that strength coach again. So, I mean, that’s how detail-oriented Charlie is.”
Bauer said that Blackmon was so strict about his routine, which included post-game workouts that could go deep into the night, that he wouldn’t even skip it after the final game of his 14-year career in 2024.
Blackmon’s disciplined regimens, from habits developed in spring training to pre- and post-game workouts, have undoubtedly left an impact on Rockies players and staff, including director of baseball operations Amir Mamdani. Mamdani joined the Rockies in 2021 as an analyst in the baseball ops department before being promoted three times, including assuming his current role in November.
Part of his job is learning what kind of information and what format different players prefer for their data. Mamdani said Blackmon preferred lots of video analysis, especially of opposing starters, as opposed to other players who may like analytics-heavy reports. Whatever the style, getting the information has to be part of that routine, and Mamdani believes Blackmon’s routine played a significant role in his career’s longevity.
“Like Charlie Blackman, who many of us were lucky to kind of observe, had one way of preparing, and that was how he got every ounce of juice out of his major league career,” Mamdani said.
For most players, their routines are year-round efforts. Bauer has noticed a difference in recent years because players are coming into spring training in good shape and ready to go.
“I feel like, nowadays, guys do a really good job of preparing themselves coming into spring training,” Bauer said.
“A lot of them have their own trainers that they work with at home. Some of them go off with a program that we give them, but there’s always that constant checking with them, and making sure that they’re getting their stuff done, getting their work in.”
Mickey Moniak, who the Rockies signed on March 27 before the best season of his career in 2025, is now experiencing his first spring training with the Rockies.
The first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Monaik took advantage of his playing time in 2025 and said he feels even more prepared for his seventh MLB season.
“For me, personally, I feel like I’ve gotten into a good routine in the offseason,” Moniak said at Rockies Fest. “You know, you’re trying to get stronger, you’re trying to get faster. But most of all, you want to go to spring training healthy and in a good spot.”
Another Rockies newcomer, RHP Michael Lorenzen — who inked a one-year deal in mid-January — credits developing a routine early in his career to his longevity on the mound. Entering his 12th season, Lorenzen said he didn’t need a lot of the elements of his routine in his early years at the time, but that he knew it would pay off in the long run.
“A daily routine is a must-have,” he said at Rockies Fest.
“I feel like for [my new teammates], as we start working together, they could show up to the field and they’re gonna know exactly where on the field they can find me at this time because I’m living in my routine all the time.
“I feel like everyone having a consistent routine where their body feels consistently the same before they pick up the baseball every single time,” Lorenzen continued. “It’s just the discipline of having that allows you to… as you throw harder, as you get older, you kind of match the experience with your stuff, and then that’s where you’re gonna hit your peak. That’s where, in this game, you get to do some fun things.”
When it comes to preparation and strict routines, it certainly looks like Lorenzen is the new Blackmon in the Rockies clubhouse.
Over the next five weeks in Arizona, the Rockies will develop or continue their routines to build the foundation for the grueling 162-game baseball season. This work will help dictate how their minds and bodies can hold up over the long grind as the Rockies look to improve in 2026.
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