Will Rockies outfielder Blackmon win the National League batting title once again?

Kiz: The Rockies stink at winning division titles. But they are the kings of winning batting titles. Since joining the National League in 1993, there have been nine — count ’em, nine — different Colorado hitters to lead the league in batting average. And Larry Walker did it three times. This crazy dominance is a major reason hitters at Coors Field get dissed and dismissed. We’ll address that touchy topic shortly. But, first, let me ask: Will Charlie Blackmon win the second batting title of his career in 2019?

Blackmon was hitting 327 heading into action Monday, fourth in the NL, with three fellow all-stars ahead of him. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the routine-oriented, baseball-obsessed Chuck Nazty, it’s that when he’s in the zone, he’s in the zone. We saw that during his NL player-of-the-month performance in June, when he led baseball with a .412 average. Don’t discount Blackmon carrying that offensive tunnel vision through the second half.

In franchise history, Blackmon’s season might be the ultimate Coors Field creation. At home, he is the best offensive player in the league, with a batting average hovering around .450 and an OPS that’s out of this world. On the road, to say Blackmon has scuffled is being kind, as his batting average away from LoDo is a pathetic .227. Is this a formula that can allow Blackmon to overtake Jeff McNeil of the Mets (.349), Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers (.335) and Christian Yelich of the Brewers (.330) to win the batting crown?

McNeil continues to surprise me with his consistency in just his second season, while nothing surprises me coming from baseball super-humans Bellinger and Yelich, both of whom are on pace to hit 50-plus homers. The disparity in splits definitely isn’t going to help Blackmon win another batting title. By comparison, when Blackmon won the batting title in 2017, he hit .276 on the road — so if he wants to make a push for it, he’ll need to perform better away from Coors.

I am constantly reminded by new-age number crunchers saying that statistics like batting average and pitching victories are for baseball grandfathers who have lost touch with how the game is played today. If Blackmon can scratch out enough hits to increase his road average to .250, I think he will claim the NL batting title. But should that achievement be a source of pride for a modern hitter who plays half his games in Colorado?

Of course it should. The naysayers can’t put an asterisk on every accomplishment by a Colorado hitter, Kiz, especially when the team’s pitchers get no “extra credit” by the national pundits for doing well at elevation, as Kyle Freeland did last season. Splits aside, Blackmon is one of the most consistent hitters in the game, and his approach speaks for itself. Neither he nor his beard is worried about the anti-Coors establishment. A batting title is a batting title, baby.