ESPN

If some major league teams had their way, Charlie Blackmon would be working on the mound instead of patrolling the Colorado Rockies outfield. Blackmon was drafted as a pitcher twice, once out of high school and once out of junior college, before spending one season as a hitter at Georgia Tech. That one year was enough to get him taken in the second round of the 2008 draft, and, after Dexter Fowler's abdominal injury, Blackmon got the call to the big leagues in his fourth professional season.

Given all the time he had spent on the mound, Blackmon was raw when he was drafted, but he was also athletic, a proverbial "five-tool" outfielder. Combined with his great work ethic and makeup, he was able to start turning those tools into baseball skills rather quickly, and he has been hitting well since turning pro. After missing the first two months of 2010 because of a hamstring injury, Blackmon put together a good finish to the year in Double-A, posting an .843 OPS. That earned him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League, where he continued to perform well. And this season, he was on fire at Triple-A (admittedly in a great hitting environment) when he was summoned, hitting .337 with 10 homers and 12 steals.

To see Jason's full profile of Rockies call-up Charlie Blackmon and his updated top 11 prospects for the remainder of 2011, you must be an ESPN Insider.