New dad McMahon looking to fatherly advice

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon is floating on new-dad glee and little sleep after he and his wife, Natalie, welcomed their first child, a daughter, Austyn Brooke, on Tuesday.

That’s real life and, as he says, “She’s awesome.” But maybe he will bottle some of that grateful and relaxed spirit for work.

McMahon is entering his fourth season as the Rockies’ regular third baseman, after the Nolan Arenado trade to the Cardinals. All three years saw him finish a finalist for a Gold Glove Award. Each year also featured sizzling offensive streaks, but those were interspersed with struggles that have left his offensive numbers below what he and the club believes are his capabilities. The dying days of the Rockies’ 59-103 season also saw him uncharacteristically slow down defensively.

There is, however, a sense that McMahon can smooth out his performance. When reviewing and preparing -- when his head was not spinning as he anticipated his family’s new arrival -- McMahon vowed to concentrate on what’s important, not fret the rest and play freely.

“As baseball players, we’re always trying to find something that’s going to work -- and sometimes, tinkering really messes you up,” McMahon said. “Staying with the process, staying with the plan, I can help myself and a lot of my teammates.

“We talk to our hitting coaches, and a lot of times verbalize things to them. I’m like, ‘There’s something I really want you guys to hold me accountable for.’ We have a lot of guys who do that. We talk a lot of shop. We talk a lot of hitting.”

An early struggle led McMahon, after much study and suggestion, to revisit the words his dad used when teaching him hitting at age 5: “step-hips-hands.” The simple swing carried McMahon for an extended hot streak. Over 35 games from May 12 to June 19, McMahon slashed .349/.434/.644 with eight home runs, 11 doubles and two triples.

But for the rest of the year, he slashed .206/.292/.357 and hit .183 in September.

The high points suggest there’s an offensive impact player within McMahon.

“Every year potentially could be a statistically different year than the previous year,” manager Bud Black said. “That’s what players strive for. There’s a track record; this is what Mac is going to give you. Then you can look at players who have banner years, All-Star years, batting title, home run title. Those are years that stick out for certain players.

“Mac is certainly capable of one of those big years. But Mac doesn’t need to put any pressure. He just needs to be Mac and see how the season plays out.”

Toward that end, McMahon gathered information from all three hitting coaches -- Hensley Meulens and his assistants, P.J. Pilittere and Andy González -- then spent the offseason building on what works.

“Sequencing -- ‘step-hip-hands;’ I found some things within that, that will allow me to get the swing off better,” he said. “Last year when I was struggling, I wasn’t putting myself in position to do the things I wanted.”

Healthwise, he also wasn’t in the best position.

Pain and fluid in his right shoulder -- his throwing shoulder and the lead shoulder in his left-handed batting stance -- led him to receive a cortisone shot after the season.

By September, opponents sensed more was wrong and dropped bunts -- a strategy previously unheard of against McMahon, whose 40 defensive runs saved from 2021-23 (per FanGraphs) were third most among Major League fielders. McMahon, who has played 151, 153 and 152 games the last three seasons, respectively, revealed that he played through patellar tendinitis in both knees at the end of ’23, but worked with the athletic training staff to alleviate the condition.

McMahon has adopted the stance of the entire club, which suffered through the worst record in franchise history and began allowing younger players to learn Major League lessons last year.

“This whole offseason, it’s what I’ve worked on and it’s what we’ve talked about as an organization -- being more consistent,” McMahon said.