Ryan McMahon

McMahon finally got regular playing time in 2019, but it took him until the second half of the season to make the most of it. A .256/.332/.399 first-half slash line gave way to a .244/.326/.500 slash line after the break, and he hit 17 of his 24 homers after the intermission. Can anyone explain his 41% HR/FB in the second half despite his flyball rate declining from the first half? Us neither. There is still a lot of noise in this stat line, but both his average exit velocity and his hard-hit rate were in the 90th percentile last season. The strikeout rate remains rather high, which should temper expectations for him because Coors Field or not, it is tough for anyone to hit for average while striking out 30% of the time. McMahon missed qualifying at three positions by one game in 2019, if you play in the standard 20-game rule format. If you use 10 or 15, enjoy his 1B/2B/3B eligibility.

An impressive camp landed McMahon on the Opening Day roster, playing first base against right-handed pitching. After slashing .180/.317/.200 through April 30, McMahon was farmed to Triple-A Albuquerque. He was recalled May 25 to help fill in at second. After a hot start, McMahon fell back to his unproductive ways and was demoted again June 20. He returned in late July, finishing the season in a reserve role. McMahon slashed .256/.333/.419 over the second half, buoyed by a 1.076 OPS at home. Contact was McMahon's primary shortcoming as he fanned at a 31.7% clip. Entering 2018, it appeared McMahon had made strides in that department. Plus, a 29.9% flyball rate hindered power. Still just 24 years old, McMahon has time to get back on track and tap into the home-run potential he showed in the minors. There's playing time to be had on the right side of the infield, at least versus RHP.

It's clear now that 2016 -- a year where McMahon was a league average hitter (101 wRC+) on a Hartford Yard Goats team that had to play all their games on the road -- was the outlier. He has been at least 37 percent better than league average during every other minor-league stint, and was dominant at Double-A and Triple-A in 2017. One could point to good fortune (.381 BABIP at Double-A, .416 BABIP at Triple-A) as the reason for this dominance. However, he got his strikeout rate under 20 percent for the first time in his career, which points to sustainable success. He has plus power, sneaky speed for a corner infielder, and with the help of Coors Field, he could annually flirt with .300. While McMahon is a third baseman by trade, he started 33 games at first base, 23 games at second base and 13 games at the hot corner while at Triple-A. The Rockies are prepping him for an inevitable position change due to Nolan Arenado's presence. He could serve as the big-league first baseman for the bulk of 2018.

McMahon entered the season as a consensus top-50 prospect, and he proceeded to post career-worst full-season numbers in every relevant offensive category other than walk rate (10.3 percent) and steals (11 on 17 attempts). The decline in production coincides with him moving to a neutral hitting environment after taking advantage of the extremely hitter-friendly parks in Low-A Asheville and High-A Modesto during the two previous seasons. McMahon played half his games at first base last year, which sheds some light on the Rockies' long-term plans, as he is blocked at third base by Nolan Arenado. He was essentially a league average hitter in the Eastern League (101 wRC+) while being over three years younger than league average, which would be more encouraging if he still projected to end up on the left side of the infield. Additionally, his 30.1 percent strikeout rate raises concerns about the viability of his hit tool against upper-level pitching.

Since being drafted 42nd overall in 2013, McMahon has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball. He spent all of 2015 at High-A Modesto and for the third straight year the slugging third baseman hit better than .280, with an OBP over .350, a slugging percentage north of .500 and an ISO of at least .220. It is worth noting that in 2014 he spent the entire season with Low-A Asheville, which along with Modesto is one of the most favorable hitting environments in the minors, so his numbers should not be taken entirely at face value. That said, he will begin his age-21 season at Double-A, coming off back-to-back 18-homer seasons, so McMahon is undeniably advanced with the bat. He might be just two years away from being big league ready, at which point the Rockies may need to consider moving McMahon to first base, where the bat should still be able to play, that is if Nolan Arenado is the long-term option at the hot corner.

McMahon was the toast of the Sally League last April, homering nine times in the month and looking every bit the part of the advanced left-handed hitter with pop the Rockies believed they netted when they drafted him in 2013. His slugging tailed off to more modest levels after that, but McMahon still enjoyed a successful campaign, finishing with a .282/.358/.502 line over his 552 plate appearances. While he still struggles with making contact (25.9 K%) and noticed a fairly significant gulf in both his home/road and lefty/righty splits, McMahon was a year or more younger than most of his compatriots at Low-A and made up for the high strikeout totals by posting a quality 9.8% walk rate. Nolan Arenado looks to be the Rockies’ long-term answer at third base, but McMahon will likely remain at the position again at High-A Modesto this season before perhaps moving to a corner outfield spot if and when his well-rounded offensive skills warrant a promotion to the upper levels of the minors.