Colorado Rockies: How Ryan McMahon’s 2021 season will be different in many ways

Heading into the 2021 season, Ryan McMahon is, perhaps, the guy who will have the most pressure on him to succeed with the Colorado Rockies in 2021.

After the departure of Nolan Arenado, McMahon, 26, was looking at moving to become the team’s everyday third baseman. McMahon had been the team’s primary second baseman in the last two seasons but he is a natural third baseman.

With him moving to third base, Brendan Rodgers had an opening to become the team’s Opening Day second baseman. However, with his hamstring injury that will keep him out for “at least a month” as of last Friday, McMahon has seen more time at second base in recent games.

Considering the team’s players and the positions that they play, the Rockies look like they would use Josh Fuentes as the primary third baseman and McMahon as the primary second baseman.

But, yesterday, I asked Rockies manager Bud Black whether or not he expects to see McMahon more at second or third base to start the season, and here’s what he had to say.

“I think, right now, you could expect to see (McMahon) more at second,” said Black. “We’d (likely) put Josh (Fuentes) at third, and we’d put, potentially, Cron at first (but) there could be times when Mac shifts back to third and we play (Garrett) Hampson or (Chris) Owings at second. Again, we go back to the versatility aspect. We know that all these guys bring that. Once we get the season rolling, you know, guys might need a day off, or, you know, there’s performance things to the versatility of these guys, you know, benefit them at the team.”

So McMahon will likely see time at both positions but primarily second base, at least until Rodgers comes back or somebody else proves themself at third or second base.

Ryan McMahon has mainly hit 6th or 7th in the lineup for the Rockies but that may change.

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Another thing that will likely change for McMahon in 2021 is where he bats in the lineup. In 2020, he was in the sixth spot in the starting lineup for the majority of the time but he also had spent a significant amount of time in the 7th and 8th spots.

However, Bud Black has been utilizing him more in the second spot in the lineup so we asked him whether or not he thinks it will be more of a permanent change and what he has liked out of McMahon since he has moved him up there.

“Well, [that’s something] we’re sort of working through that a little bit,” said Black. “I think, more than anything, we’re hoping there’s an on-base component to (McMahon). I think you look at his track record. I think there’s selectivity. There has been (walks) in his game to help go along with his batting average. (He’s) a guy that we think should get on-base at a decent clip for our hitters who hit three, four, and five and to be able to do some RBI damage. “If (Raimel) Tapia leads off and gets on first base, it opens up a natural hole on the right side that, sometimes, Mac can at times take advantage of with some hard-hit balls that are pulled on the ground that might get through the infield. I think I like the fact that Mac is a present danger with power at the top of the order. I like that aspect of it. But again, it will come down to performance, right, and actually how he’s doing as far as his batting average and his on-base percentage, but I like the selectivity. I like how he conducts an at-bat. And, you know, those types of players make sense at the top of the order.”

While it may not be a permanent change for McMahon since the Rockies like to keep things fluid depending on matchups and their versatility, don’t be surprised if Ryan McMahon is moved up to the second spot by the time Opening Day rolls around next week.