Colorado Rockies exclusive: Ryan McMahon dishes on his Home Run Derby thoughts

On this episode of the Rox Pile Rockies report, we have a chat with Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon.

We hit on a number of different topics in the more than 20-minute conversation we had with McMahon.

He dishes his thoughts about his standings in the All-Star Game voting for the All-Star Game being held in Denver. With the first update on Monday, McMahon was in 7th place at second base with 144,088. Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies leads the pack with 295,478 votes. You can vote for McMahon or any other Rockies position players here.

We ask McMahon about his home run on Sunday, where he had a few buttons undone on his jersey, the reasoning behind it, and whether or not it will be here to stay. You can watch that home run below.

Ryan McMahon also told us about some of his pre-game prep in different situations.

He also told us about the biggest changes that he has made at the plate during the offseason as well as how his prep work for a game is different for a game that he’s not starting in and when he’s facing a pitcher that has never faced in the major leagues, as he had on Saturday and Sunday in Cincinnati.

Also, we talk about the Rockies road woes, his preparation for the road, and how difficult it has been to keep the clubhouse and dugout light when the team has been struggling. He also tells us about some of the things that they do to try and keep things fun.

One of those things is the base-knock celebration and McMahon reveals who started it out for them.

He also talks about his relationship with Charlie Blackmon and whether or not Blackmon can win the Rockies chain after a win. and Trevor Story as well as the possibility of Story leaving the Rockies in the near future.

We also ask him whether or not he would consider participating in the Home Run Derby next month if he was asked to. He enters Monday tied for fourth in the NL with 15 home runs. Two players ahead of McMahon on the list are Jesse Winker, who the Rockies saw this past weekend in Cincinnati, and Fernando Tatis, Jr., who leads the NL in home runs with 19. The Rockies see him and the Padres for the first of a three-game series at Coors tonight and McMahon dishes out some thoughts on those two players.

Lastly, he reveals some of his favorite music, his favorite video games he played as a kid, and some players (past or present) that he’d love to play with in real life if he could.

You can listen to the podcast above or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

A big thanks to Ryan McMahon for joining us and the Rockies PR team, including Shelby Cravens, Cory Little, and Robert Livingston for their support in Cincinnati and at Coors Field. We’ll have a few more exclusive conversations coming soon so be sure to check out the site for those coming out in the near future.