Rockies' McMahon tapping into his positivity

TACOMA, Washington -- Ryan McMahon walked on the field at sun-drenched Cheney Stadium for warmups Wednesday with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. It hardly vanished as he completed his pregame routine, from taking grounders during batting practice to being the first Isotopes player out of the visiting dugout to sign autographs for fans who are eager to snag the signature of one of baseball's most promising players.
It would have been easy for McMahon to pout that day. The Rockies' second-ranked prospect was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday after breaking in with the big league club on Opening Day. He struggled with Colorado while primarily being used as a pinch-hitter, slashing .180/.317/.200 in 50 at-bats.
Even so, McMahon kept smiling. That's just the type of person he is.

"I did a good bit of pouting the other day, but at the end of the day, I'm out here doing what I love: playing baseball," McMahon said. "I have a lot of good friends on this team. If you come down here and bring a bad attitude, these guys don't deserve that. I'm just coming down and getting my work in. 
"I mean, it is what it is. I can't control it."
That attitude has served McMahon well throughout his career.
He was a dual-sport athlete at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and made most of his headlines as the starting QB at "Quarterback High," where former USC signal callers Matt Barkley and Matt Leinart each held that role during their own prep careers. After claiming the starting spot as a junior, McMahon was supplanted halfway through his senior season by Chase Forrest, who guided the Monarchs to the Southern Section Pac-5 championship game -- McMahon likes to joke he's the "worst starting quarterback to play at Mater Dei."
McMahon committed to the University of Southern California -- to play third base, not be under center like Barkley or Leinart -- but the Rockies selected him in the second round and convinced him to sign. The left-handed hitter excelled at the plate in first three seasons in professional baseball, helping the Asheville Tourists to a South Atlantic League title in 2014 before running into his first significant hiccup.

McMahon hit .242/.342/.399 in his Double-A debut in 2016 with the Hartford Yard Goats, which was infamously without a home ballpark that season. What's more, he was playing regularly at first base for the first time in his career.
McMahon said it was difficult at times to struggle while perpetually being on the road, but added he wouldn't trade it for the world because of how close he became with his teammates.
Rockies brass wouldn't trade that season either, but for different reasons.
"I don't think he'd be the player he is today without having to go through that," said Zach Wilson, Rockies senior director of player development. "I think the reason he had so much success is because he had to go through those challenges and that type of adversity.
"Honestly, I don't want any of our players to make it to the big leagues without first going through some significant challenges. … They're going to face them at the Major League level, so they better learn how to get through them at the Minor League levels, and he was able to do that in a really big way."
The 6-foot-2 infielder returned to Hartford to begin 2017 and tore it up while even adding second base to his defensive repertoire, hitting .326 with a .926 OPS before earning a midseason promotion to Triple-A. He continued his tear with Albuquerque, posting a .374 average and a 1.023 OPS in 70 games.
His bounceback season is emblematic of McMahon's character, which extends beyond just his sunny disposition.
"Obviously, makeup matters," Wilson said. "We deal with a lot of gifted and talented players, and makeup and character is the difference-maker and the separator. That's a strength of Ryan's.
"But he's a competitor at the same time. It's one of those deals, you don't look at his kindness and mistake it for weakness. He's a competitor and he wants to win. He fights, not only for his own success, but the overall success for whatever team he's on, and that's a really big part of who he is."
That attitude was on full display for Jon Weil, Rockies assistant general manager of player personnel, at big league Spring Training this season, where McMahon hit .319/.365/.522 to secure a spot on Colorado's Opening Day roster.
"He was not phased whatsoever in Major League camp," Weil said. "He came out and was on a mission. He's come to the yard every day with a positive attitude." 

The decision to send McMahon back to Triple-A was two-pronged. MLB.com's No. 39 overall prospect wasn't playing much, and a return in Albuquerque presents more at-bats and the opportunity for McMahon to fine-tune his defensive versatility.
If McMahon had his druthers, this will be his final stint with the Isotopes, and he'll carve out a full-time role with the Rockies in due time. For now, he'll continue to work on his craft with the Isotopes -- with a smile on his face, of course. 
"You don't dream of being a Triple-A baseball player; you dream of being a Major League baseball player. But you also don't dream of being a bad big league player," McMahon said. "The organization, I think, thinks this is going to make me a better baseball player. I'm just going to grind it out. I'm here, and I'm going to take it in stride."