Ryan McMahon wants to be more than “average”

Bill Schmidt’s blunt assessment took me by surprise.

During baseball’s winter meetings in December, I asked the Rockies general manager to assess third baseman Ryan McMahon.

“If you look, he’s an average player right now, and I’ve told him that,” Schmidt said. “He’s an above-average defender, which makes him the average player. He can be better. There are a lot of people who believe that.”

The Rockies have long tended to sugarcoat things, at least publicly. Schmidt has been refreshingly different.

Still, I had to wonder how McMahon felt when his boss called him “an average player.” After all, in March 2022, McMahon signed a six-year, $70 million contract. He’s supposed to be a veteran bedrock of the Rockies’ future.

“It doesn’t hurt my feelings,” McMahon told me during a recent phone interview after he completed a workout at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the Rockies open spring training on Wednesday.

“Bill and I have a pretty open relationship about things like that,” McMahon continued. “If you know Bill, he’s very blunt about things like that. But he doesn’t say that unless he wants (success) for you as well.

“He and I have had countless talks. I’ve heard it meaner than that. I’ve heard it nicer than that. I’ve heard it a lot of different ways from him.”

Does McMahon agree with Schmidt’s assessment?

“Of course,” McMahon said. “I want more and I’m always going to want more because that’s going to lead to more wins for the team. To that point, do I think I’m a bad offensive player? No. But I do think there’s more in there and I think that’s what Bill means.”

McMahon, 29, owns a .243/.323/.427 career slashline with a 91 career OPS+. Last season, he slashed .240/.322/.431 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs. His OPS+ was 93 (the major league average is 100).  More troubling, he finished fourth in the majors with 198 strikeouts, setting a dubious Rockies single-season record. His 31.6% strikeout rate was also the fourth-highest in the majors last season (among qualified hitters) and the third-highest in franchise history.

That doesn’t cut it.

McMahon’s middle name is Patrick, but it could very well be “Potential” because there is so much to like about the person and the player.

McMahon is a three-time Gold Glove finalist at third base and his 17 defensive runs saved (per Sports Info Solutions) were tied for the ninth-most for all big-league position players last season and ranked second among third baseman. McMahon’s 48 defensive runs saved since 2021 are the second-most in the majors.

“RyMac” has played in at least 150 games for three consecutive years. He’s beloved by his teammates. When the Rockies lose and the clubhouse is mostly empty, McMahon makes himself available to the media, even on nights when he’d surely rather not have to deal with reporters.

Schmidt believes McMahon can be a better hitter and is capable of smacking 30 home runs. In other words, he’s got the potential to be an All-Star.

“I want to see him consistently put the ball in play,” Schmidt said. “Cut down on the strikeouts and put the ball in play. He’s capable of being a .260-.270 hitter, not .240. There was a point in May when he was one of the better players in the league. He’s capable of doing that.”