Taking a (narrower) stance, McMahon looking for production boost

TAMPA, Fla. -- Ryan McMahon stood in front of his locker at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday morning, his bat resting against his left shoulder. Settling into a narrower stance, he whipped a pair of the practice cuts that could define his first full season in pinstripes.

Even in socks on a clubhouse carpet, those reps matter. With collaboration from the coaching staff, McMahon has reworked his plate setup this spring, and the third baseman says he can already feel the difference.

“A lot of good things happen from being a little bit closer together,” McMahon said before Thursday’s 7-3 Grapefruit League victory over the Braves. “My hands don’t drop as much, which is a super helpful thing. They travel a little bit higher, and that’s something that I do when I’m swinging it well.”

McMahon acknowledges that he “wasn’t in a great spot” at the plate after being acquired from the Rockies last July. A top-rated defender at third base, the Yankees believed McMahon’s left-handed stroke would translate well to the Bronx, but those results didn’t fully materialize.

In 54 games with New York, McMahon batted .208/.308/.333 with four homers and 18 RBIs, striking out 62 times in 159 at-bats.

After the team’s elimination in the American League Division Series, McMahon logged onto a Zoom call with hitting coaches James Rowson, Casey Dykes and Jake Hirst, during which several suggestions were made.

“They had a whole presentation and some really good examples,” McMahon said. “I had done it before; I just got too wide, probably just trying to compete. Then we watched some Ben Rice, watched some Bryce Harper, just showing how much more they were getting through the ball. It was pretty clear as day.”

With 42.7 inches between feet, McMahon had baseball’s fourth-widest stance last season. He also stood 32 inches away from the inside edge of the plate, the Majors’ fourth-longest distance (Nos. 2 and 3 were Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge, respectively).

By narrowing his base, McMahon is aiming to improve his hip mobility while reducing his strikeout rate (32.3%) and whiff rate (35.2%), which were career highs and the worst among qualified Major Leaguers.

“It really comes down to cleaning up some of the swing and miss,” manager Aaron Boone said. “That rose a little bit on him last year. If we can cut into that, he's a guy that not only could hit for some power -- as he's shown throughout his career -- but I think there’s some on-base [potential] there.”

McMahon showed that in Thursday’s exhibition, slicing a two-run double to left field in the first inning off Carlos Carrasco. He finished the afternoon 1-for-3.

“He’s capable of that, and he’s got big power that way,” Boone said. “He can drive the ball the other way with authority. In layman’s terms, he’s a little short of the ball. In this league, you’ve got to make hay on pitches you need to handle.”

An All-Star with Colorado in 2024, McMahon has batted .239/.322/.416 with 144 homers and 470 RBIs over his nine-year career, producing a 91 OPS+ -- slightly below league average.

The Yankees believe they’re close to getting more, pointing to his hard-hit percentage (50.5%, 89th percentile) and average exit velocity (93.3 mph, 95th percentile).

“Yes, there’s strikeouts in his bat,” general manager Brian Cashman said recently. “Yes, he has power. He has plate discipline. And I think now with us getting a full Spring Training with him, a winter working with him, maybe we can unlock some things.”

Thus far, McMahon’s finest moment in pinstripes came on the defensive side, hurdling over a dugout railing to catch a foul ball behind Cam Schlittler during Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. Throughout the offseason, McMahon received text messages replaying the catch.

“My buddies were stoked about it, so they’d send it to me every now and then,” he said.

He’s hoping this spring becomes the turning point toward generating more offensive moments on those highlight reels.

“I’m looking forward to being a little more consistent this year,” McMahon said.