Ryan McMahon quickly fits in with new team by providing what Yankees severely lacked
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon watches his two-run double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Brad Penner
Only 48 hours into his Bronx tenure, Ryan McMahon already has been a welcome conversation-changer. Whatever else is troubling the Yankees — plenty remains on the board as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches — they now can cross off one item on the uncomfortably long list.
When the topic of defense came up Sunday, shortly after the Yankees narrowly dodged being swept with a 4-3 victory over the Phillies, manager Aaron Boone didn’t have to answer the questions through clenched teeth.
He was smiling, in fact. And the reason was the newly acquired McMahon, perhaps the Yankees’ best glove at third base since Alex Rodriguez. Amid all the worrying about Aaron Judge’s flexor tendon, Max Fried’s blisters, Anthony Volpe’s regression and the battered bullpen, Boone can have faith that at least one person is going to catch the ball on a consistent basis and make the spectacular play look routine.
McMahon made a pair of nifty plays Sunday, after his diving backhanded stop a day earlier, and even chipped in with the tying two-run double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler during the Yankees’ four-run second inning.
McMahon robbed Bryce Harper with a leaping over-the-shoulder grab of his soft liner in the fourth and followed that in the fifth (with two on) by going to his left for a 360-degree-spin-and-throw that beat the speedy Trea Turner by a blink.
“I just got confidence to go out there, attack the zone, and hopefully they hit the ball at him,” Carlos Rodon said, “because it seems like he’s going to catch it every time.”
What a concept. If not for McMahon’s glovework, maybe Rodon doesn’t stick around for 5 1⁄3 innings, especially after surrendering three homers. Sure the Yankees need bullpen help and maybe another starter or two, but general manager Brian Cashman was right in recognizing the desperation to stop giving away extra outs by kicking the ball around.
McMahon can only lock down one position, but his range is able to take a chunk of real estate off the struggling Volpe’s plate, and Boone no longer has to hold his breath relying on Oswald Peraza or Jorbit Vivas.
When I asked Boone after Sunday’s game about how McMahon makes the difficult look easy, he mentioned being impressed with him during the Yankees’ late May visit to Coors Field.
“I think I turned to Brad [Ausmus] and said, ‘That’s what third base is supposed to look like right there,’ ” Boone recalled. “There’s some real athleticism, he’s explosive, he’s got a good arm. And there’s a real good clock, but also like a calmness that he plays the position well.”
That’s got to be a refreshing switch for Boone, who’s been trying (and failing) to defend the Yankees’ suspect defense since last October’s infamous Game 5 of the World Series.
As for McMahon, what better way to quickly fit in with his new team than by providing something they had severely lacked? To him, playing stellar defense is just another day at the office. It’s part of his resume.
“Honestly, just excited to do something to help the team,” he said. “Wins are important right now, so that’s the angle. Happy to be doing some solid stuff out there.”
But the Yankees knew they were getting the top-quality glove. Not as certain is what McMahon will provide at the plate, which is why Sunday’s tying double down the rightfield line was good to get in the books as soon as possible.
McMahon showed up in the Bronx with a 31.9% K rate, along with home/ away splits that suggested he’d be a liability away from hitter-friendly Coors Field.
On Sunday, McMahon went to work putting all that in the rearview mirror. The Yankees already were in a 2-0 hole when they loaded the bases with none out in the second inning, and McMahon immediately fell behind Wheeler by whiffing badly on a first-pitch curveball in the dirt. But after laying off two fastballs way outside the strike zone, he got another curve and pulled it just inside the rightfield foul line for his first RBIs wearing pinstripes.
So what felt better? The dazzling defensive plays or that 94-mph grounder over the first-base bag?
“Oh, man, it always feels good to come through with the stick,” McMahon said. “We had that big inning. It was great. Stacked some really good at-bats, the guys in front of me loaded them up, and I put a good swing on it. You know, it’s about aim sometimes.”
McMahon tacked on a single in the fourth inning, then reached again in the sixth by getting hit by a pitch. For the record, he’s hitting .500 (3-for-6) with a 1.292 OPS as a Yankee.
Before the game, Boone didn’t rule out the idea of McMahon platooning some with the just-acquired Amed Rosario, who mashes lefty pitching (.299 batting average, .816 OPS). But when it comes to first impressions, McMahon is acing that test. “As much of a whirlwind it is getting traded at the deadline,” Boone said, “at least on the surface, he looks settled and comfortable.”
When it comes to third base, with McMahon on board, the same finally can be said about the Yankees. That’s what the position is supposed to look like. It had been so long, everyone just forgot.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
