Rockies in AFL: McMahon’s growth continues

Ryan McMahon breezed through his first three years in pro ball. He batted a combined .297/.372/.524 and led the Class A Advanced California League with 43 doubles as a 20-year-old in 2015. There was no reason to think he would struggle in Double-A this year.

But struggle he did. The Rockies corner infielder hit just .242/.325/.399 with 161 strikeouts at Hartford, spending the much of the season on the road with a franchise that lacked a home ballpark for several months. Now he’s regrouping in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters.

McMahon takes a glass-half-full perspective on his 2016 performance. He believes in the long run that it will be better for him to have faced adversity for the first time on the way to Colorado, rather than after he gets there.

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“It’s kind of a reality check,” McMahon said. “As soon as you think you have this game figured out, it humbles you right away. So I’m glad it happened there instead of in the big leagues. I’m glad I can learn from it and bounce back.”

Double-A pitchers forced McMahon to make adjustments, and he finished the season on a strong note. He hit .263/.347/.450 after the All-Star break as one of the Eastern League’s youngest regulars at age 21.

“Double-A is a big jump,” McMahon said. “The game’s a lot more mature up there, so you got to grow up with it. That’s basically what happened this whole last year. I was a little bit immature on the side of the baseball stuff, so I grew up a lot, learned a lot. Great coaches, great teammates around me that helped me kind of grow up in the game. I’m pretty excited to play here in the Fall League and then jump into next season.”

McMahon has continued his resurgence in the AFL, as he hit .286/.412/.357 in his first eight games. He has the bat speed and …

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