Inside Ryan McMahon’s altered batting stance — and why Yankees believe it can have big impact
NY Post
TAMPA — There are players who overhaul mechanics during an offseason or spring training and then cram in every at-bat or inning they can, determined to feel comfortable before the games actually matter.
Ryan McMahon is not in this subset. The Yankees third baseman, who will debut a new batting stance on Opening Day after a winter and a spring devoted to altering his setup, feels adjusted and natural with his new posture.
“I’m ready,” McMahon said before Monday’s 5-3, exhibition loss to the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field. “I’m ready for some games with some juice.”
McMahon is ready with a stance that is noticeably narrower than what was one of the widest stances in baseball last season. According to Statcast, he averaged 42.7 inches between his feet while in the batter’s box last year, the fourth biggest gap in the majors. That stance saw him swing and miss at a 35.2 percent clip, the worst rate among qualified hitters for a player who struck out 189 times between the Rockies and Yankees.
After the season, McMahon sat for a lengthy Zoom with Yankees hitting minds including hitting coach James Rowson and assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes. McMahon is a good pupil, according to Dykes, both because he is receptive to new ideas and because he is clearly talented — a few tweaks can make a large difference.
“You’re always trying to help guys be in a position where they can be multidimensional,” Dykes said. “He can make more contact. He can keep the ball up [for fly balls rather than ground balls]. He obviously hits the ball hard. He sees the ball really well.
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