The Colorado Rockies roster is taking its final form just a few days away from Opening Day and to start the 2018 season the Rockies will have a new man in the mix at first base. The Rockies and manager Bud Black announced a slew of moves Tuesday to nearly shore-up the 25-man roster which included the announcement that 23-year-old Ryan McMahon had earned a spot on the roster to start the season. This comes on the same day where Colorado announced McMahon was named the 2017 Doug Million Minor League Player of the Year.

McMahon has been an offensive force throughout his time in Colorado’s minor league system. Last season between his time at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque McMahon hit an impressive .355 which included 88 RBIs and 20 home runs in 119 games. The Rockies rewarded his performance in the minor leagues with a call-up to the show in August, giving him a taste of life in the big leagues in preparation for the next step of his career which will now come in 2018.

McMahon will likely split time with Ian Desmond at first base to start the season; however, if he thrives both offensively and defensively, he could eventually settle in as the Rockies’ everyday first baseman.

McMahon impressed throughout Spring Training, posting a batting average of .319 and an OPS of .887. He was sharp at first base and was skilled enough to make the cut for the Opening Day roster; however, manager Bud Black acknowledges McMahon still has some fine-tuning to do to fully optimize his game for the Major League level.

“The short-term challenge is work on balls in the dirt, work on ground balls at first base, work on having good at-bats,” Black said. “Not worry about big-picture stuff, just work on getting better on things we need him to get better at.”

McMahon is the one of several “next-wave” Rockies that has impressed over the past few seasons. Other prospects, including middle infielder Brendan Rogers, who was invited to big league spring camp this year, and pitcher Riley Pint, the No. 4 overall pick in 2016, are not far behind McMahon on their paths to the major leagues.

The situation McMahon is entering can be overwhelming for a young player, especially one competing for playing time on a team with postseason aspirations. That said, Black believes that McMahon should step up and do everything in his power to establish himself as a bona fide big-league player.

“His focus should be on just playing and not just trying to hang in there,” Black said. “He’s in a position to in the coming months or years to seize a position in the big leagues, which every player wants, and he’s getting to that stage.”

McMahon is confident in his ability to lock down first base and provide the offensive firepower the club needs at a corner infield position. Confidence only goes so far, but McMahon is locked, loaded and ready to contribute.