SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Bud Black’s final spring training report card on Ryan McMahon is in, and the manager’s conclusions should please Rockies fans.

Black said the 24-year-old infielder, who batted a sizzling .439 (25-for-57) with three home runs and 14 RBIs in the Cactus League en route to earning the team’s spring training MVP award, appears primed to stick in the big leagues.

“Not that he didn’t do that the last couple years, but it’s just different this year,” Black said. “He understood where he is on our roster and where he could potentially fit. This year he came in extremely motivated to make a point, and he has.”

Last year, McMahon hit .319 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 spring training games, but that success — and even some of his notable regular-season moments, such as a walk-off blast against the Dodgers in August — were marred by inconsistencies at the plate underscored by a pair of demotions to Triple-A Albuquerque.

But the consistent hard contact and quality approach at the plate this spring has Black believing this year’s spring training numbers aren’t fools’ gold. That’s largely because of the tweaks McMahon made to have a more compact swing.

“It’s still the same swing — we’ve never tinkered with that, because he’s got a beautiful swing and a swing we think can play in the big leagues,” Black said. “But we felt as though the path to the ball needed to be a little shorter, to close up some holes, and also the positioning of where his hands started and what the barrel was doing when he was getting ready to (load). Those are the points that became pretty technical with Mac this offseason in his discussions with (the hitting coaches).” Related Articles Rockies Mailbag: Looking forward at Nolan Arenado, hands-on owner Dick Monfort, bullpen woes and more

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Where exactly McMahon will fit into the Rockies’ everyday plans remains to be seen. The Denver Post‘s most recent projections have him starting at second base for Thursday’s opening day in Miami, though whether he or Garrett Hampson get the nod, it’s more than likely the two players will platoon at the position early this season.

No matter where he’s asked to play, expect McMahon to be a regular in Colorado’s lineup as Black’s confidence in the young slugger grows.

“I’m seeing his maturity in daily conversations, I’m seeing it in the interactions between him and the coaches and other players,” Black said. “And most importantly, I’m seeing it in between the lines.”

Footnotes. Catcher Tom Murphy, placed on waivers by Colorado on Saturday, was claimed by the Giants on Monday. Murphy entered spring training battling with Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters for the team’s two catching spots, and hit .250 with three homers but didn’t perform well enough to convince the coaching staff to switch up their receiving unit from last year. Murphy, 27, hit .219 over parts of four seasons with the Rockies … In other catching news, the Rockies announced they signed Drew Butera to a minor-league contract. Butera hit .214 in 10 games for Colorado last year after being traded from Kansas City. He gives the organization another player with major league experience at the position besides Iannetta and Wolters.