Griffin Herring Already Validating Rockies Return in Ryan McMahon Trade

Griffin Herring was the young pitching prospect the Colorado Rockies got for Ryan McMahon. One number says it was the perfect return.

A banner with the Colorado Rockies logo at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies did the best they could with the Ryan McMahon trade. In fact, they might have done better than the best they could.

Colorado traded the long-time infielder right before the trade deadline to the New York Yankees for two pitching prospects — right-hander Josh Grosz and left-hander Griffin Herring. Grosz, in his second professional season, has some work to do. He went 5-14 with a 4.67 ERA last season, with a 1.-6 record and 5.87 ERA with High-A Spokane after he joined the Rockies.

Herring? Well, that’s a much different story. In his first pro season he went 8-4 with a 1.89 ERA, which included stops with the Yankees’ Class-A affiliate in Tampa and High-A affiliate in Hudson Valley, along with Spokane.

But there is one number that highlights Herring’s bright future in the organization and part of the reason Colorado wanted him in the deal.

Griffin Herring’s Big Deal Stat

Griffin Herring is absolutely dealing. He’s got 7 Ks through 3 innings!! #Rockies #GoSpo pic.twitter.com/zN4155LNdX

— Blake Street Banter ⚾🌮 (@blakestbanter) August 14, 2025

MLB.com wrote about each organization’s best prospect statistic from 2025 and the site selected Herring’s .166 opponent batting average. That opponent batting average came with the Rockies in seven starts. While with Spokane, he went 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 30 innings, as he allowed just 14 hits, nine runs (eight earned) and 13 walks against 47 strikeouts with a .0.90 WHIP.

He was that steady all season. Along with the record and ERA, he gave up 29 runs (25 earned) in 119.1 innings, with 49 walks against 149 strikeouts with a 1.69 opponent batting average and a 1.10 WHIP. MLB.com put Herring on its prospect team of the year as its top left-handed pitcher.

The Yankees selected him in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB draft out of LSU. There he was a reliever and he helped the Tigers win the 2023 Men’s College World Series on a team that included pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews, both of whom are already in the Majors. Skenes won the NL Cy Young award this past season.

That season the Tigers leaned on him as a reliever. In 18 games he went 5-2 with a 3.93 ERA along with two saves. He had 41 strikeouts and 19 walks in 34.1 innings. He claimed one of the Tigers’ wins in the MCWS as he threw 4.2 scoreless innings against Wake Forest. He gave up three hits, one walk and struck out a then-career high six.

He continued his work as a reliever in 2024, as he went 6-1 with a 1.79 ERA in 21 games, with one start. He struck out 67 and walked 13 in 50.1 innings. Batters hit just .215 against him.

Because LSU tends to play deep into the NCAA postseason, the Yankees didn’t pitch him during the 2024 minor league season. New York started him at Tampa where he paid off immediately, winning the Florida State League pitcher of the week award twice and the pitcher of the month award in April. While with Spokane, he won the Northwest League pitcher of the month award for August.  

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