CINCINNATI -- Individual recognition came slowly to Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, with an invitation to this year's All-Star Game seen as equal parts reward for a good first half and overdue kudos.

But the key to McMahon, 29, earning the honor was him gaining a full understanding of how to place his own pursuit for perfection -- granted, a worthy goal -- behind team-oriented thinking.

The defense that has earned him three Gold Glove Award finalist designations has continued. He has 6 rDRS (or Defensive Runs Saved per Baseball Reference) this season, but it's offensive consistency -- .272 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs, with fewer of the wild extremes of past seasons that solidified him not only as an All-Star, but as a leader of a young team.

He has done it by making hitting, which can be the most selfish of baseball pursuits, a team sport.

"Do what the situation asks me to do -- really just play to the scoreboard," McMahon said. "Let the game tell me what I need to do.

"That's something that I used to not do. I would get into the game and I wouldn't get a hit in my first at-bat, and be like, 'What's up with my swing? Like, why am I not hitting the ball?' You just have to compete. You're never going to have your best stuff every single day, or most days. Good big leaguers find a way to get stuff done."

The timing of McMahon's All-Star honor seems to hit the Rockies in a special year.

The scoreboard that McMahon is tailoring his at-bats and play to wasn’t kind to the Rockies (34-63) in the first half. But three years into a six-year, $70 million contract, McMahon has demonstrated, and the Rockies have recognized, that he is a player who can be a key cog in making better days happen.

The Rockies have an opportunity to help their pursuits by making the right deals in advance of the July 30 Trade Deadline.  As the season began, however, any question about the willingness to use McMahon in a potential trade was met with a hard no, followed by some cursory we'll-look-at-anything jive. Now, you don't even hear the jive. The team rejects criticism that it's too attached to its players to make deals. The club won't trade just to trade. But with McMahon, there is no deal.

There are reasons.

"It's growing into a leadership role -- he wants his organization to ultimately be a contender, and he wants to be a part of that," Rockies manager Bud Black said. "He wants to be up front, and he wants to be out front, with the other couple leaders.

"But, you know, on an individual point, this is good for him. It's deserving. And I think I love the fact that it was done through the process of his peers, coaches and managers -- that's good stuff. That's the highest level of the highest level of accomplishment."

Clubhouse observations aren't always dependable, since much goes on outside the media window. By nature baseball teams operate somewhat in silos, since the lifestyles of position and bench players, starting pitchers and relievers are different.

But before he gets into game preparations, McMahon is often seen long before the game having conversations with teammates in all corners. He is at the center of friendly card games or on the road eating with others. Quite often, his peers at the tables are relief pitchers  -- important because their struggles have often been the reason games have been lost.

But McMahon also knows that pointing fingers makes no sense. McMahon is part of an offensive lineup that at times links at-bats, but "when we go cold and we don't link at-bats, we don't win."

Just maybe these folks can solve problems together -- with McMahon in the middle.

"I've been through it," McMahon said. "I've seen super highs and super lows. It's understanding how those guys are feeling, [and] not forgetting how I felt during times like that. It's [about] helping those guys feel like they're a part of the team, because they are. When guys get up to the big leagues, guys are like, 'Do I belong?' Of course they do.

"It's a long season. You want them to know that you have their back. There are a lot of guys who know that's really important, too. That's another reason I think we can take a step down the road to being a good team. We’ve been punched in the mouth, and we keep showing up to work and playing hard. The tide is going to turn eventually, but we have to clean some things up.”