Dodgers Manager Picks Surprise Player as Best Hitter Over Last Month

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes third baseman Max Muncy has been the club's best hitter over the last month.

“You look at the last 30 days, I think he’s been our best hitter,” Roberts said. “We never wavered in our confidence, and we’ve shown that, and he’s proven us all right.”

After a slow start to the season, Muncy turned it on towards the end of April and has been a force in the middle of the Dodgers lineup since then.

Muncy started seeing the ball better after he began wearing prescription glasses in games, and hit a home run after his first at bat with them on.

The third baseman had a .180/.295/.236 slash line heading into the team's April 30 game against the Miami Marlins, and it has now risen to .242/.373/.442. In June alone, he is batting .310 with five home runs and 14 runs batted in with an OPS of 1.082.

His 16.7% walk rate is the second-highest in MLB behind Juan Soto, and he is striking out far less than before, having just 16 strikeouts in May and 13 in June after putting up 25 in April.

Muncy played a huge role in the Dodgers' win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, crushing two home runs — incuding a grand slam which gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead —in their 13-7 win. Sunday's contest marked the second time in a month Muncy had recorded seven RBIs in a game, the other coming against the New York Yankees, where he also had two home runs.

Muncy is second in NL All-Star voting among third basemen behind Manny Machado, and appears to be on his way to his third All-Star Game. He is one of seven Dodgers position players to be in spots which would qualify them to move onto the final round of voting.

The Dodgers will hope for Muncy to continue to produce the numbers he has over the last couple of months as they tighten their grip on the NL West. They lead the San Francisco Giants by 3,5 games in the NL West, and will travel to play the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.