Max Muncy Thriving On Offense & Defense For Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers currently possesses Major League Baseball’s top offense, having a handful of the league’s best performers at their respective positions.

Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith are among the most notable, with Teoscar Hernández being their hired gun, joining the team on a one-year deal. His insertion has also been key, currently making a strong impact with his RBI-driven mindset.

A plus-factor for the Dodgers lineup construction is the on-base mindset in the first four hitters. The constant traffic on the bases sets up a number of things, run scoring opportunities, rallies, and mistake pitches.

The Dodgers also have Max Muncy, whose offseason work put him on track to be the best version of himself. It started with a strong Spring Training campaign, which saw him bat .400/.567/.700 over 20 at-bats.

The buildup to the season, and his outspoken nature in ensuring that he felt fully healthy, was a good sign after spending last year noting that his elbow causing some inconsistencies at the plate.

Muncy’s offense continued to be solid, but on the inner half of the plate, he saw his expected batting averages take a hit. He mentioned that his elbow never felt good-enough to feel comfortable attacking that part of the zone, as well.

But this year he’s made the proper adjustments, and found a clean bill of health with the elbow. The Dodgers believed in his projected play, signing him to a two-year, $24 million extension.

His highlight game thus far came in an 11-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves this past Saturday, when Muncy slugged three home runs, finishing with a four hit night.

To this point in 2024, Muncy’s 156 wRC+ is fifth in MLB among left-handed hitters, and his .556 slugging percentage ranks 10th, just ahead of Betts. Since becoming a regular in the Dodgers’ lineup, Muncy has slugged 184 home runs, a conversation that he isn’t included in enough.

“Probably not and I don’t mind that personally,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Muncy. “The last thing I want him to hear is that he’s a power hitter because I think that’s where we get into the too big of swings, the strikeouts and the pull-mindedness. But yeah, when you look at the overall production of slug, he’s certainly up there.”

His 13.5% walk-rate is 17th in MLB, and his .256 batting average as of May 9 and on-base plus slugging above .900 is a shade of what he did during the 2021 season, and prior years dating back to his first year with the Dodgers.

Roberts went on to promote Muncy as more than just a long ball guy, mentioning that he’s hammered that notion much more as of late.

“A ton,” Roberts said when asked if the Dodgers had conversations with Muncy about cutting down on the three true outcomes. “I talk all the time about being a hitter to him, and to all of our guys. And he’s still slugging, but he’s taking much better at bats. And so for me, I’ve always felt that he has the ability to do both.”

Against right-handed pitchers, Muncy remains one of baseball’s best hitters, pairing him with Ohtani, Betts and Freeman. That quartet has given them enough firepower to make life difficult for righty starters early in games.

Max Muncy improved on defense

A lesser-talked about topic is his defense, which suffered at third base last year, when he totaled a -3 defensive runs saved with 11 fielding errors and five throwing errors.

But an offseason using a smaller glove to improve on his hand placement, was an effort to reduce to easy mistakes he made in the past. Reporting to camp in a better spot with his body has also made his life easier at the hot corner.

“It’s been a lot better as far as the time of good versus not so good,” Roberts said. “I think he’s moving really well, the ball is staying in the glove, he’s working as hard as I’ve seen him work.

“He’s working the right way, more game speed, so I really commend him on that. Dino (Ebel) has spent a lot of time with him, so it’s good to see that paying off for him. He’s been a great defender for us, he really has.”

Among qualified third baseman, Muncy ranks third in MLB with 3 DRS, with a 1.6 DEF value in 285 defensive innings at third. On plays when he’s charging in, the veteran looks in a good place and isn’t rushing throws on any play.

In his ninth season in the league, seventh with the Dodgers, Muncy is in a great place with himself, and in a fully loaded lineup.