Max Muncy=Enigma

Don’t get me wrong, I like Max. He is one of those signings that come out of nowhere and pay off big. Released by the A’s in March of 2017 after a 96-game tryout where he hit only .195, he signed with the Dodgers in April of 2017 and was sent to AAA OKC. He played 110 games there and hit .309 with 12 homers and 44 RBI’s.

He went to spring training with the team in 2018 but was called up after 9 games. He went on to play 137 games with the Dodgers. He hit 35 homers, drove in 79 and hit .263. He split most of his time between first, second and third base, and even played six games in the outfield. He hit 2 homers against the Braves in the NLDS but had none in the NLCS where he hit .182. His most memorable hit in the World Series was a walk-off homer off of Nathan Eovaldi in the 18th inning of game three. The only game the Dodgers would win.

He played 141 games in 2019. He again slugged 35 homers and drove in 98. His BA dipped to .253, but he was a huge part of the Dodger offense. He had a good playoff series against the Nationals hitting 3 homers and driving in 7 in the loss. Max struggled during the shortened 2020 season. Many players did. He hit only .192, hit 12 homers and drove in 27 runs.

In the playoffs that year, he went ofer against the Brewers in 2 games. He went 3-11 against the Padres in the three-game sweep driving in a couple runs. In the NLCS against the Braves, he hit 2 homers, one of them a grand-slam, and drove in 6. He hit well in the World Series, .318 with a homer and six runs batted in. He also only struck out four times.

With the pandemic over, and things getting back to normal, Max was the Dodgers everyday first baseman. He rebounded hitting wise as his average rose to .249 and he slugged 36 homers. He also drove in 94. But then disaster struck. Max suffered an injury to his elbow on a play at first base on the last day of the season. Max would miss the playoffs. Bad luck for both Max and the Dodgers. They missed his bat against the Giants, who he just murders, and then when they made it to the NLCS, they missed his pop against the Braves. His replacements were Albert Pujols and Matt Beaty. Bellinger did play first in a game or two.

In 22, Max, who obviously was not 100 percent, struggled for most of the season making contact. It was reflected in his .196 average. He did manage to hit 21 homers, but he struck out 141 times. A lot of that result could be traced to his elbow not being fully healed and strong. His OPS for the year was .713. Far below his .824 career mark.

Now it is 2023. Max is at this point in the season, almost two years removed from his injury. And this is where the enigma part comes in. He is hitting with power, but he is not getting base hits. Last night against the Brewers, Max had two singles. He at this point in the season has as many homers as he has singles, 28. His BA has been below the Mendoza line for most of the year and right now it is sitting at .195.

Those who see value in his on base abilities point to his OPS of .803. For the last month, according to Orel and Joe, it is over 1.000. His OPS plus is 114. 14 points above league average. I point out that in 338 at bats, Max has struck out 111 times, nearly 33 percent. Wasted at bats. In my humble opinion, he takes way too many pitches right down the middle of the plate. If Max was hitting even his career average, .226, I would not be so critical. But as it stands right now, he is a black hole in the lineup. One can criticize Barnes all they like, but Austin rarely plays. When you play as much as Muncy, 99 games, you need to be more productive at the plate. Max did spend some time on the IL, but still, he just is not making enough contact.

Max has an option for next year that could pay him 14 million if he reaches all of the incentives. Most likely the Dodgers will exercise the option because in my opinion again, he is going to become the semi-permanent DH. When I heard JD Martinez’s interview with Kirsten tonight, he said he was only here for one season. Sounds to me like he is planning on either signing with another team or pulling the plug.

As a Dodger fan, I only wish the best for Max. I sincerely hope that next spring, he finds a way to make more consistent contact. Watching him at bat can be a painful experience sometimes. Especially when he is chasing balls out of the zone that he couldn’t hit with a crane. It has been close to two full seasons of sub-200 BA. To some, it is not important. But the Dodgers seem to be shifting from the lift principal to making solid contact. I heard last night that Mookie’s surge, he is now hitting over .290, is because he has returned to the making solid contact hitting philosophy.