Dodgers: Max Muncy Validating His Success From the 2018 Season

Max Muncy was one of the question marks for the Dodgers entering the 2019 season.  Was his breakout season real, or was he a one year wonder?

The Dodgers entered the 2019 season with only a few questions about their roster.  For a team that had gone to two straight World Series and returned roughly the same team, the main questions they faced had to do with early spring injuries.  One of the few questions was if Max Muncy was a one year wonder or a legit starter in the Major Leagues.

In the opening month of the season, Muncy posted a solid .269/.370/.487 line along with four home runs and thirteen RBI’s.  Max was once again excellent at getting on base, drawing thirteen walks which has led to him seeing at-bats from the number two spot in the order.  Add in his versatility to play all over the infield minus shortstop, and Muncy has even more value to the Dodgers this season.

With the calendar turning to May, Muncy has turned up the notch on his power.  In the small sample size, he slugged a pair of three-run home runs in the weekend series against the Padres.  Max is hitting over .300 with an OPS north of 1.000 in May.  He has also hit better against southpaw starters with an OPS over 1.000.  There were many debates last season about platooning Max and now he is looking to make the case for starting against lefties.

The Dodgers brought in David Freese to help protect against a regression from Muncy, but so far he has shown none.  While Freese will look to start at first base against left-handed pitching, Max Muncy has been gaining more starts and is inching towards being an everyday player with no platoon needed.

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Max Muncy is on pace to pass the thirty home run plateau once again and is proving to be an on-base machine for the second consecutive season.  He can also hold his own defensively at first base, second base, and third base.  With Justin Turner’s contract set to expire after the 2020 season, the future at third base remains unclear.  Corey Seager could shift over to third in the coming seasons.  Muncy would then settle in at first base with Bellinger in the outfield.

If Mad Max is going to see a “sophomore slump” in 2019, it has yet to arrive.  Even when he has gone through mini slumps he gets on base and passes the baton to the next Dodger in the order.  So far all signs point to Muncy being more than a one year wonder. He has even had reverse splits slugging and hitting for a better average against southpaw pitching.

If he can hold his own against lefties then the Dodgers could have another player in the lineup who is platoon proof. It’s been a wild ride to stardom for Max Muncy, if his story goes as we all hope it does, it will end with a couple of World Series rings.  Until then he will keep on slugging to show that his 2018 success was valid.