Dodgers: Max Muncy says ‘mental change’ rejuvenated career

Dodgers hitter Max Muncy battled through depression and doubt before finding his swing in the majors.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy has turned into one of the most consistent power hitters in the National League. The 2019 All-Star became the first Dodger to hit 30-plus home runs in back-to-back seasons since Shawn Green in 2001 and 2002. But nobody, including Muncy, would have predicted that two years earlier.

In talking to Joe Davis and Orel Hershisher on their Off Air podcast this week, Muncy said that it was his mental approach that helped turn his career around.

“Everything wants to talk about swing changes and hitting home runs, but to me, the biggest key to my success was just a mental change,” Muncy said. “The reason why I got released was that I started getting depressed: I was not happy; I hated baseball; I didn’t want anything to do with it; I didn’t enjoy showing up to the field, it was almost like a chore. It’s like that job you just really hate.”

After being released by Oakland in 2017, Muncy wasn’t sure where his baseball career would wind up, admitting he considered a variety of options, including starting a career outside of baseball, before signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers.

“When I realized I wanted to go back to play baseball, that’s when things needed to change,” Muncy said. “So I made that mental adjustment. My biggest thing was that I was going to go out there and have fun. I was going to play like myself.”

Max Muncy rejuvenated his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He spent the entire 2017 season playing for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in the Pacific Coast League. It was there that he started to show some promise, hitting .309 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. He had only hit 5 home runs as a major leaguer with the Oakland Athletics between 2015 and 2016.

Then in 2018 everything changed. Finding his way into the Dodgers lineup, the Midland, Texas native became the fastest player to hit 20 home runs in franchise history (183 at bats). He ended up with 35 on the year. The left-handed hitter was then faced with the challenge of proving it wasn’t a fluke.

“My whole goal was not to get complacent with it,” Muncy said. “[It] was to show up [the] next year and act like I didn’t have a job again, to act like I had to win a spot on the team.”

Muncy hit 35 home runs again in 2019. His 70 regular season home runs over the last two years rank as the 11th most in baseball. He has also proven a clutch hitter with six long balls and 13 RBIs in 21 postseason games.

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If Max Muncy’s story doesn’t inspire you to keep working at your craft, nothing will.