Building the perfect Dodgers lineup for 2021 season
By Adam Weinrib
Batting Fourth: Max Muncy, 1B
The Dodgers are keeping things stable in our vision for the future.
Yeah, we see no reason to deviate from the championship-winning model just yet. After all, it’s only money!
Muncy has come out of nowhere to become the most patient bat in the Dodgers’ lineup, as well as a perfectly powerful gnat in the cleanup spot.
Despite a down year average-wise in 2020, Muncy still OBP’d .331, a remarkable 139 points above his batting average, and drilled 12 home runs. It was the 30-year-old’s worst campaign since joining the Dodgers, and yet he still proved once October rolled around what a valuable assassin he can be.
The three and four holes have been deemphasized in modern baseball, but this remains the spot where you put your beefiest hitter. The one who’s most likely to run into one and clear the speedsters from the base paths. A new-agey lineup tinkerer might place Muncy in the leadoff spot due to his exemplary OBP, but that’s not happening on our watch. Stay fourth, Ponyboy.