Dodgers: Max Muncy Quietly Heats Up In May
Entering the 2019 season, one of the biggest questions for the Los Angeles Dodgers was whether Max Muncy could replicate his amazing 2018 season. Many thought his numbers were a “fluke”, that he was a “flash in the pan”, truth be told, up until the end of April I was beginning to wonder myself. As it turns out, Justin Turner is not the only one who believes the season starts in May.
Minors
The Dodgers signed Max Muncy to a minor league contract in April of 2017.
Dodgers Sign Max Muncy To Minor-League Deal https://t.co/pDGbIZcfDL pic.twitter.com/xwUFlgvs1j
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) April 29, 2017
He impressed quickly at Triple-A Oklahoma City hitting .309 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in 109 games. Picking up where he left off in 2017, Muncy started 2018 by hitting .313 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI in his first 9 games at Oklahoma City. On April 17, with Justin Turner and Logan Forsythe out with injuries, Muncy was called up to cover the hot corner. He has not looked back.
Majors
Upon being called up, Muncy had a slow start hitting just .207 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. However, his bat came alive in May and June as he hit 15 more home runs and knocked in 31 runs. Muncy’s second half was consistent with the first, finishing with 35 home runs, 79 RBIs and a .263 batting average. Although he did hit a postseason slump, he will forever be linked to Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. In what would be the longest game in World Series history, Muncy hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th inning.
2019
2019 began slow for Max Muncy. During Spring Training he hit only .208 with no home runs, 5 RBIs, and 20 strike outs in 53 at bats. March and April were better, but still not the “Funky Muncy” fans hoped would return. He finished April batting .247 (.247/.345/.462) with 5 home runs and 17 RBI in 31 games. Like Justin Turner though, the month of May once again has quietly ignited Muncy’s bat.
Muncy, who's now batting over .300 in May, ties it up with his 50th career home run — 45 of which have come with the Dodgers the last two years.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 23, 2019
So far in the month of May, he is batting .302 (.302/.389/.556) with 5 home runs and 13 RBI. Additionally, his OPS for the month of May is .944, a significant uptick from the respectable .808 he had for March/April.
Muncy’s No Fluke
With Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, and Kiké Hernández continuing to struggle with consistency, Muncy is rounding into proper form at the right time. Furthermore, he has shown he will make adjustments as a batter. Adjustments being the key to success for a baseball player, Max Muncy is no “flash in the pan”. Max Muncy, is here to stay.