Dodgers News: Max Muncy Among Top 10 Third Basemen Right Now

As we approach spring training, MLB Network is putting together their “Top 10 Right Now” lists. It’s a fun way help baseball fans get ready for the upcoming season, especially fans of teams with good players.

Thursday’s list was third base, which is an interesting one for the Dodgers because their third baseman for nearly the last decade is no longer on the team and no one is totally sure who will play that position for them in 2023.

But Los Angeles has a third baseman on the Top 10 Right Now list, one spot below their old third baseman.

It’s interesting that Justin Turner is on the list, considering that his teammate Rafael Devers is three spots above him and the Red Sox have said JT will be playing DH and first base. But we’re here to talk about Max Muncy. Muncy was LA’s primary third baseman last year, with Turner playing a lot of DH, and he’s an option to be their primary third baseman this year. But there’s also a chance Muncy will play very little third base, because top prospect Miguel Vargas’s primary position is third, too.

Muncy had a rough year in 2022, struggling at the plate for the first half of the season before stepping up after a tweak to his swing mechanics in late June. He’s been excellent in three of his five seasons in LA — not coincidentally, the three seasons in which he was healthy — with subpar years in 2020 and 2022.

Muncy is looking to have a healthy, productive season in 2023, and whether he’s playing third base or second, he’d be a huge asset to the Dodgers if he can find his stroke. If he’s number eight after a bad year, imagine how high he’ll climb next year if he has a classic Muncy season.

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