Dodgers News: Max Muncy Not Happy with Production So Far This Season
This season has been full of struggles and frustrations all around for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve dealt with too many injuries to count and multiple players showing inconsistent performances. But despite all the issues that have plagued this team, they sit in first place within the NL West division as the second half of the season opens up. It’s a testament to the entire organization and how the coaching staff never let up by putting players in good positions to succeed.
They have survived by relying on multiple rookies and having some of their normally “go-to” type guys struggling at the plate. One of those has been infielder Max Muncy as he had a very tough start to the 2023 season. He spoke on his first half of the year very candidly.
“I mean, it’s been pretty poor,” Muncy said of his first half.
Per The Athletic
Muncy is still mashing the ball as he has 21 home runs on the season, but he is hitting just .195 for the year. He has also added in 53 runs batted in as well, but he has been very reliant on the long ball this year when he is producing.
“I feel like my year’s kind of an anomaly,” he said. “With the exception of the batting average (.195), it’s really not that terrible a year. But to me, it feels so terrible. It’s one of those things where, since the injury in ’21, I just haven’t been able to find a rhythm. I’ve had to do things I haven’t done before to try to get that rhythm in the box. I can’t really get back to myself, and I don’t really know what that’s about.”
Per The Athletic
In addition to the struggles, Muncy had been dealing with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a bit of time. He has found it difficult to get into any sort of rhythm which can be extremely frustrating for a player like him. Since his arrival to the team in 2018, Muncy has been one of the Dodgers’ staples as a hitter so it must be hard for him to not be as effective as he has been in years past.
“Maybe it’s a mental thing,” Muncy said. “Maybe it’s something other than that. But I know I’m still a good hitter, and it’s just trying to find ways to get back to that.”
Per The Athletic
Prior to the All-Star break, Muncy looked somewhat like his old self as he hit three home runs and collected three singles over the final homestand. So maybe there is something there that can carry over into the new part of the year.
The team is hopeful that Muncy can put his rough start to the season behind him and look ahead to the second half. They are going to need his big bat in their lineup if they want to make any real noise come playoff time. He has been solid for them in the playoffs in the past so the hope is that when the games matter most, Muncy will deliver.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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