One of my favorite Dodgers, third baseman Max Muncy has gotten off to a dreadful start. He’s slashing just .178/.282./247 (13 for 73) with no home runs and just four runs batted in across 85 plate appearances while playing in 23 games. It’s super early, but the most concerning part of Muncy’s struggles is that he has not hit a home run this year. Perhaps even more worrisome is that he has walked just 10 times, and has reached base less than 30% of his at-bats. Muncy’s strengths has not only been his power, but his trademark plate discipline. He’s routinely been one of the most patient batters in the National League. He rarely swings at pitches outside the strike zone and has always had the ability to grind pitchers into the dirt.
So what could be the problem with Muncy this season? That’s difficult to determine this early. He seems to be relatively healthy this year. Last year Muncy battled multiple injuries but was still able to hit 15 home runs and post a .358 on-base percentage to go along with 45 walks. I’m sure the Dodger’s coaching staff (who know much more than I do) are looking at this and working with Max to try and get him back on track. We could look at some of his batted ball stats, and some of those are probably going to be poor, or well below his career norms.
Jeff D of LadodgerChronicles A Statcast Peak at LAD Hitters – Dodger took a look at some of his statcast numbers while reminding us of Muncy’s past issues with his swing mechanics and batting stance.
“Is this just a slow start? Remember in 2022 when Muncy began implementing a “back-step” in his hitting motion, sliding his left foot back slightly as he loaded up to hit. This adjustment was a result of struggling with his swing mechanics.”
If Muncy has been struggling with his swing mechanics, that could explain some of his slow starts or long stretches of poor production over the last couple of years. Could this just be due to advancing age? Muncy is now 34 years old. When position players get older, they lose bat speed, and they are not able to catch up as much on fastballs. So I took a look over at statcast to get a better idea if they can help shed some light on this. There are two stats to keep an eye on. One is average bat speed, and the other is fast swing rate.
Average bat speed is not the same as a fast swing rate. A fast swing is a quick swing, that stroke has to be over 75 MPH in order to be considered a fast swing, according to this. Let’s compare Muncy to say Shohei Ohtani’s average bat speed and fast swing rate. I know it’s probably unfair to compare anyone to Ohtani, but I want to have a baseline comparison to one of the best hitters in the league. Ohtani’s Average Bat Speed is 76.7, placing him fifth in the majors to no surprise and his fast swing rate is 65.4%. Muncy’s average bat speed is 71.3 placing him 148, and his fast swing rate is 14.9%. Statcast only goes back to 2023 for these Numbers. What was Muncy’s average bat speed in 2023 and 2024? It was the same, 71.3. and his fast swing rate is the same as well at 14.9%. It looks like his competitive swing rate is down, and his contact rate is down as well. He’s making less competitive swings and making contact less than he has in recent seasons. He’s also swinging at pitches outside the zone more than he would normally.
So what does all of this mean? I am not sure. It could mean that he has not lost bat speed, but he is chasing pitches outside the strike zone more often, and having more non-competitive swings on pitches in the zone. He’s definitely not squaring up on pitches. Perhaps Jeff is correct, and his swing mechanics and batting stance is all out of whack, causing his swing to be misaligned. If that is the case then that is something correctable. The Dodger’s coaching staff will work with him and get him straightened out. It seems like he hasn’t lost any bat speed, but his swing has lost a little bit of speed. When players get older, especially when they get into their 30’s, they do lose bat speed. It’s something that naturally happens little by little each year. I’m not saying that’s happened to Muncy, but it’s possible he’s lost a tick of bat speed.
I like Muncy a lot. I think he’s been a very productive hitter for the Dodgers. He’s got what I like to call sweat equity. He’s earned a bit of a reprieve and I think we can all give him a bit of a break. Maybe Muncy is just getting old, but I think his bat will eventually come around again. I think the Dodgers will squeeze the last bit of baseball juice out of him before they decide to permanently move on from him. Hopefully that won’t be for another several years. We haven’t seen the last of Funky Muncy yet.
Could it all be due to the astigmatism?
That would definitely prove a reason to think it’s not all age.
Yes you could be right. This was written before we knew if his vision issues. It would definitely explain his slow start. Although age could also be an issue.
Age is definitely a worry.
Well, whatever it is, he is starting to show signs of life. I am more concerned about Conforto than Muncy.