Los Angeles Dodgers: Should Max Muncy be starting at Second Base?
Max Muncy has cemented a firm place in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup but continues to be shuffled around the diamond defensively. With the team starting to resemble something close to healthy, and with Logan Forsythe continuing to struggle, it looks to be the perfect time to give Muncy a consistent shot at Second.
The trade that sent former top pitching prospect Jose De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays from the Los Angeles Dodgers, in exchange for Second baseman Logan Forsythe is looking more and more like a lose-lose for both sides.
With De Leon currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, Logan Forsythe has at least been able to suit up most of the time for LA. While he has brought defensive value, versatility, and subtle intangibles, Logan has hit around .230 with eight homers over 161 games in his Dodger career.
While he had produced well against lefties in the past, he has just a .618 OPS against them this year. For whatever reason, whether because of injury or everyday struggles, it generally hasn’t worked out for Forsythe in his Dodger tenure.
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That’s not to say that the strong and versatile defender doesn’t have a place on the team anymore, but it is time to diminish his role.
Luckily for the Dodgers, they found yet another All-Star talent laying on top of the scrap heap in Max Muncy.
Much has been said already about Muncy, but my favorite attribute of his is would be his platoon splits. Specifically, they aren’t any to speak of because Muncy has produced an OPS of around 1.000 against left AND right-handed pitching.
While those numbers aren’t sustainable, it shows just how outstanding Muncy has been. He shouldn’t be on the bench, no matter what arm the pitcher throws with.
There’s no doubt offensively that Muncy has earned the starting job at second even with many of the other position players, like Justin Turner, returning from injury. If Dave Roberts and the Dodgers need to take away at-bats from somebody against left-handed pitching, then let it be Cody Bellinger and his .205 average against southpaws.
His comparisons to Aaron Judge have vanished in the wind, with whispers of the Joc Pederson comparisons becoming more valid. The team has enough defensive versatility to make it work by sliding Turner to first and Forsythe to third, and they need the extra offense with a good deal of their pitching still banged up.
Muncy has just started playing a bit of second base during the last week, but he needs consistent time there to get acclimated. Defensively, the idea of Muncy starting at second in the postseason (if LA is so lucky) isn’t ideal.
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He’s a reasonably burly guy and is much more suited for the corners or left field. However, with most of those positions already locked up, there’s a definite weakness with the bat currently holding down second base.
Forsythe can sub in for Muncy late in games as a defensive ace, and Muncy can keep anything and everything. Max Muncy has proven he needs to be in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup every day, no matter who is pitching.