LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy has more home runs than Max Muncy, but it’s a slow race so far to start the season. The A’s rookie second baseman has one, while the Dodgers third baseman has zero to date.
The elder Muncy is off to a slow start this season, hitting just .176/.232/.255 with a 42 wRC+ in 15 games.
Part of that is that the Dodgers have faced an inordinate number of left-handed starting pitchers this season — eight in the first 17 games, with Muncy starting five of those games — and Muncy is just 1-for-16 against southpaws, with the one hit a double.
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Muncy is actually hitting the ball harder, as 50 percent of his batted balls have registered an exit velocity 95 mph or higher.
Only Shohei Ohtani and Tommy Edman have higher hard-hit rates on the team. But Muncy is also chasing more, swinging at 25.6 percent of pitches outside of the zone, compared to his 19-percent career chase rate.
His walks are less than half his career rate (7.1 percent vs. 14.9 percent), and his strikeouts are way up (42.9 percent vs. 24.9 percent career), third-highest rate in the majors among qualified batters.
Hitting a home run. In 2016 when he was intermittently in the majors with the A’s, Muncy went his first 51 PA without a home run, but no other season-starting power drought has lasted more than 25 plate appearances.
He is a streaky hitter though, and has had longer home run droughts during seasons in his career, including two longer streaks than this current one back in 2021, a season in which Muncy hit 36 home runs.
Max Muncy longest home run droughts
- 80 PA, May 7-June 9, 2022
- 77 PA, May 19-Sep 29, 2015
- 67 PA, April 16-May 4, 2021
- 65 PA, July 19-August 10, 2021
- 63 PA, September 4-22, 2020
- 62 PA, August 12-September 29, 2016
- 61 PA, August 21-September 6, 2022
Muncy drove in one of the Dodgers’ two runs on Sunday with a sacrifice fly to right field that tied the game in the sixth inning.
“I thought that at-bat against [Caleb] Thielbar, I thought I saw some fight there, some will to drive in a run,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “I thought the last couple of days, he looked much better, softer on his front side, and taking better at-bats. Next series, I feel good about Max going forward.”
Rockies pitchers are tied for the fourth-most home runs allowed this season with 21. Muncy has one home run in 29 plate appearances against Antonio Senzatela, who is starting Monday night for Colorado at Dodger Stadium, and no home runs in 12 PA against Tuesday starter Ryan Feltner.
Muncy in his career has four home runs in 38 PA against Germán Márquez, who is lined up to start Wednesday night’s series finale. Those 38 PA are tied for second-most by Muncy against any pitcher, so there’s some familiarity there.
Today’s question is when will Max Muncy hit his first home run in 2025?
