You hear the phrase “boom or bust” a lot in sports. It has a somewhat negative connotation, but when you break it down, these are the types of players who can single-handedly change the outcome of a game.
In the NFL, they are gamebreakers. The home run hitters, who might do very little all game, and then burn the defense for an 80-yard touchdown. Think Tyreek Hill early in his career. In the NBA, they are the shooters who can get hot and take over by knocking down four three-pointers in a quarter. Buddy Hield, for example.
In MLB, they are the power hitters. They might strike out a lot, leaving you with nothing, but when they come to the plate, you always know there is a chance they clear the bases with one swing of the bat. That is Max Muncy.
Muncy has been a staple in the Dodgers‘ lineup for eight seasons now. He has three top-15 NL MVP finishes, two World Series rings, and four campaigns with 35-plus home runs. Still, every season around this time, the strikeouts and errors start to add up, and with his batting average hovering around .200, the fans in Los Angeles begin to let out a groan when they see him come to the plate.
“It has been a tough one for Max from the start, but give him a lot of credit. He hasn’t wavered from the work. He hasn’t run from the criticisms, and he is showing up every day to play and help us win ball games,” said manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers’ faithful can be impatient; the fan base has become so accustomed to success that they sometimes fail to realize how difficult baseball is. There are peaks and valleys for all players, even the superstars of the sport. Shohei Ohtani was a sub-.200 hitter during the 2020 COVID season, and he is the best player in the world. Mookie Betts is currently having the worst season of his career at the plate, and no one cares because it is freaking Mookie Betts.
Muncy is not in the same class as those two, but he deserves more respect than he gets. He finished with seven RBIs in an 18-2 rout of the New York Yankees on Saturday, hitting his 200th career home run in the second inning before following it up with his 201st later on in the fifth. The very next night, he tormented the Yankees’ pitching staff once again, going 2-3 with another home run.
The Dodgers’ third baseman has hit the eighth-most home runs in franchise history, and could move as high as fifth this season with a hot second half.
“To hit as many as I have hit in a Dodgers uniform means everything, just with what this organization has meant to me. It is a blessing, a number that I am certainly proud of,” said Muncy.
Since the beginning of May, Muncy’s average has climbed 39 points; he has hit six home runs, batted in 27 runs, and drawn 16 walks. When he is right, Muncy is one of the elite “boom or bust” power hitters in the league.
“He got the glasses, which are probably helping him see the baseball a lot better. I think the mechanics in the swing are much better. It is shorter, so he is not overstriding. With his approach, I think his strikeout-to-walk rate is one-to-one over the last thirty days. He is using the whole field, which I haven’t seen him do consistently since 2021,” said Roberts.
Funny enough, Muncy started wearing prescription glasses on the last day of April to help with his left eye at the plate, and it is working.
“It is hard to deny it. It is one of those things that I have said is not something that I need, but any chance that it will even out both eyes for me, I will take it, and the results have been there,” said Muncy. “They say you don’t believe in coincidences when it comes to baseball.”
Muncy finished the series against New York 5-10 with three home runs, eight RBIs, four runs, and a walk. That is MVP-type of stuff if it comes during a playoff series.
“Just trying to build on the positives, that is what we all do in this game. The last several weeks have been really good for me, so I’m just trying to keep the momentum moving forward,” said Muncy. “I think it is just getting a couple of balls to go where I want them to go, and you guys know how baseball is sometimes just a couple of things can get you rolling.”
Even as battered as Los Angeles is by injuries, they are still in first place in the NL West and are only two games back from first in the National League. They have made twelve consecutive postseason appearances, and are essentially a shoo-in to return there once again this year.
Letting Muncy figure it out on the fly was a luxury the Dodgers could afford, and now it is paying off.
When it comes down to it, you want the nine best hitters in the lineup come October, not in June, and there is no doubt Muncy should be one of those nine when that time rolls around.
His track record is far too great for fans to get frustrated every season when he is not performing up to standard. It happens to everybody, and Muncy has proven he will bounce back like he has in the month of May. All of a sudden, he is once again beloved after what he did to the Yankees, which should not be a surprising development.
Featured Image: Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy connects for a three-run home run against the New York Yankees on May 31, 2025. In the Dodgers’ 18-2 win, Muncy hit two home runs and drove in seven runs at Dodger Stadium. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman/News4usOnline
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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