Coming off a stellar 2019 campaign both at the plate and playing the field, Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Max Muncy was ranked among the top 10 first basemen for the 2020 season by MLB Network’s The Shredder.
Muncy checks in at No. 2 on the list, trailing only the Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman. The rest of the group, in order, consists of the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt, the Oakland Athletics’ Matt Olson, the New York Yankees’ Luke Voit, the Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Santana, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Josh Bell and the Chicago White Sox’s Edwin Encarnación.
A trio of MLB Network analysts also included Muncy in their personal rankings. He places third on Sarah Langs and Ben Lindbergh’s lists, and fifth in Mike Petriello’s order.
In 141 games last season, Muncy hit .251/.374/.515 with 22 doubles, one triple, 35 home runs, 98 RBI and 90 walks across 589 plate appearances. He earned his first career All-Star Game nod and finished 15th in National League MVP voting.
Muncy was equally effective against both right-handed and left-handed pitchers last season, posting an .887 on-base plus slugging against the opposite split and an .893 OPS against the same split.
Muncy also thrived from a defensive standpoint, splitting time at first base, second base and third base. He arguably enjoyed his most success at first base, posting a 9.1 UZR/150 with two defensive runs saved in 402.2 innings.
Over the last two seasons, Muncy’s 146 wRC+ paces all qualified first basemen. The average wRC+ for a first baseman last year was 105, which Muncy easily surpassed at 133.
Muncy’s 5.7 WAR (Baseball-Reference) additionally topped all qualified first basemen last season. The Dodgers signed him to a three-year extension over the winter, which covers the remainder of his arbitration years and possibly the start of free agency.
Ready for Opening Day
Muncy was hit by a pitch in his left ring finger early into Summer Camp, which slowed his level of activity. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts maintained throughout that time that Muncy would be in the lineup come Opening Day.
That was further supported by the 29-year-old returning to intrasquad action and also appearing in exhibition games.
| Rank | The Shredder | Mike Petriello | Sarah Langs | Ben Lindbergh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freddie Freeman (Braves) | Freddie Freeman (Braves) | Freddie Freeman (Braves) | Freddie Freeman (Braves) |
| 2 | Max Muncy (Dodgers) | Matt Olson (Athletics) | Pete Alonso (Mets) | Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) |
| 3 | Pete Alonso (Mets) | Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) | Max Muncy (Dodgers) | Max Muncy (Dodgers) |
| 4 | Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) | Pete Alonso (Mets) | Anthony Rizzo (Cubs) | Pete Alonso (Mets) |
| 5 | Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals) | Max Muncy (Dodgers) | Carlos Santana (Indians) | Matt Olson (Athletics) |
| 6 | Matt Olson (Athletics) | Carlos Santana (Indians) | Matt Olson (Athletics) | Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals) |
| 7 | Luke Voit (Yankees) | Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals) | Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals) | Josh Bell (Pirates) |
| 8 | Carlos Santana (Indians) | Josh Bell (Pirates) | Josh Bell (Pirates) | Carlos Santana (Indians) |
| 9 | Josh Bell (Pirates) | Christian Walker (Diamondbacks) | José Abreu (White Sox) | Rhys Hoskins (Phillies) |
| 10 | Edwin Encarnación (White Sox) | Luke Voit (Yankees) | Yuli Gurriel (Astros) | Joey Vott (Reds) |
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