The Los Angeles Dodgers have been decimated by injuries so far in 2018, with the bulk of them coming to their starting rotation and infield.
With Corey Seager out for the remainder season and both Justin Turner and Logan Forsythe missing a large portion of the first couple months, that opened up more opportunities for Max Muncy who otherwise would have remained with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Muncy has made the most of his chances, initially filling in at third base and swinging his way into more playing time that came at first base once Turner returned. He’s a big reason why the Dodgers have gotten back into the playoff picture in recent weeks.
The 27-year-old hit another home run in a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, giving him five in his last seven games and nine in his last 19.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has seen players like Muncy come out of nowhere to play at an All-Star caliber level, comparing what he has done so far this season to what Chris Taylor did for the team in 2017, per Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“Very good parallel,” Roberts said. “What we expected from them, their production, how they have assimilated with our team, and the lift they have given us — very, very comparable.”
Roberts is right, the way Muncy came on in replacement of injured players is very similar to what Taylor did for the Dodgers last year when they went on to win 104 games and advance to their first World Series since 1988. Taylor was named co-MVP of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, along with Turner.
Muncy is currently tied with Cody Bellinger for the team lead with 12 home runs on the season to go along with 28 RBI and a .272/.395/.616 slashline. He has continued to produce at a high level, forcing Roberts to put his name in the lineup card every day.
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