Dodgers Slugger Max Muncy Focused on 'Just Being Healthy' This Spring
In 2022, Dodgers infielder Max Muncy was having a horrific season before a late-June mechanical tweak salvaged his season. Still, it was his worst overall year since coming to Los Angeles and something he's eager to put behind him.
After LA's first intrasquad scrimmage on Thursday, in which Muncy grounded a base hit up the middle off new teammate Noah Syndergaard on what probably would have been a groundout back when teams were allowed to shift, Muncy talked with Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation about the shift, the new dynamic in the clubhouse, and a variety of other topics.
McKain asked Muncy what he's zeroing in on this spring, and Muncy's response was pretty simple.
"Just being healthy. Just making sure my body's moving the right way because that was something that happened last year. We were just dealing with the injury, trying to get back — things weren't moving how they were supposed to move, even though it felt comfortable, and that ended up costing me. So just making sure that my body's moving the right way, I think that's most important thing that I'm focusing on."
Video of Muncy's single off Syndergaard showed that he didn't do the step-back mechanics he added last June. That tweak was always meant to be a band-aid while he fully recovered from his 2021 elbow injury, so it's not surprising he ditched it, especially with his focus on simplifying his mechanics.
It was hard to see a hitter as good as Muncy struggle last year, so if he can be fully healthy and lock in the mechanics that made him one of the most feared sluggers in baseball from 2018-21, it will be huge news for Muncy, the Dodgers, and Dodger fans everywhere.
