Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers All-Star Named Biggest Bust of First Month of 2025 Season

Jason Fray|
Apr 20, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) bats against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Apr 20, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) bats against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Those who watch the Los Angeles Dodgers on a game-to-game basis understand the struggles of Max Muncy at the moment.

Those level-headed fans also understand how important he's been to the franchise over the last decade, and how much he's respected within the clubhouse as a team-first player who will do anything he can to help the Boys in Blue be victorious.

More news: MLB Makes Major Change to Shohei Ohtani At-Bat That Helps Dodgers Star

That's not to say Muncy won't avoid some flack from some of the more national media publications based on his slow start to the 2025 season.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote an article which scans the entire big leagues with the aim of identifying those players who are considered to be the 'biggest busts' of the season thus far in 2025. Muncy was listed as one of those players, and his rough start to the year is certainly something worth highlighting as it pertains to the subject matter of this specific piece.

"To be clear, the batting average isn't the concerning part here. Max Muncy was a .210 hitter over the past three seasons combined and is sitting at .226 for his career. Racking up base hits has never been part of his game. But no home runs in more than 90 plate appearances? His worst walk rate since his rookie season? And his worst strikeout rate ever? This isn't the Muncy of yore, and the Dodgers might need to make a tough decision about their third base situation sooner rather than later if this continues."

Coming into action on Wednesday versus the Miami Marlins, Muncy was hitting .180 with zero homers and four runs batted in. He finally broke through on Wednesday with his first home run of the season.

When speaking about a 'tough decision' that could come sooner than later, the inference involves the status of Alex Freeland. One of the Dodgers best prospects, he's been playing exceptionally well at third base for the Triple-A team. Freeland is hitting .309 with a solid .382 OBP. He's more athletic than Muncy is, and profiles to be a better defender. He's also a decade younger — and many believe he could be the longterm answer at third base sooner than later.

No one is feeling the heat more than Muncy. He understands the need to perform with the bottom of the order sputtering over this first month of the year. There's an expectation in place within the organization that if you're not playing up to the standard set forth, they'll get someone in there that will.

More news: What Does Max Muncy's Future With the Dodgers Look Like? MLB Insider Answers

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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