Dodgers Interview: Muncy’s goals for spring are clear

CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ — Max Muncy made his spring debut Thursday and came out of it with a hit and a calm demeanor. The Dodgers beat the White Sox 7-6, and Muncy chipped in a single in three at-bats, then talked about the slower ramp the club has emphasized early in camp. He also got into what he actually needs from spring training, what the Automated Ball Strike system (ABS) feels like so far, and why lineup spots feel almost irrelevant with this group.

“This is the first normal spring we’ve had in several years,” Muncy said. “We don’t have to make a cross-world trip this spring. So for a lot of us, just the back-to-back World Series, trying to prioritize rest over the offseason. That was a conversation that was had with multiple people. It was kind of just, give your body as much rest as possible. We’ll start ramping things up later than normal.” He said the tradeoff is pretty straightforward. “Because of that, you’re just not ready for the first week of games,” Muncy said, “but we’re still scheduled to get more than 50 at-bats, which is definitely plenty to get ready for a season.”

When he explained what spring is really for, he put it in the most relatable baseball terms possible. “The biggest thing is you’re trying to build up endurance for the season,” Muncy said. “You can train all offseason all you want, but the first day you put on cleats and you go out there and it’s stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, just a normal baseball game, it kind of kills the body a little bit. So spring is kind of about just building up baseball endurance. Going out there every inning, getting the at-bats, because when you’re training, you’re just swinging over and over again. You’re not taking a break in between. So you’re trying to build up that kind of endurance.”

Muncy didn’t have Freddie Freeman’s exact number in mind for plate appearances, and he laughed at the idea of it being that precise. “I don’t know where Freddy got that number from,” Muncy said. “For me, it was kind of just when we felt like I was ready for games, we were going to get in there and then we just build off that. Try to get some back-to-backs, couple day-nights in there, and then towards the end, start playing three in a row, getting ready, get the soreness out of the body for the season. So I don’t have a set number. Like I said, right now we’re scheduled for over 50, and there’s obviously ways you can get more if you need to.”

On ABS, Muncy said the learning curve is real, and it may take more than a week or two for hitters to fully adjust. “We had it last spring, so it’s interesting,” he said. “It’s going to take a little bit to learn what the true zone actually is. Early on we’re discovering the zone’s a little bit lower than what everyone actually thinks it is.” He offered one possible reason for why it feels that way on the field. “When you’re measured for your ABS, you don’t have shoes on and then you go put cleats on and stand in a box,” Muncy said. “So it’s almost a two, three inch difference right there alone. So learning what the actual true zone is might take a little bit of time, even into the season.”

When the conversation turned to the lineup depth and the idea that he could hit sixth or seventh some nights, Muncy shrugged at the whole concept. “To be honest, I don’t think it really matters where you bat in our lineup,” he said. “You’re going to have some guys on base. You’re going to have opportunities.”

He also talked about his own role after the last couple seasons included time on the injured list. “For me, it’s just not changed who I am, what I do,” Muncy said. “I think what I do is very vital to the lineup construction. Seeing pitches, taking walks, doing damage here and there.” Then he got to the heart of it. “The biggest thing is just don’t get out of myself,” Muncy said. “Let everyone else be who they are and not have to be someone they’re not. My time on the injured list over the last couple years, what I’ve learned about myself is the lineup works better when I’m me.”

That’s about as clear a mission statement as you can get for late February. A normal spring, a slower build, and a hitter who already knows exactly what he wants his season to look like.

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