All-Star Infielder Visits Bleed Los Podcast

LOS ANGELES — The Bleed Los Podcast is coming out with all guns blazing in 2022. We’re still in a lockout, weeks from the earliest possible Spring Training game, but the boys got their first big “get” of 2022. All Star Infielder Max Muncy hung out in the carne asada with Bleed Los hosts Alonso and Juan for a wide-ranging discussion on all things Max and all things Dodgers. And of course, a Max Muncy interview couldn’t go by without a discussion of “that” moment on the final weekend of the season.

“As soon as it happened, I knew it was pretty much worst case scenario for me,” Muncy admitted, speaking of his freak injury in the game against the Brewers in which Muncy got his arm jammed between him and a baserunner on a bang-bang play at first base. “That’s the most pain I’ve ever been in in my life, without a doubt.”

Though Muncy said it “sucked” to be a spectator during the postseason, he wouldn’t take the bait when host Juan Ramirez suggested that if Mad Max had been in the lineup, the NLCS would have had a different outcome. “Things would have been different,” the slugger said, “Whether or not we would have won — all you can do is speculate on that.”

Muncy opened up about his early days as a hard-luck minor leaguer with the Oakland A’s, and his less than stellar introduction to the world of professional baseball. When he started his career in High-A, he was given two nights of complementary accommodations in the middle of Iowa, and after that he was on his own for living arrangements. Luckily, he was able to find a couple of teammates who offered to share lodging with Muncy, but it was a rude awakening for the former Baylor Bear, who was used to the star treatment that came with playing ball for an elite baseball school.

That all seems a world away now to the All-Star first baseman/infielder. In 2021, Muncy had a huge bounce-back year from a disappointing 2020, putting up solid numbers in all offensive categories and playing Gold-Glove caliber D at first. His slash line of .249/.368/.527 was elite, and his OPS of .895 was among the league’s best. Plus, his 36 home runs in less than 500 at-bats suggest that we are just starting to see what Max has to offer at the dish.

Other topics covered in the hour-long episode include his now-legendary 2019 confrontation with Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, his “blackout” after smashing the game-winning homerun in the epic seven-hour World Series game against the Red Sox, and his days playing winter ball in the Mexican Leagues. It’s a great discussion with one of the games true “love-him-or-hate-him” talents.

As for us, we are definitely in the “Love Him” camp. Looking forward to writing number 13 on my scorecard for many years to come.

You can check out the entire discussion by clicking on THIS LINK. Make sure you subscribe to the Bleed Los podcast for more insight into the Dodgers all year long.