Max Muncy is sitting more against LHP this season

28/04/2024 00:18

A look at Dodgers lineups against left-handed pitchers so far in 2024, and some emerging trends

Against southpaw Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday in Toronto, Gavin Lux and James Outman both did not start, which has been the norm against left-handed pitching this season. Max Muncy sat too, which is becoming more of a regularity of late as well.

Saturday was the 11th game this season the Dodgers have faced on opposing left-hander. Lux and Outman have only started once each, which is to be expected. Lux since the start of 2022 is hitting just .250/.331/.350 with a 86 wRC+ against lefties. Since reaching the majors, Outman has reached base fine but with no power against southpaws, hitting .248/.353/.298 with a 90 wRC+ against them.

Muncy during his career has hit lefties just fine — .222/.340/.465 with a 119 wRC+ — but since the start of 2022 is just .168/.290/.375 with a 88 wRC+. This year Muncy is hitting .200/.323/.400 with a 105 wRC+ in 31 plate appearances against lefties.

Muncy's only started five of the 11 games against left-handers so far this year, which is a departure from the last two years. In 2023, Muncy started 35 of the 47 games against southpaws when active, and in 2022 he started 29 out of 45 such games.

The difference this year, though obviously not directly, has been the emergence of Andy Pages, the right-handed hitter who has started all 10 games since getting called up last week, five each against righties and lefties, splitting time between center and right field. Pages is a direct replacement of Jason Heyward, a left-handed batter who platooned. Suddenly, those opportunities against lefties have dried up, at least in one spot in the lineup.

Since Pages was recalled, Muncy has started only one of five games against lefties, compared to starting four of six beforehand.

At issue here is that Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernández, who started in left field and at third base, respectively, on Saturday, haven't really hit much against anyone so far this season. Both had key hits against Kikuchi in the Dodgers' win on Saturday, but on the season Hernández is hitting .224/.246/.276 overall while Taylor is just 3-for-48, hitting .063/.193/.063.

Taylor and Hernández are on the roster specifically to hit lefties, and have to get back on track. There might be a time in which they aren't hitting enough to change things up, but Dave Roberts has said repeatedly that it's too early in the season to go away from these particular veterans who have a track record.

Though more defense-friendly, Miguel Rojas is in a similar position. He's started all 11 games against lefties, including eight times at shortstop and three times at third base for Muncy.

Rojas has been hitting this season, 120 with a wRC+ in the early going with two home runs, over four months before he reached the latter total during last season. He also doubled and scored against the Blue Jays on Saturday.

On Wednesday in Washington D.C., Roberts in his pregame scrum with reporters expressed a similar sentiment regarding Rojas, though this was asked in context of Lux potentially getting more playing time.

"Miguel's role on this team is to play against left-handed pitching, and to play when called upon in other spots to play," Roberts said Wednesday, per SportsNet LA.

The Dodgers will likely face two more left-handed starting pitchers to open the series against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix. It will be something to watch how they deploy the lineup in those games, so see just what kind of a role Muncy might have against lefties.