Max Muncy began the year as the best hitter on the Los Angeles Dodgers and pushed his way into the MVP race by batting .279/.413/.557 with a 161 wRC+ through July.
However, since Aug. 1, Muncy is hitting just .199/.282/.497 with a 106 wRC+, which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thinks is due to an uncharacteristic approach at the plate. “No. 1 is he’s chasing more. It’s very clear,” Roberts said.
“I think he has an elite ability to look over a baseball and stay in the strike zone. The last 30 days he’s chased. He’s run into some homers, which has been great, but I think he’s more than a one-dimensional home run hitter; he’s an on-base guy and can use the whole field.