Muncy has adjusted to growing fame, impressing Roberts
LOS ANGELES >> It’s been two years since an animated Max Muncy exhorted pitcher Madison Bumgarner to get a baseball “out of the ocean” after hitting a home run in San Francisco. The gesture was commemorated with a bobblehead giveaway on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
It was a coming-out moment for Muncy, 30. Now he has enough moments to fill an entire collection.
Muncy ended the longest game in World Series history (Game 3 in 2018) with a home run in the 18th inning. In February 2020, he signed a three-year contract extension worth $26 million. During the first round of All-Star Game voting that ended
Sunday, no National League first baseman collected more fan votes than Muncy’s 1,276,688. Soon, Muncy and his wife Kellie are expecting the birth of their first child.
Perhaps most remarkable about Muncy’s transformation from a minor league castoff to a recognizable star is how little he’s changed in the process.
“I think that he was raised really well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He plays the game, loves the game, loves to compete — the toughness, and that hasn’t changed. The notoriety, being more of a household name, I think that has certainly changed. That’s an adjustment for any player. He just wants us to help win baseball games. That’s what I love and respect about him.
“It’s good to see guys like that one day hitting with their dad in their garage, not with a team, trying to figure it out and see if I’m ever going to get this opportunity, now he’s leading National League first basemen in votes by fans. A lot of credit goes to Max, his journey. It’s pretty unique and special.”
Through Monday, Muncy ranked second among National League position players in Baseball Reference’s version of Wins Above Replacement. His 16 home runs led the Dodgers, and his .413 on-base percentage led the National League.
Muncy has done this while battling injuries to his ankle and oblique. He’s missed 13 games already, and he would seem to prefer a day off rather than a chance to win the annual Home Run Derby on July 12 in Denver.
“If I’m not in the All-Star Game, I’m 100 percent for sure not doing the Home Run Derby,” he said. “If I do get to the All-Star Game, I still don’t know what my answer would be for that. I think to err on the side of caution, it would be more (to) get rest. We’ll have to see.”
Regardless, the festivities in Denver will not be the highlight of the next month for Muncy. His daughter has a July due date.
“There’s been a lot of advice” from the other fathers in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, Muncy said. “I think the biggest one is, you’re going to learn baseball is not everything real quick.”
Bauer accused of assault
A Los Angeles County judge approved a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Trevor Bauer on Tuesday after a woman claimed the Dodgers pitcher assaulted her earlier this year. The story was first reported by Us Weekly, which reported a hearing has been scheduled for next month.
Pasadena police detectives are investigating allegations that Bauer assaulted the woman in the city on or about May 16, said Lt. William Grisafe, spokesman for the department.
The victim filed a police report with the department in May. The allegations are being investigated as a felony assault, Grisafe said. Detectives have since interviewed Bauer.
“I know they’ve had conversations with him, and or his attorney,” Grisafe said.
In a statement provided to ESPN, Bauer’s attorney and agent Jon Fetterolf said “any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Dodgers released the following statement Tuesday night: “The Dodgers were made aware of the allegations against Trevor Bauer late this afternoon and immediately contacted Major League Baseball, which will be handling this matter. The Dodgers take any allegations of this nature very seriously, but will have no further comment at this time.”
Bauer, 30, signed a three-year, $102 million contract with the Dodgers in February. The pitcher is no stranger to controversy.
In 2019, Bauer apologized after he wrote a series of pointed Twitter posts targeting a female college student over a period of 12 hours. In 2016, Bauer missed a playoff start after he sliced his pinky finger while operating a drone. He has also angered and alienated some by sharing his frank views on race and politics on Twitter. But his behavior has never crossed the line into alleged crimes. In February, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he discussed concerns over Bauer’s past behavior before signing the pitcher.
“From our standpoint, it was important to have that conversation,” Friedman said. “We came away from it feeling good about it. Now, obviously, time will tell. But I feel like he’s gonna be a tremendous add, not just on the field but in the clubhouse, in the community.”
Bauer was the winning pitcher in the Dodgers’ victory over the Giants on Monday at Dodger Stadium. He is 8-5 with a 2.59 earnedrun average this season. His 17 starts, 107-2/3 innings pitched, and 137 strikeouts lead all National League pitchers.
The former Hart High and UCLA star is in his 10th major league season.