How Max Muncy has become the Dodgers’ most dangerous hitter in 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup features no shortage of talent. While the lineup has struggled in recent action, stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are more than capable of helping the offense get back on track. However, Max Muncy has been the Dodgers’ best hitter this season. Will that last? Probably not with Ohtani and Freeman in the lineup, and Mookie Betts could return from injury soon as well. To begin the new campaign, Muncy has led the charge, however.

So, how is Muncy taking care of business this year? The 35-year-old is hitting .287/.374/.594 to go along with nine home runs so far in 2026. His performance comes after 2024 and 2025 seasons that saw him limited due to injury. He was not especially consistent at the plate when healthy.

It seemed as if the 2019 and 2021 All-Star was declining, but his play in 2026 proves that is not the case.

Max Muncy is back

Muncy has been incredible at the plate. Yet, he is striking out at a similar rate to his career average and he is walking less than ever aside from his rookie season. Perhaps being more aggressive has helped the left-handed slugger.

Muncy’s 53.4 hard-hit percentage is a career-best mark. The same can be said for Muncy’s average exit velocity. Muncy is simply crushing the baseball.

He ranks in the 93rd percentile for barrel percentage and 92nd percentile for hard-hit percentage. Overall his batting run value ranks in the 96th percentile.

It does seem as if Muncy is doing more damage earlier in counts. Six of his home runs have come when seeing three or less pitches in at-bats. He is not letting pitchers get ahead with fastballs either, as four of those homers have been off fastballs.

Walking a lot and getting on base is important. However, demolishing home runs is also something that impacts winning. Muncy’s chase percentage has increased this year, but his numbers are clearly not declining. And it is not as if Muncy is giving up getting on base at a high rate. The Dodgers star ranks in the 74th percentile for walk percentage and he still has a strong .374 OBP.

Dodgers’ overall lineup

Ohtani is also performing well. He is hitting .273/.406/.491 with six home runs. Meanwhile, Dalton Rushing is second on the team in home runs with seven, trailing only Muncy’s nine. Andy Pages is also swinging the bat well.

The Dodgers are currently second in MLB in home runs, fifth in runs scored, first in batting average, second in OBP and first in slugging percentage.

LA’s lineup is talented and deep. Without Muncy, though, they would not be where they are so far in 2026. Sure, the team would still have a good lineup. Muncy has unquestionably led the way, though. If the season ended today, he would be a strong MVP candidate.

The fact of the matter is that the Dodgers have only played 31 games in 2026. There is no shortage of baseball left to be played. Muncy seems to have figured something out, though, so perhaps he can continue to swing the bat at an elite level all season long.

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