AN Exclusive: Blogfather Catches Up With Max Muncy

My interview with Max Muncy was on Friday, March 21st, two days before he was a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster with Zack Gelof going on the IL.

Nico: The first thing I wanted to address is the different positions that you play, third, short, and second. It looks like organizationally third base might be the one that has most of a path in the coming years at the moment, but it’s also not one of the more familiar ones for you. Can you just take us through sort of how you feel around third base, strengths and weaknesses, and how it feels to you right now?

Muncy: Yeah, definitely. I took a lot of my ground balls to third in the off-season, and so I’ve gotten more comfortable just in terms of hand positioning and stuff like that. I think the thing that you have to get more comfortable in is just in-game reps and in-game reads and maybe timing of plays. I remember I made a play the other day and I was at third and I made a diving play and I got up and threw it right away and I realized I had time, because I mean I played majority of my games at short and minors. So you dive at short you know you got to throw it right away.

I think just little things like that where you realize like oh you know over here I got more time on this play or maybe less time on a backhand or just seeing the right handed hitters that angle they’re a little more closed off.

So I think in terms of like ground balls and work I’ve done as much as I could in the offseason. Now it’s just the amount of games I play over that, that’s the next step of getting fully immersed in the position.

Nico: There are some things that just through repetition are going to get better and then there are some things that are always going to be your strength or weakness. Just looking at that latter question, what do you think are naturally your strengths and weaknesses as a third baseman as you’re learning the position?

Muncy: I would definitely say my feet. I think I have good feet, quick feet. So I think at third some of those plays where you’ve got to flip the hips or take a step back, I think those are my strengths. Obviously I’ve developed that kind of at short, always moving at short, always moving. So at third I think I would say my feet is definitely a plus for me and that’s helped me kind of get comfortable quicker over there.

And then I think things you need to work on is, you kind of learn to throw on the run a lot from short, and you kind of pick a slot when you’re at short: where to throw it to have it kind of get right to the first baseman. So at third, I think it’s learning that slot. Unlike those tough plays that you’re not throwing, you know, one step regular throw, it’s backhand, off balance or a chopper coming in. I think just getting in-game reps from developing those new spots to throw it to, once I kind of get that done I think it’ll be a lot easier over there.

Nico: Do you find that you have to use a lot of different arm slots at third? And do you know which ones work better or worse for you?

Muncy: Yeah, I think that’s kind of what I’m learning now. I think it’s kind of more of, I use a lot of the same arm slots I use a lot at short, but I’d say it’s more of like where I’m trying to throw it. Because if I’m using the sidearm slot from third, with that distance of a throw, it’s going to fade more than it would at short because it’s got more time to get there. So I think just kind of knowing when I’m dropping down, where to start it to have it land right where I want it.

Nico: Now being realistic, what do you see as the timeline for you to say, “Okay, I think I’m ready to be a major league defensive third baseman”?

Muncy: Yeah, I thought about this last year. I think if there was a perfect time to go up, if I had to decide a perfect time, I’d never go up. You always think there’s stuff you can work on and I’m a big believer that sometimes you just got to get thrown into it and learn as you go. I think if you talk to guys like Arenado and Chapman, they’ll tell you from their first three years in the league when they were (already) elite defenders, they still learned more and still got more comfortable.

I think if they called me up tomorrow and wanted me to play third, I could do that. I think at that point, you go up, you figure out where you’re at, and you start to think, “Alright, where could I get to? Where do I think my ceiling is? How high can I take this thing?” So I think that’s kind of my mindset. Whenever they’re ready, I’m going to stop. Even if you’re there, you’ve got to keep progressing and keep trying to get better at that spot.

Nico: You’ve played a fair amount of second base in this Cactus League. What are your thoughts just around that position compared to short and third?

Muncy: I definitely like second. My first two years I played all short, so I kind of thought before I played the other two that I would like third better. But I think second has been easier just because the angles, even though it’s on the other side, you’re kind of looking at the batter the same way. And when I’m playing, you know, a lefty (from) short and a righty (from) second, you’re somewhat in the same spot. So it’s really not too foreign. So I’ve definitely like enjoyed second more than I thought I would.

Nico: I wanted to go back to your whole professional experience. You’ve always been young for your leagues. That’s really been a theme. I have to think that there are some real advantages to that, but also that just emotionally, mentally, just the human side, that there are parts that are probably hard about it. Can you just talk about what it’s been like for you to be that kid who’s often two years younger than the competition?

Muncy: Yeah, it’s definitely It’s a blessing to be able to move quickly and go to high school and do the whole thing I think a lot of the guys in the org have helped me grow up in a sense and I think we draft good dudes. It seems like as well as good players a lot of them are good dudes.

So I think they’ve helped me with that, you know kind of adapting to the older guys and especially in AAA guys with families, when they get a little older, they kind of slow down. They’re more hanging out, they’re more there to help. So I think that’s going to change.

I think the big thing is, if I were to say to a kid that’s moving through his organization or gets to AA at 20 like I did or AAA at 21, I would say don’t lean on it. That’s my biggest thing. Some people will say that sometimes if you have a bad game, they’ll be like, “Oh, you’re only 21, don’t worry about it, it’ll come.” But I don’t really want to use that as a crutch.

Because you don’t want to let up just because you’re like, “Oh, I’m here.” Because if something happens, like last year where I break my hand and then you kind of lose a year and then you never know what happens. So even though I’m younger for the AAA stage, I definitely want to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing. Try to get up as many as I can, try to not make that an excuse.

It’s not really about age when I’m out there, it’s more just about who can I play with, who do I think I can, you know, when I’m facing off with a pitcher, who can I beat? I’m not really thinking, when I strike out, “That guy’s 28, he’s learned so much more than me.” I kind of try to forget that when I play.

Nico: Now when you refer to good guys that helped you, are there any that you want to call out, give a shout out to?

Muncy: Yeah, definitely Drew Lugbauer was a big one. And Ryan Noda was a big one. Especially with what happened with his year last year, where it was obviously probably not what he wanted. He probably didn’t want to come down to AAA, but watching him handle that and still show up and still help guys and try to help the team and playing to win, it was really kind of an eye opener.

You look at it and you’re like, “Dude, this guy can have it down here and still be a clubhouse presence and a leader and he’s running out of ground balls.” Sometimes you get that thought that, oh, if the guys come down, they’re not going to try as hard. But for him, it was like he was in the big leagues still. He was playing just as hard, and he was wanting to win just as bad.

So I think that was definitely a learning point for me. And even though he was struggling on his own, he wouldn’t withhold information from me. If he saw something, he would come up and tell me and walk me through it. So just kind of watching him do that, I was like, wow, that’s something to learn from.

Nico: We haven’t talked at all about your hitting. I just want to touch quickly on where you feel you are. You’ve faced a lot of major league pitchers now in camp. How are you feeling about where you are as a hitter right now, organizationally?

Muncy: I definitely feel good. Just like defense, you’ve got to keep going and keep improving. There’s things I need to do better. But I feel good so far and I think that I can compete at this level. It’s nice to see it.

So just imagining it, thinking, “ I think I can do that.” So seeing a couple good arms, you start to realize, “All right, I can do this.” And obviously these guys are good arms and they’re good players. And I’ve got got a couple times in spring where you realize, “All right, that guy’s got a big league changeup, he’s got a wipeout slider, you’ve got to kind of alter your bat.” It’s more of a chess game up here, I would say, just because you know that there’s certain pitches that if they throw it in the spot they want, you might not get that.

Nico: You always have to decide, “Am I going to guess or am I going to react?” Which t type of hitter are you?

Muncy: I’ve dabbled with both and I think I’m a constantly changing hitter. I think that’s one of my my gifts in hitting. I think hitting is like my ability to change. So, you know, sometimes I’m hunting fastball and I’ll react to the off speed and once I can tell that they’re starting to go more off speed, I’ll just go sit off speed. So I can kind of go back and forth. It just depends on like what I think is going to happen or what I think the pitcher wants to do.

Nico: So does that mean that big league pitchers are better chess players than minor league pitchers versus just having better stuff?

Muncy: Yeah, I think there’s definitely some guys in minors that play the chess game, but I think that’s the biggest difference in pitchers that are older. You know, the guys that I face in AA and stuff, really good arms, really good stuff. Sometimes they maybe get a little egotistical. Like, they want to get you out on their best pitch.

And sometimes I feel like with the older guys that I’ve faced in spring so far, they are pitching to what’s going to get you out and maybe not what they want to throw, but what they know that you don’t want to hit. So, it’s definitely, I think it’s the catchers too. Those guys behind the plate, they’ve seen so many hitters and so many bats and been in so many situations that they kind of already know what to do.

Nico: Last thing I want to touch on is just getting away from baseball specifically. You come across, to me, certainly, and by reputation, as someone with a good head on their shoulders, mature. Where does that come from? What can you tell me about your upbringing, your earlier life that might show (this)?

Muncy: I would definitely say my parents. My dad played and as a kid he was super hard on me. And he just always pressed, like the same thing I’m talking about, keep going. That came from him. He was like, “You don’t stop – you got three hits, go get four. And he was big about if you have a big game, three, four hits, you’ve just got to keep it level.

He’s always told me, “People see what you do, you don’t have to tell them. Go out there, do your thing, and just kind of whatever happens, happens, but don’t put it in people’s faces or stuff like that.” And I think the biggest thing, like I tell a lot of people, is I’m a Mormon, I’m part of the LDS church, and I think that’s the biggest thing in my life that keeps me level and helps me be the way I am.

Nico: Do you see yourself as a leader, as a future leader, or do players come up even thinking about that when they’re young?

Muncy: Yeah I don’t know, I know that I prefer to be a team guy. I don’t know if it’s the same thing as being a leader. I want to be with the guys. I want to see guys win. I like bringing good energy to the field. That’s what I’d say. I’m definitely an energy guy. I want to want to come to the field every day. I want to enjoy it.

You know every team there’s different guys in every team. I think sometimes I just kind of fit into the role that I see fit. If I go to the big leagues and I feel like Rook or Shea’s leading the group, I’m going to be right there following, just bring the energy. Sometimes at the lower levels, I would say I was more of a leader, but every team is for sure different. Some teams don’t need a set guy, it’s just kind of like they need the team to be one.

Nico: Well, how do you see this team as we’re breaking camp? How would you describe this team?

Muncy: I think that this is like a more of a unit. You know, there’s not like one guy that makes decisions. It’s more of like a collective group. Like they kind of decide together. The majority of the team, it seems like, is on the same page. That’s what it feels like is that when like a certain topic comes up or or they want to go play against a pitcher, it seems like they’re on the same page and they communicate well with each other. That’s what I’d say, is that there seems to be good communication amongst the group.

Congratulations to Muncy for earning a spot on the roster. He won’t turn 23 until August 25th, which is the day all Max Muncys are required to have their birthday.