Los Angeles Dodgers: Max Muncy belongs at second base

Heading into the 2019 season, the second base position is the most unclear for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here’s the answer: Max Muncy.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have added Joe Kelly, Russell Martin and A.J. Pollock to the roster to mostly answer most of the team’s questions. There are still two questions surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers, though: who is going to play second and who is going to play left field?

For many, it appears as if there are two logical answers. The team can either play Enrique Hernandez or Chris Taylor at second base and the other in left field. Or, the team can put Cody Bellinger in the outfield and Max Muncy at first base.

Joc Pederson does not appear to be an option as he is being shopped and Andrew Toles is not a great everyday option. And while the team would be fine with a trio of Bellinger, Taylor and Hernandez in the lineup, that simply is not what the team should do.

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Heck, the team should not even be putting Max Muncy at first base at all. Instead, Muncy has earned the starting second baseman job and it is his to lose.

Muncy has too much upside in his bat to put him on the bench at the beginning of the season. “Oh, but Muncy is bound to regress!” you might say. That’s true, but the only way to find that out is to give him the starting nod in April.

I’d rather see a slump in April than October when it really matters.

The other argument, and probably the most popular, is “Oh, but Muncy is a terrible defender and Cody Bellinger is elite and can play outfield.”

Well, in the nicest way possible, that is just flat-out wrong. I know the eye test says otherwise but that is simply not the case.

Let’s look at the two’s UZR/150, UZR meaning “Ultimate Zone Rating”. This essentially measures how many runs a player either saves or costs his team. UZR/150 is that number spread across 150 games, which is meant to replicate an entire season. To read more on UZR, check it out on FanGraphs.

Cody Bellinger has a UZR of 3.1 across 150 games at first base in his career. That would have been the sixth-best mark for first basemen in 2018. Meanwhile, in the outfield, Bellinger has a UZR of 4.0, which would have been 19th.

Not bad, right? It seems that way. However, that is heavily dictated by his elite defense in center field. With Pollock, Bellinger will likely play left field, where he has a career UZR/150 of -11.2. Yikes.

Max Muncy is not as good at first base with a UZR/150 of -2.5. He has to be a terrible fielder then, right? Well, that still is not true. Muncy, in 250 innings at second base, has a career UZR/150 of 5.4 at second base. That would have been the sixth-best.

Taylor and Hernandez definitely can hold their own at the position and can make the flashy plays and probably would be a better fielder over time than Muncy. However, their value lies in being utility guys and either of the two can play left field without a problem and can even platoon if Pederson isn’t traded.

However, it is apparent that Bellinger is an elite fielder at first base, and not so much left field and that Muncy is actually better at second base than he is at first.

So why force both guys to play out of position just to get a utility guy at second base when either of the said utility guys can play left field with no problem?

Next. Trades to make after the Pollock signing. dark

I don’t have an answer to that question and that is why the Los Angeles Dodgers should play Max Muncy at second base and Cody Bellinger at first.

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