Max

Muncy

The A’s prospect won the battles of the Max Muncies, though it was the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate that prevailed 10-8 in the game. The original Muncy would up 1-for-5 in his rehab game as he comes back from an oblique strain. The younger Muncy, no relation, is now hitting .291/.382/.520 in 43 games for Las Vegas. He’s been overtaken by Jacob Wilson as the A’s shortstop of the future, but he should get a look at second or third at some point, even if it’s not until next year.

Oakland’s decision to jettison Soderstrom means that Carlos Pérez will open the season as the primary backup to starter Shea Langeliers. The 22-year-old top prospect struggled mightily in his first taste of the majors last year and didn’t produce at all this spring in Cactus League action. There’s a chance he gets another look at some point in the near future, but he hasn’t shown enough in the big leagues to gain any trust with fantasy managers.

Again, a reminder that there’s no relation. Muncy has homered 10 times in his 46 games with the Ports, and the four-hit day improves his average to .233. Not an elite number by any means, but there’s going to be ups-and-downs from a 19-year-old in his first full professional season. Muncy has tremendous power from any position but in particular from a middle-infielder, and there’s enough hard contact to project a solid hit tool when he’s done developing. Muncy may not be a fast-track prospect, but could be a fantasy relevant player by the end of 2024.

Another reminder: no relation to the Dodgers player. The 25th pick of last summer’s draft struggled in his professional debut with a .335 OPS, but that was over just 11 games, and in 10 games thus far he’s slashing .342/.447/.684 for the Ports. A right-handed hitting shortstop, Muncy doesn’t have a standout tool, but everything projects at least average, and some believe that there could be plus power as he fills out his 6-foot-1 frame. If Muncy isn’t able to stick at shortstop his fantasy upside drops considerably, but a player who can hit for a decent average and possibly drop 20-homer campaigns is obviously interesting.

Carlos Collazo of Baseball America reports that the deal is worth $2,850,000, which is $109,700 overslot for the 25th overall pick in last Sunday’s draft. Muncy, an 18-year-old shortstop out of Thousand Oaks HS in California, is a right-handed hitter with a solid overall skillset. Oddly enough, he has the same birthday (August 25) as the Dodgers’ Max Muncy and now both players were drafted by the Athletics. The baseball gods work in mysterious ways. We look forward to updating the wrong Max Muncy blurb for the next several years, at the very least.

First, no relation. Muncy is one of the best infielders on the west coast, and it’s not surprise to see the 18-year-old go in the first round on Sunday. There’s no obvious plus tools, but everything has a chance to be above-average, and he gets rave reviews for his baseball acumen on the field. He may need to change positions at some point, but Oakland will give him a chance there. If he can stay, he has a chance to be a solid -- if unspectacular -- fantasy option someday.