The hitter who has quietly risen to the top of MLB HR leaderboard

Muncy has never led the NL in home runs in a season, let alone MLB. His top home run output came in 2021, when he hit 36 for the Dodgers.

Despite missing games after being placed on the paternity list, the left-handed batter has hung around the top of the HR leaderboard for much of this season. Muncy has caught fire at times, with two stretches highlighting his hitting prowess.  

In an April 10-12 series against the San Francisco Giants, Muncy had two multi-homer games. After putting up a dreadful .505 OPS through the first nine games, Muncy used the series against the Giants to kick-start his season.

After the series, Muncy explained his hitting mentality to MLB.com. 

"I made some adjustments to the swing, and I just felt like I was in a much better position to hit than I had been the last week or so," the slugger said.  

It was off to the races from there for Muncy, with the Chicago Cubs on the receiving end of most of the damage. Through two series spanning seven games, the third baseman hit five home runs and drove in seven runs. It may seem like a simple hot streak, but Muncy's dominance looks sustainable.

Some power hitters are simply that -- players who hit the ball over the fence and not much else. Muncy has proven his game is more than that, though, carrying a .407 on-base percentage this season.

The two-time All-Star has built success around plate discipline, consistently maintaining walk rates in the upper echelon of the league throughout his career, according to Baseball Savant. A staggering 21.3% walk rate in 2023 is part of the reason that the 32-year-old is so dangerous at the plate. Pitchers must put the ball in the strike zone against him.

Exit velocity is another statistic that points to the power that Muncy has, and it's looking better than it has in his entire his career. According to Baseball Savant, his hard-hit % is up 3.5% over 2022, and his average exit velocity has risen over three miles per hour from last season. 

With the shift eliminated, Muncy has pulled the ball at higher rates, sitting at 54.5.% in 2023 compared to 48% last year. All these statistics, while perhaps not sustainable at their extreme levels, point to future success for Muncy. 

The rest of MLB may continue to chase the unlikely home run leader as summer draws near.