nypost
PHILADELPHIA There were many times early in his career that Max Muncy never thought hed be an All-Star.
There were plenty more moments in recent years when he doubted hed ever get back again.
Thats why, as Muncy arrived in Philadelphia this week for his third career All-Star Game, the veteran third baseman reflected on his previous trips and realized this years felt a little more meaningful.
Once you hit 30, you kind of wonder, Muncy told the California Post.
The world tries to tell you that youre past your prime.
So you start wondering about that a little bit.
And then for me, just with the injuries the last couple years, its not something you necessarily expect to happen.
Instead, in what has been a renaissance season for the 35-year-old slugger, Muncy was voted in as the National Leagues starting third baseman, returning to the Midsummer Classic for the first time in a half-decade after previous nods in 2019 and 2021.
And this week, he allowed himself to soak up the experience, relishing an accomplishment that once felt out of reach.
I always knew Im still this kind of player, Muncy said.
Its just that I had to be healthy.
And this year, Ive been able to show that.
In Muncys previous All-Star seasons, of course, his selections to the games were their own kind of surprises.
Up until 2018, he had been a minor-league player who toiled with limited MLB opportunities.
But then, in one of the most unlikely development stories of the Dodgers decade-and-a-half-long run of dominance, he emerged as one of the teams most potent hitters.
Looking back now, however, Muncys recent return to the summit has felt almost as unlikely as that initial breakthrough ascent.
At the end of 2021, he infamously blew out his elbow on the last day of the regular season and underwent surgery, the after-effects of which dogged him over the following couple of years (he hit a combined .204, albeit with 57 total home runs, in 2022 and 2023).
And though Muncys production improved in 2024 and 2025 (batting .238 with an .849 OPS), repeated problems with his oblique, plus a freak knee injury last injury, limited him to just 173 total games.
At his age, another season of full health was starting to feel far from guaranteed.
This year, however, Muncy dropped weight in the offseason and got medical treatment that helped calm his oblique.
What has followed has been perhaps the most consistent all-around performance of his career, highlighted by a .259 batting average, 17 home runs, an .842 OPS and (last weekends three-game error streak notwithstanding) some of the best defense at third base by anyone in the league.
Being selected to this All-Star Game as a third baseman was particularly significant to Muncy, whose previous nods were at first and second base.
Since I switched over there, [I was] being told by everybody how terrible I was at it, he said.
And Ive been able to prove a lot of them wrong by working hard over the years and getting better at it.
Another reason this year feels different: Muncys three kids all get to be part of the experience.
The previous two, he joked, they werent around yet.
It does make the days longer, he noted with a laugh, recounting how he and his wife, Kellie, stayed up until 4:30 in the morning following their late arrival Sunday night, setting up beds and cribs in their hotel room.
But it has also added to the experience of each event during the week, from their first arrival at the stadium Monday to the annual red-carpet walk-in before Tuesdays game.
My daughter has been talking about dressing up, Muncy said.
Shes definitely excited about it.
They are all precious little moments in a week Muncy once thought he might never get to experience again.
This one, he said, just feels a little bit more special.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X California Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here! California Post App: Download here! Home delivery: Sign up here! Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!.