In what will no doubt someday aid an MLB play-by-play man who’s desperate to fill time and looking for an obscure fact to rhapsodize about as is sometimes required in baseball broadcasts, the Oakland A’s drafted Max Muncy in 2021, nine years after previously selecting him in 2012.
Yesterday, the A’s used the 25th overall pick in 2021 to take a shortstop out of Thousand Oaks High School in California. In 2012, the team used a fifth-round pick on a first baseman out of Baylor, who is now an All-Star for the Dodgers. In addition to sharing the same name, the Muncys were born on the same date, 12 years apart.
- Max Muncy No. 1: Born August 25, 1990, drafted by A’s in 2012
- Max Muncy No. 2: Born August 25, 2002, drafted by A’s in 2021
In 28 games this spring for the Lancers, the younger Muncy batted .469 with 45 hits, 49 RBIs and 11 home runs while scoring 34 runs and stealing 10 bases. Defensively, Muncy recorded a team-high 50 assists with a fielding percentage of .928 and helped turn 11 double plays, according to The Los Angeles Daily News.
“He has a passion for the game. He works for it. He’s elite, there’s a reason,” Thousand Oaks coach Jack Wilson, a former major league shortstop for 12 years, told the paper. “I’m extremely proud. I’ve seen him grow as a player since he was a freshman in high school. He’s been working for this dream for as long as I’ve known him.”
In addition to being a big day for the high schooler, Sunday was a blast for his big-league namesake, as the elder Muncy hit a walk-off three-run home run to lift the Dodgers to a series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks heading into the All-Star break.
Prior to A’s taking Muncy No. 2 with the 25th pick, the Pirates took Louisville catcher Henry Davis first overall. The Davis pick was followed by No. 2 Jack Leiter (Rangers), No. 3 Jackson Jobe (Tigers), No. 4 Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox) and No. 5 Colton Cowser (Orioles).
The MLB draft will continue Monday with rounds two through 10. Rounds 11-20 will take place Tuesday.
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