Max Muncy credits a Dodgers mental skills coach as he embraces the “mind” after years of doubt

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy is using the current stage of his career to talk about something he says many players neglect, the mental side of performance. In Dodgers notes reported from recent remarks, Muncy said athletes spend time training their bodies, but they often “neglect” their mind, even though it can become a detriment that “snowball[s] a career” if it is ignored. He framed the emphasis on mental health as part of staying healthy for the long haul, not as a distraction from baseball work.

Muncy linked that approach to the structure he finds inside the Dodgers organization, including the presence of a mental skills coach. According to the report, Muncy checks in with Brent Walker, who the Dodgers hired in 2020 as the team’s mental skills coach. The description emphasizes Walker’s accessibility, including conversations before games, in the dugout, and on the team plane, and it notes that he also takes an active role during on-field workouts.

Walker’s background, as characterized in the same notes package, includes his own experience dealing with mental issues during his playing career. The reported idea is not that baseball eliminates pressure, but that it is easier to manage when there is a person available who has learned how to talk through it and can help players keep the situation from compounding over a full season.

The timing of Muncy’s comments also matters because his role on the field has become central in recent weeks. The report states that he is now a starter in the All-Star Game, and it positions his current presence on baseball’s biggest midseason stage as the product of both physical readiness and mental focus. For a player who has spent earlier parts of his Dodgers tenure battling confidence and motivation, the theme is a kind of continuity: the on-field work is only half the preparation.

The Dodgers’ notes also turn to a different kind of resilience, describing Eliezer Alfonzo’s approach to his major league debut. The reporting states that Alfonzo’s first time at the highest level has arrived amid grief, underscoring that the transition to the big leagues can be complicated by personal circumstances that are not visible in box scores. Beyond that general characterization, the account does not spell out further specifics, but it makes clear the organization is treating his debut as something he is handling while carrying loss.

Taken together, the focus on mental health and private grief reflects a broader understanding inside MLB that performance is not only mechanical. Teams can design drills and adjust roles, but the day-to-day ability to settle, respond, and keep working is often tied to off-field support systems and relationships built over time. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ decision to staff a mental skills coach and keep him embedded with the group appears to be gaining a spotlight alongside the on-field results.

The most immediate thing to watch next is whether Muncy’s remarks translate into continued steadiness across the second half, particularly as the Dodgers head into the stretch where fatigue and pressure typically rise. For Alfonzo, the key will be how the team supports his adjustment to MLB life while he navigates the emotional weight described in the notes. Both storylines point to the same question for the Dodgers, what happens when personal focus and organizational support are aligned with the demands of a postseason-bound season.