The last team in the MLB that needs someone else other than the usual suspects to step up is the Los Angeles Dodgers. The most dominant team in baseball, the 94-42 Dodgers have won 51 games they've won by four or more runs, en route to an absurdly elite plus-298 run differential. After winning 106 games last season, the Dodgers are poised to eclipse that win-loss record barring any major slumps to their stars, as they are on pace for 112 victories this season.

The Dodgers as a whole have no weaknesses; they lead the league in runs scored, fewest runs allowed, and Defensive Runs Saved. Years of elite scouting, drafting, and trading have set up the big scary winning machine that has been the Dodgers for the past decade.

With Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman locked up and rising stars Will Smith and Gavin Lux under team control for the foreseeable future, the Dodgers will remain scary competitive for a long time.

The notion that they can get even better should scare the league even more.

The Dodgers, of all teams, know best that regular-season dominance does not easily translate to postseason success. The Dodgers have won 61.2% of their regular season games in the past decade (914 wins out of 1493 games at the time of writing) and yet they have only won 1 World Series, and that was during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020.

It will take more than a superstar effort to hoist the biggest trophy in baseball; unsung heroes will be called upon in big moments and that is how postseason legends are made.

The Dodgers will need this player in particular to step up, especially after he missed the 2021 postseason.

Max Muncy

It was either Muncy or the struggling centerfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger as the choice here, but Muncy will be counted upon more often during the stretch run after the emergence of outfielder Trayce Thompson relegated Bellinger, who is hitting a dismal .199/.262/.382, to the bench.

The former MVP Bellinger was electric during his award-winning season in 2019, swatting 47 home runs and driving home 115 runs while posting a .305/.406/.629 slash-line, but he has been a shell of his former self for the past three seasons, hitting only .196 with 39 combined home runs.

Bellinger performed well when given the chance during the 2021 postseason, hitting a more characteristic .353/.436/.471, albeit in a small sample size of 39 plate appearances, but he just hasn't carried over that level of performance, and it's not looking likely that he'll find that form anytime soon.

Muncy has struggled this season as well, batting under the Mendoza line (.197) like Bellinger and hitting only 19 HRs, but he remains a threat at the plate due to his 15.6% walk rate leading to a respectable .323 on-base percentage, which is what ultimately separates Muncy from Bellinger.

Despite his struggles hitting the ball, Muncy is still a positive offensive contributor due to this patience and selectivity, while Bellinger has become a black hole at the plate.

Muncy is also showing signs of life in his last game after tallying 3 hits (one being a ballsy bunt that set up a Justin Turner three-run home run, and one being a three-run moonshot of his own) and 3 RBIs against the Giants.

Max Muncy has a track record of getting on base at an elite level in the postseason, with a lifetime .400 OBP, and it will be his ability to set the table for elite hitters such as Betts, Freeman, and Trea Turner that will prove crucial to the Dodgers' World Series hopes, which missed his hitting prowess last postseason after he suffered a dislocated elbow.

All stats were taken from Fangraphs.com unless otherwise noted.