The vibes are high on the South Side of Chicago after the White Sox signed their highest-profile international free agent since Luis Robert Jr in 2016.
After signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million contract, White Sox Chief Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer said the team has already seen an uptick in season ticket sales.
The White Sox are poised to reap the attention that Murakami brings from Japan, but the bigger question is how he will fit into a young, up-and-coming lineup.
The two-time NPB MVP holds the record for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player, hitting 56 homers for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2022. Murakami told CHSN’s Chuck Garfein that he believes his power can translate to Major League Baseball, saying his goal “is to be a prolific power hitter who can produce home runs.”
Murakami’s resume suggests he can do just that. In eight seasons in Japan, he hit 246 home runs and led the NBP in slugging percentage and RBIs during that span. However, he comes with some flaws.
Some teams were wary of Murakami’s high swing-and-miss rate on pitches in the strike zone, which allowed the White Sox to secure him on a higher-dollar, short-term deal. Over the past three seasons, he has averaged a 28% strikeout rate, well above last season’s MLB average of just over 22%. His 72.6% contact rate on pitches in the strike zone would also have ranked among the lowest in the majors.
But Murakami makes up for it with his ability to drive the ball. He ranked in the 90th percentile in the NBP in average exit velocity and has averaged over 100 hits in the last eight seasons. Some of those concerns were on display during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Murakami struggled throughout the tournament, racking up a team-leading 13 strikeouts, but connected on a game-winning two-run double in the semi-finals against Mexico en route to Japan’s title.
He will be playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark in a mediocre AL Central division and should benefit from some lineup protection, flanked by Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Luis Robert Jr., assuming he isn’t traded before Opening Day.
He also has ties to Chicago, as he is represented by the same agent as Andrew Benintendi, who will have a locker next to his. Murakami was also managed by former White Sox closer Shingo Takasute, who reached out, giving the city and organization a ringing endorsement.
However, Murakami is expected to carry a significant offensive load, as many of the White Sox’s young bats are likely to experience growing pains.
On the defensive end, Getz said that Murakami is expected to play first base and that Miguel Vargas will remain at third base for the time being. This is a smart move, considering that Murakami does have some defensive concerns, primarily at the hot corner.
He averaged 11 errors a season at third base for the Swallows and owned a .943 fielding percentage compared to a .994 mark at first base. These shortcomings are not lost on Murakami, who now has two years to fix some of these issues before he hits free agency again at the age of 28.
However, there is reason to believe that the White Sox provide an ideal environment for Murakami to acclimate to the major leagues. He will be playing in a relatively low-pressure setting and has prior experience with young teams. In Japan, Murakami also contributed to a youthful Swallows squad that captured the title in 2021.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old certainly isn’t lacking confidence, telling the Chicago media that he hopes to put the organization’s losing ways in the rearview.
“I will contribute to this club to the best of my ability,” Marakumi said. “I hope to express on the field how wonderful and great the game of baseball is.”
