Another day, another Munetaka Murakami footnote in Chicago White Sox history.
Entering Thursday, Murakami was riding a five-game home run streak, tied for the longest in franchise history. These weren’t cheap shots either, with each home run traveling more than 400 feet, with an average distance of 429 feet.
The run put him in elite company, alongside A.J. Pierzynski, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee, George Kittle, and Greg Luzinski, a group with 21 combined All-Star appearances. Murakami appears to be on a fast track to joining that group as an All-Star.
Just 25 games into his MLB career, the 26-year-old slugger has already quieted many concerns about his ability to handle big-league velocity. Those concerns scared off a handful of potential suitors and were a large reason why the White Sox were able to land him on a two-year, $34 million deal this offseason.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Murakami is showing no signs of slowing down either. His 10 home runs, 19 RBIs, a 19.3% walk rate, .598 slugging percentage, 96 mph average exit velocity, and 24.5% barrel percentage all rank first among American League rookies.
While the team’s marketing department reportedly had to help convince Jerry Reinsdorf to sign off on the move, it is already paying dividends both on and off the field. Following the signing, White Sox Chief Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer said the team saw an uptick in season ticket sales. It has also allowed the team to tap into an entirely new international market in Japan.
The results come as no surprise to those who watched him dominate the NBP, winning two MVP awards and setting a new league record with 56 homers for the Tokyo Swallows in 2022. So far, that power has translated to the MLB and given a burgeoning young White Sox core, a much-needed boost in the middle of the lineup.
Murakami has shown strong plate discipline, rarely chasing pitches outside the strike zone. His 19% chase rate, among the lowest in the majors, has forced opposing pitchers to challenge him more often. As a result, he has not only capitalized on mistakes but has also reached base at a .394 clip, helping set the table for the rest of the White Sox lineup
His presence has also created an explosive 1-2 punch with Colson Montgomery, who was riding his own four-game home run streak entering Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks. While both players saw their streaks snapped, the duo became the first teammates in MLB history to each homer in four straight team games.
The power surge helped propel the White Sox to a 4-2 road trip to Sacramento and Arizona and improve the team’s record to 10-15. While being five games under .500 is nothing to write home about, it has the White Sox with a better record than the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox, three teams expected to contend for playoff spots this season.
With the rest of the league beginning to take notice, there are already growing calls for the White Sox to consider extending Murakami. According to Bruce Levine, White Sox general manager Chris Getz said there have been no talks to extend Murakami’s contract.
Under normal circumstances, discussion of a long-term extension for a rookie in his first month would be premature. But the White Sox have never handed out a contract worth more than $100 million, and if Murakami continues at this torrid pace, he could quickly price himself out of Chicago.
He is doing things that Shohei Ohtani hasn’t even done at the MLB level, with his 10 home runs in his first 24 games, being the most by a Japanese-born player in MLB history. There are certainly several factors to weigh. Murakami profiles as a true three-true-outcomes hitter, with roughly 60% of his plate appearances ending in a walk, strikeout, or home run. If he maintains that pace, he would become just the fifth player in MLB history to reach that rate of non–ball-in-play plate appearances. The first three instances were by former All-Star Joey Gallo.
Murakami’s 32% strikeout rate remains a concern, but there is reason to believe his overall offensive ceiling could be higher than Gallo’s at his peak. He has elite bat speed and is consistently squaring up pitches with authority. Murakami’s 24.5% barrel rate and 64% hard-hit percentage both rank among the highest in baseball, while his .649 expected slugging percentage and 95 mph average exit velocity place him firmly in elite company.
Even if pitchers adjust, his track record in Japan suggests his power isn’t going anywhere. And because he does not chase pitches out of the strike zone, it is fair to assume he won’t enter the 40% strikeout range that Gallo was reaching.
If Murakami’s strikeout rate continues to climb as the season progresses, there could be some red flags. At the same time, there is evidence that some tough luck has influenced his lack of balls in play. While he may never be a high-average hitter, the quality of his contact has produced a .255 expected batting average, suggesting a higher offensive ceiling than Gallo. If anything, his profile may more closely resemble three-time All-Star Kyle Schwarber, who signed a five-year, $150 million deal with the Phillies.
While the White Sox are likely to have to go north of $100 million to extend Murakami, the sooner they try to get an extension done, the more likely they are to get a team-friendly deal.
While the scars of early extensions for Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jiménez, and Yoán Moncada are still fresh, it’s an option the White Sox may need to explore sooner rather than later. That urgency is heightened by the possibility of a looming lockout that could disrupt the 2027 season and potentially limit the club’s return on the second year of his contract.
