{"id":17411,"date":"2025-12-21T09:42:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T17:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=17411"},"modified":"2025-12-21T09:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T17:42:30","slug":"munetaka-murakami-signs-two-year-deal-with-white-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2025\/12\/21\/munetaka-murakami-signs-two-year-deal-with-white-sox\/","title":{"rendered":"Munetaka Murakami Signs Two-Year Deal With White Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"

Highly-coveted NPB slugger Munetaka Murakami<\/a><\/strong> signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Chicago White Sox<\/a>, first reported by Jeff Passan<\/a> of ESPN. Murakami\u2019s posting window for major league teams was set to end on December 22 at 5 pm Eastern.<\/p>\n

NPB Legacy<\/h4>\n

Munetaka Murakami made his debut in the Japan Central League in 2018. In six games, he had one hit, that being a home run. Starting in 2019, he\u2019d become one of Japan\u2019s most feared hitters.<\/p>\n

His 24 home runs would be his lowest count on a season, with that coming in an abbreviated 2025 campaign derailed by injuries. His peak came in the 2022 season, where he notched a triple crown. Murakami’s final numbers were a .318 batting average, 56 home runs, and 134 RBI\u2019s.<\/p>\n

HIs 56 home runs also broke the record for most home runs in a season by a Japanese-born player, taking the record from Sadaharu Oh, the man widely considered to be NPB\u2019s greatest player of all time.<\/p>\n

Murakami hit 265 career home runs across eight seasons in NPB. He managed a .394 on-base percentage, and notching a .945 OPS.<\/p>\n

Murakami’s Concerns<\/h4>\n

As mentioned above, Murakami only played 56 games in this past season, due to an oblique injury suffered during his first game back from elbow surgery.<\/p>\n

Although he logged 24 home runs in this past season, he also struck out 34% of the time. Swing-and-miss is a big part of his game, and it\u2019s probably his worst on-the-field habit. His below average defense for third base will probably push him to being a first baseman\/designated hitter.<\/p>\n

White Sox Core<\/h4>\n

The White Sox could have something strong going on. Murakami getting signed by the White Sox adds onto a core of young ballplayers ready to take a step up. Despite a bad season, Kyle Teel<\/a><\/strong>, Chase Meidroth<\/strong><\/a> and Colson Montgomery<\/strong><\/a> are already performing at a great rate considering their age and potential. The White Sox also boast five top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.<\/p>\n

All this promise, and that\u2019s not even considering the White Sox have the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Roch Cholowsky<\/strong><\/a> is the slam dunk #1 pick. Adding him to all that promise, the White Sox could be a serious playoff contender in a few years.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:<\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>