Munetaka Murakami’s high swing-and-miss, high strikeouts, & low contact are the No. 1 concern as an MLB hitter.
November 7, 2025
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22 comments
Will fit right in with the boys
Hitters like Seiya and Yoshida added 6-8% to their strikeout rate when they came over. That would make Murakami nearly unplayable.
ya this guy has red flags all over him, from where Im sitting. NPB hitters always take a hit in production when coming over and take time to come around to big league pitching. But those whiff rates are bad for a slugger already playing in the MLB. Huge risk at the price tag being suggested.
Murakami had a 208 wRC+ in 2025, literally twice as good as the average npb player last year despite missing a large chunk of the year due to injury.
He is going to be a monster.
This + the fact that he would be 1B for us makes me feel totally fine if we miss out on him.
Giants also have Chapman locked up until 2030.
I think he goes Dodgers, Mariners, or Yankees.
He hit a wonderful .095 against 93+ pitches. Seems like he’s Joey Gallo at best.
So it will be LA’s problem to figure out in other words
He’s not coming here. He’s going to LA. We don’t need to talk about this guy.
It’s alright, I’m sure the Dodgers will fix him
Hard pass; I’d rather they go for someone like Naylor or O’Hearn.
Let the Doyers have him!
He’s the anti-Arraez
The guy struggles big time against 94+MPH pitches. I don’t see him succeeding here.
Stop making Murakami posts please 😭😭
We are not getting him
No ways gonna be 45% strike out rate year 1
I want power hitting on this team but this guy has WAY to many red flags
It would be incredibly ironic and so Padres for them to finally land a Japanese player and he turns out to be a bust.
Mark Reynolds but maybe worse?
Isn’t the average fastball in the NPB like 90-91? I feel like it’s just one of those things where you get better as you get accustomed to the new velocities?
How can 3 things all be the #1 concern?
Ohtani had a high whiff rate and a lot worse batting stats than Murakami before he came to the MLB.
Look how that turned out.
The potential is there, it just takes a bit of fine tuning. Yes its a risk, but the ceiling is high if it does work out.
22 comments
Will fit right in with the boys
Hitters like Seiya and Yoshida added 6-8% to their strikeout rate when they came over. That would make Murakami nearly unplayable.
ya this guy has red flags all over him, from where Im sitting. NPB hitters always take a hit in production when coming over and take time to come around to big league pitching. But those whiff rates are bad for a slugger already playing in the MLB. Huge risk at the price tag being suggested.
Murakami had a 208 wRC+ in 2025, literally twice as good as the average npb player last year despite missing a large chunk of the year due to injury.
He is going to be a monster.
This + the fact that he would be 1B for us makes me feel totally fine if we miss out on him.
Giants also have Chapman locked up until 2030.
I think he goes Dodgers, Mariners, or Yankees.
He hit a wonderful .095 against 93+ pitches. Seems like he’s Joey Gallo at best.
So it will be LA’s problem to figure out in other words
He’s not coming here. He’s going to LA. We don’t need to talk about this guy.
It’s alright, I’m sure the Dodgers will fix him
Hard pass; I’d rather they go for someone like Naylor or O’Hearn.
Let the Doyers have him!
He’s the anti-Arraez
The guy struggles big time against 94+MPH pitches. I don’t see him succeeding here.
Stop making Murakami posts please 😭😭
We are not getting him
No ways gonna be 45% strike out rate year 1
I want power hitting on this team but this guy has WAY to many red flags
It would be incredibly ironic and so Padres for them to finally land a Japanese player and he turns out to be a bust.
Mark Reynolds but maybe worse?
Isn’t the average fastball in the NPB like 90-91? I feel like it’s just one of those things where you get better as you get accustomed to the new velocities?
How can 3 things all be the #1 concern?
Ohtani had a high whiff rate and a lot worse batting stats than Murakami before he came to the MLB.
Look how that turned out.
The potential is there, it just takes a bit of fine tuning. Yes its a risk, but the ceiling is high if it does work out.