Munetaka Murakami, a 25-year-old Japanese slugger who could be posted this offseason, hit a walk-off homer to center field Tuesday with David Stearns on hand.
Japan third baseman Munetaka Murakami – Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Murakami averaged 37 homers in six seasons (2019-2024) for the Yakult Swallows of the Japan Central League, including a career-best 56 in 2022 when he slashed .318/.458/.710 and drove in 134 runs in 141 games. In 26 games this season, he has five homers and a .925 OPS. He bats left, throws right and wears No. 55, the same number Hideki Matsui wore while hitting 175 home runs in 10 MLB seasons.
In the last three years, Murakami has predominantly played third base, but he’s also spent time at first. The Mets have an unsettled situation at third and first baseman Pete Alonso could test free agency again this winter.
Twitter user Birdland_AR35 posted a photo of Stearns arriving at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, and Yahoo Japan wrote an article about Stearns’ attendence. The article suggested Murakami was given permission to explore a move to MLB using the posting system.
In its top 10 free agent power rankings released last week, MLB Trade Rumors listed Murakami as an honorable mention (along with Edwin DÃaz, Ryan Helsley and Cedric Mullins). Alonso was No. 9. Kyle Tucker was No. 1.