The Chicago White Sox took a chance on Munetaka Murakami, and it’s paying off.
Twenty-nine other organizations passed on the slugger from Nippon Professional Baseball during the offseason.
Murakami’s projected contract surpassed $100 million, but he settled for a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly wrote Monday that other MLB teams seemed to have the wrong scouting report on the first baseman/designated hitter.
“Concerns about his ability to hit velocity and limited defensive flexibility led to Munetaka Murakami’s market cratering this past offseason,” Kelly wrote.
During the weekend, Murakami homered in all three games of Chicago’s series against the Athletics. He launched a grand slam and finished 3-for-5 at the plate on Friday. Murakami’s eight home runs rank him in a tie for third place with Ben Rice and Jordan Walker.
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It’s a small sample size of 72 at-bats, and swing and miss concerns remain, but it may be in the White Sox’s best interest to lock him up long-term sooner rather than later.
“If the White Sox are smart, they’ll move pretty quickly to extend the 26-year-old, who will be a coveted free agent if he continues to deliver this type of power production and reaches the open market after the 2027 season,” Kelly added.
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