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Munetaka Murakami has a fun handshake with fellow infielder Miguel Vargas. He jokingly agreed that a wand routine with teammate Mike Vasil helped him hit another home run. His number 5 jersey adorns the stands at Rate Field.
The Japanese slugger was not supposed to end up with the Chicago White Sox. But at the moment it is working quite well.
Murakami looks right at home with a promising group of young position players in Chicago, and they have been dominating the ball so far this season. Murakami has an American League-leading 17 home runs and a team-high 32 RBIs through Sunday’s action, and the surprising White Sox are tied for second in the majors with 66 total home runs.
“It’s the entire lineup, from one to nine. They feed off each other,” Murakami said through his interpreter, Kenzo Yagi. “It’s a great way to build confidence, see other players get good results. I just want to be that contributor and contribute to the lineup and contribute to the team’s wins.”
Murakami’s 17 home runs are tied for the third-most by a player in Major League history in his first 45 games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He made a record eight consecutive series starts from April 14 to May 8.
When Murakami steps up to the plate, one of baseball’s three true outcomes is the likely outcome. He also ranks among the major league leaders with 36 walks and 66 strikeouts.
“He’s a superstar. There’s no other way to do it,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “You play against guys like (Mike) Trout, you play against guys like (Aaron) Judge and Yordan Alvarez and he’s doing the same things they’re doing. It’s amazing to see.”
Murakami is the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu directed Murakami in Japan.
“He’s had to make a lot of adjustments to get comfortable,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “And I know that’s probably not easy for him. So yeah, he’s just a guy that has that flexibility to come into different environments and then feel comfortable and I think that speaks volumes to his character and who he is.”
[Touching Base: Inside the White Sox’s ‘1% Chance’ and Hot Start for Slugger Munetaka Murakami]
Murakami, 26, was the Central League MVP in 2021 and 2022. He was limited to 56 games last season due to an oblique injury, but hit .273 with 22 home runs and 47 RBIs.
It entered MLB’s publishing system in November. When the market was lighter than expected (there was some overblown concern about his ability to handle velocity), the White Sox signed the slugger to a two-year, $34 million contract in December.
During Murakami’s fast start this season, White Sox general manager Chris Getz received some complimentary calls from other general managers.
“One general manager said ‘Congratulations, you beat the industry on this,'” Getz said, “so that was nice to hear, and it worked and you know we’re very excited to have him in a White Sox uniform and that he’s helping us win baseball games.”
Murakami was late to his first spring training game after getting stuck in traffic. But most of the time everything has been smooth sailing.
He hit a solo home run in his first three regular season games. He smashed a 431-foot grand slam in a 9-2 win at the A’s on April 17, starting a five-game home run streak. He hit a three-run homer in an 8-7 victory over the Angels last month.
While Vasil continued to wave a magic wand in the White Sox dugout, Murakami went deep twice in the first multi-homer game of his career Saturday night against the hometown Cubs.
He doesn’t sneak up on anyone anymore.
“He’s a dangerous hitter and someone you definitely have to watch out for,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
Murakami also wants to improve. He said his biggest challenge has been adjusting to new pitchers every day and that he’s becoming more comfortable at first base.
When asked about his biggest challenge in making it to the majors, he paused and smiled.
“Compared to Japan, the environment here is totally different,” he said. “The space, the fields and everything is really nice. That’s the… biggest surprise.”
Information from The Associated Press.
