Everyone seems to be in search of the following star with the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes coming to a detailed. Exterior of Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays followers, who nonetheless have a shot on the Japanese ace. Most MLB followers are in search of the following Japanese celebrity they’ll dream about bringing in. The participant everybody appears to have their eyes on for the 2025/26 offseason is Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami has hyped surrounding him ever since he was in highschool. In solely his first season, he leads his group to the Koshien nationwide event, higher referred to as “Summer season Koshien”. This can be a main deal in Japan. It’s one of many largest sporting occasions the nation has. It’s on par with March Insanity right here within the US. That was the one time his group made the event, however that doesn’t take away from his accomplishments. He hit 52 residence runs, incomes him the nickname “Babe Ruth of Higo”.
He was drafted within the first spherical of the NPB draft, by three groups. After a lottery, the Tokoyo Yakult Swallows received the rights and signed him to an 80 million yen contract. Roughly about 500,000 in immediately’s US {dollars}. Murakami has spent his complete NPB profession with the Sawllows nonetheless, he has indicated that 2025 will likely be his final 12 months in Japan and plans to be posted subsequent offseason. However what kind of participant is Murakami?
What Makes Murakami the Subsequent Star?
The largest a part of Murakami’s recreation is his energy. When your nickname in highschool is within the likeness of Babe Ruth, you need to be a superb energy hitter. Now Murakami may not be pretty much as good as The Sultan of Swat, however he’s nonetheless a extremely good hitter. In seven-season, he’s slashed .270/.395/.550 with 224 residence runs and 600 RBIs.
Nevertheless, the season that made Murakami a family title got here in 2022. When he placed on among the finest seasons the NPB has ever seen. In 141 video games he slashed .318/.458/.711 with 56 residence runs and 134 RBIs. His 56 residence runs have been probably the most by a Japanese-born participant in NPB historical past. He additionally introduced residence a variety of {hardware} that season. He was the primary offensive participant since 2004 to win the Triple Crown. Plus was the primary participant since Masahiro Tanaka to be the unanimous MVP.
He’s additionally proven that he can come up clutch when the sunshine shines brightest. Within the 2023 World Baseball Basic, he was considered one of Japan’s most clutch hitters. Positive his total efficiency wasn’t the best however got here by way of when it mattered probably the most. Within the semi-final recreation towards Mexico, he hit a walk-off two-run double to ship Japan to the championship recreation. Then within the championship recreation, he obtained Japan’s offense going by hitting a solo shot within the second. Positive the WBC is totally different than the MLB playoffs, but it surely exhibits that the second and strain received’t get to Murakami.
What Does His Path to the Majors Look Like
Though Murakami appears to be subsequent in line after Sasaki, his course of to attending to the MLB will likely be totally different. That is solely because of his age. Sasaki is presently a global novice free agent. This implies he’s underneath the age of 25 and hasn’t performed six seasons within the NPB. Murakami fills each these necessities as he’ll be 25 and performed eight seasons within the NPB when he’s posted. That means he’ll have a free-agent course of much like that of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Though it’s unknown what his market will appear like a few 12 months out, you possibly can assume it is going to be a big monetary dedication for the group that indicators him. Due to this you’re gonna see a variety of questions be requested in regards to the star. Like the place his future place is. Positive his bat is nice however his protection isn’t. It’s robust to see him as a Main League third-baseman. That means he’ll both transfer to first or DH. Then there’s the problem of potential regression. His stats have taken a step again because the 2022 season. He nonetheless places up respectable numbers, however nowhere close to what they have been in his MVP season.
These components could possibly be what stop him from getting one of many mega contracts we’ve seen different Japanese gamers get prior to now. Nevertheless, simply because he may not get the most important contract, doesn’t take away from the truth that Murakami has the potential to be a particular participant.
Thanks for studying! Credit score for my characteristic picture to Eric Espada. You could find extra MLB content material at Stomach Up Sports activities and observe me on Twitter/X.