White Sox’s Colson Montgomery is not surprised by Munetaka Murakami’s MLB superstardom

Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami has taken MLB by storm. Teammate Colson Montgomery hasn’t been shocked by Murakami’s explosive debut.

The first baseman had a weak market upon his jump to MLB, as teams were concerned he wouldn’t be able to handle major league pitching. But for Montgomery, Murakmai’s numbers spoke for themself, via Chris Rose Sports.

“He was the real deal when he was over in Japan. I know the say the pitching is not as good over there and it’s better over here. But baseball is still hard,” Montgomery said. “Once I heard about all that stuff when we were thinking about signing him, this was definitely a guy that can help a team out.”

Colson Montgomery isn’t surprised that Munetaka Murakami is the real deal pic.twitter.com/LJPT6mM1qp

— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) May 11, 2026

Over his eight years in NPB, Murakami hit .273 with 265 home runs, 722 RBIs and 76 stolen bases. He was twice named an MVP, including in 2022 when he secured the Triple Crown. Furthermore, Murakami was a four-time All-Star and a Japan Series champion.

He has had no problem making the leap into MLB. Over his first 40 games with the White Sox, the slugger is hitting .232 with 15 home runs and 29 RBIs. He could afford to raise his batting average, and his 60 strikeouts lead the American League. But Murakami currently has the third-most home runs and tied for ninth-most RBIs in all of baseball. If teams expected that kind production, he would’ve garnered much more interest in free agency.

But Montgomery and the White Sox certainly aren’t complaining. As Chicago continues their 2026 campaign, they’ll be relying on Murakami to remain a serious source of run production.

The post White Sox’s Colson Montgomery is not surprised by Munetaka Murakami’s MLB superstardom appeared first on ClutchPoints.