Japanese long-pitch hitter Munetaka Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, Jeff Passan confirms.
The 45-day transfer period for the Japanese to reach an agreement with an MLB team was drawing to a close, with him having until Monday to make the jump to North America.
The talented 25-year-old holds the record for most home runs in a season by a Japanese player in the Japan Professional Baseball League. Murakami hit 56 long balls in 2022, breaking the record of 55 set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964.
His .710 batting average came in the Japanese Central League, where the collective power percentage was .370. Such a gap between a then-22-year-old hitter and the rest of a top-tier professional league deserves close examination.
Since then, Murakami’s stats have declined as the league around him continues to tilt in favor of pitchers. Last year, the Central League had an overall batting average of .350 and an earned run average of 3.26. Murakami, who turns 26 in February, hit 22 homers in just 187 at-bats in an injury-plagued year. However, he was struck out in 28.6% of his plate appearances.
Early predictions for Murakami’s contract were around five years, $80 million. Instead, Murakami lands what appears to be a catch-up contract with a rebuilding White Sox team whose offseason just got a lot more interesting.
