Apr 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Red-Hot Munetaka Murakami Already Making MLB History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 10:32 AM ET

This past offseason, Munetaka Murakami was one of the most intriguing available free agents.

Murakami was posted by the Yakult Swallows at just 25 years old. It's rare to find a slugger with as much potential as Murakami at just 25 years old in free agency. But his market didn't explode as expected. Over the last few years, we have seen some massive deals handed out to guys after being posted. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the most prominent after getting a 12-year, $325 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Another big deal was Masataka Yoshida getting $90 million from the Boston Red Sox over five years, among others.

While Murakami was just 25 years old when he hit the open market, his market didn't develop to the point of Yoshida or Yamamoto, by any means. He landed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. Significantly less than expected. But he's been impressive so far. In fact, Murakami actually set a new league record with four homers in his first eight games. No other Japanese-born player had reached four homers in their first eight games, per Sarah Langs of MLB.

"Munetaka Murakami’s four home runs are the most by a Japanese-born player in his first 8 career MLB games," Langs wrote.

Munetaka Murakami’s four home runs are the most by a Japanese-born player in his first 8 career MLB games https://t.co/XYcYOjI9LT
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 4, 2026

For a guy who didn't have a massive market in free agency as expected, he's certainly making teams around the league think about passing on him. Murakami has played in nine games so far this season and is slashing .226/.342/.613 with a .955 OPS to go along with four homers, seven RBIs, six walks and seven runs scored. At first glance, the batting average may look low, but what's more important here is the OPS (.955), on-base percentage (.342) and, of course, homers (4).

It's early in the season. Batting average takes massive swings seemingly every game. Murakami is 7-for-31 on the season (.226 batting average). If he goes 3-for-3 next game, it will go up to .294 (10-for-34). If he goes 0-for-3, the average would drop down to .205 (7-for-34).

Batting average is very volatile at this time of the year, to say the least. The other numbers show a guy that other teams around the league should've taken a bit more seriously in free agency. The fact that Murakami landed a two-year deal was pretty shocking. Every team in the league had a shot at him and certainly could've afforded that deal if the struggling White Sox could. So far this season, Murakami has been playing at a historic pace for a Japanese-born player and the season is still young.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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