Munetaka Murakami not only brought bidets inside the Chicago White Sox clubhouse but also a chance to compete in October baseball in his rookie MLB season. After recording more than 100 losses in consecutive seasons, the Chicago White Sox rebounded this year. The White Sox went from the worst team in the American League to a playoff spot holder in the span of two years, and Munetaka Murakami was a centerpiece in this year’s dominant run. With his contract expiring at the end of next year, a former MLB player has urged the franchise to include Murakami in their plans for the coming seasons.
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Munetaka Murakami spent eight seasons playing for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Nippon Professional Baseball before the Chicago White Sox signed him. As a rookie in MLB, he agreed to a 2-year, $34 million contract ahead of the 2026 season. Despite missing close to six weeks due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain early in the season, Murakami slugged 35 home runs for the White Sox. At only 26 years old, the lefty-swinging first baseman has proven his worth in MLB. Murakami’s rookie MLB season has pushed a former baseball player to advocate for him.
“If I were a White Sox, I’d be starting to talk about clamming him down for a couple more years after this. Better value deals than anybody signed,” said Todd Frazier on Foul Territory. “…He’s going to strike out over 200 times, but when you walk 100 times, you are instilling fear in big-league pitchers.”
The White Sox famously extended Tim Anderson to a 6-year, $25.5 million deal after his impressive rookie season in 2016. Batting .283, Anderson ranked seventh in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. The White Sox also signed Robert Luis Jr. to a 6-year, $50 million contract before his rookie season. So, the franchise should not have a problem with extending Murakami after 2027, especially with his impact on the clubhouse.
Murakami opened the season with a blast, hitting home runs in his first three games straight. He also homered in five games straight from April 17-22. Alongside Tristan Peters, Murakami equaled the franchise record for the longest home run streak by a rookie. Murakami’s consistent performance at the plate helped the Chicago White Sox stabilise after going 6-13 in March/early April this season.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz also admitted that Murakami’s presence in the lineup helped propel the White Sox to the playoffs.
“It’s a possibility. It is,” Getz told MLB.com when asked if the White Sox could have missed the playoffs without Murakami. “He has meant a lot to this team, and not just the production on the field. We all know it isn’t just because of one player. That’s very clear. But it was a boost. It was. There was a lot of positive happenings early in the year with Mune.”
Murakami posted .207/.347/.478 with 35 home runs, 77 RBIs, 92 walks, and 196 strikeouts. While the .207 BA and 196 strikeouts might be misleading, the high number of walks and the high on-base percentage indicate that opposing pitchers do not find him easy to pitch to. Frazier also opined the same.
“I mean, you’re going to look at the .202 average and the 192 strikeouts and go, ‘Oh, that’s not good.’ Pump the brakes. The dude almost had 100 walks in his first year in the show,” said Frazier on Foul Territory.
“Yes, he didn’t hit the 40 homers because he was hurt. He can get to 40 homers. When you have a .348 on-base percentage and your batting average is .204, that means the league is afraid of you. Yes, he didn’t hit 40 homers because he was hurt. He can get to 40 homers.”
Ahead of their AL Wild Card Game 1 against the Houston Astros, Murakami spoke about his desire to win games for his team.
Munetaka Murakami wants to win
Earlier this month, the Chicago White Sox dropped three of four games to the Astros at Daikin Park during their road trip. It set off a series of losses, as the White Sox lost 12 out of 17 games, costing them the AL Central division title. During this stretch, Murakami also slumped at the plate. He went 0-for-14 against the Astros, then 4-for-40, which concluded with the White Sox dropping two of a three-game set to the Cleveland Guardians.
However, Murakami recently looked promising at the plate. During the last series of the season, Murakami hit two homers against the Colorado Rockies. He has gone 7-for-26, batting .269 in his last seven games. Now with the White Sox ready to compete in the Wild Card Series, Murakami has spoken about his desire to win.
“When I signed here in December, I obviously came here to win. I knew that this was gonna be a winning team,” said Munetaka Murakami, per MLB.com.
“I don’t really know what kind of team atmosphere it was the last two years when we did lose 100 games. But I am right here at this moment of time; our culture is a winning culture, as you can see, and that’s how we’ve been proceeding throughout the year. This is not the end.”
While it’s up to the White Sox to determine whether they should lock in Murakami well in advance, his postseason performance will play a role in the outcome. Murakami will be back in action on Tuesday against the Astros.