Many expectations have been generated in the United States with the opening of the auction period to sign talented Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who is expected to sign a multi-million dollar contract with a Major League Baseball organization. His proven power, his ability to play infield corners and the needs of several teams make him a very interesting target.
The New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants appear to be his most likely destinations, although it cannot be ruled out that other giants (Los Angeles Dodgers or Chicago Cubs) will also enter the bidding for the 25-year-old slugger, who has hit 265 home runs in eight seasons in the Japanese circuit.
However, there are certain details of his offensive performance that generate doubts in the specialized circles in the United States, from where they warn that Murakami could face problems when facing MLB pitching, which is much faster and with a more powerful and diverse arsenal than that of Japan.
Murakami’s blind spots
When it comes to power hitting, Munetaka Murakami has a natural talent. The strength of his wrists is beyond question, but that alone is not enough to succeed in the best baseball in the world and the left-hander has several weak points.
For example, in Japan he has fallen below 30% contact against pitches on the edge of the zone, against both left-handed and right-handed pitchers. This is a major deficiency considering that MLB pitchers move their pitches perfectly through peripheral zones, often with large breaking pitches or smoke fastballs.
Against left-handed pitchers, Murakami has poor averages when thrown sliders over 81 mph (.182) and splitters over 84 mph (.194). In addition, he hits only one home run every 38 pitches against fastballs over 91 mph. The trend does not change much against right-handed pitchers, against whom he hit .095 with pitches of 93+ mph in 2025.
To top it off, he doesn’t make contact on almost half (48.7%) of his swings in two-strike counts, adding up his samples against lefties and righties. In general, his two-strike average is .225 against breaking pitches.
On the other hand, his physique (he weighs almost 100 kilos) does not allow him to stand out on the base paths and he does not have great range on defense either. While he can play as a first baseman and third baseman, his impact with the glove is in question and will be a point that interested teams will carefully study before sketching out a figure on the offer checks.
Other Japanese disappointments
Several Japanese players have been undisputed figures during the present century in Major League Baseball. There are plenty of examples: the legendary career of Ichiro Suzuki (already a member of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown), the recent wonders of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the impact of Yu Darvish, Hideki Matsui, Masahiro Tanaka, Koji Uehara and Hideo Nomo.
Most of these men are pitchers. Among the hitters, there are more disappointments, players who shone with the bat in Japan but failed to make an effective transition to MLB. Such is the case of Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Shogo Akiiyama, Kosuke Fukudome, Akinore Iwamura and Masataka Yoshida, who in the United States have fallen far short of their performance in Asia. Will Munetaka Murakami join that fatal list?
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