Munetaka Murakami is certainly making his impact on Major League Baseball in his first season since coming over from Japan.
Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami homered for the fourth consecutive game on Tuesday as the White Sox defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Murakami, who signed just a two-year deal this offseason, is hitting .234 with a robust .394 on-base percentage. He already has nine home runs and 17 RBIs while carrying a 176 OPS+. Half of his total hits (18) are home runs.
While Murakami was always an intriguing offseason discussion point, talks between him and the Seattle Mariners never really materialized, and the M's eventually landed on acquiring Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals.
With his hot start though, Murakami did just pass M's legend Alvin Davis in some impressive history.
Per @OptaSTATS on social media:
Munetaka Murakami has 30 combined HR and BB through his first 23 games in MLB.
That is three games fewer than any other player to debut in the live-ball era (since 1920) has needed to reach that total (Alvin Davis – 26).
About Alvin Davis
Nicknamed "Mr. Mariner," Davis was the original star for the franchise. Drafted in 1982 out of Arizona State, Davis spent nine years in the big leagues with the Mariners and California Angels.
A career .280 hitter, he hit 160 home runs and drove in 683 runs. He had eight seasons of double-digit home run totals and also had three seasons of 20 or more. His best season was his rookie year of 1984 when he hit 27 homers and drove in 116 runs while also smashing 34 doubles. He also had a great year in 1987 when he hit 29 blasts and drove in 100 runs while hitting .295.
He was an All-Star in that 1984 season, winning American League Rookie of the Year as well. He is a member of the Mariners Hall of Fame.
Seattle Mariners former players Alvin Davis, left, Jay Buhner, second from right, Felix Hernandez, right, and the widow of late broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Marilyn Niehaus greet former outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, middle, during a ceremony to retire his number before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park. Joe Nicholson-Imagn ImagesShould M's have gone after Murakami?
It's hard to say. At a two-year price point, there was little risk in going after him, but there were so many variables.
For instance, if Murakami was in Seattle, then Donovan wouldn't be. On one hand, the M's would have gotten to keep the prospects they gave up for Donovan, but Donovan is an established big-leaguer.
Also, if Murakami was playing third base, then Colt Emerson would have nowhere to go once he was ready to come up. The Mariners could have put Murakami at DH, but was that something he was even interested in?
The Mariners are back in action on Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT against the Athletics. They are 10-15 on the season.
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