Munetaka Murakami, the power-hitting corner infielder from Japan, is expected to be posted for MLB teams to obtain his services.
Japanese corner infielder Munetaka Murakami is coming to Major League Baseball.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan reported that Murakami, a corner infielder for Yakult Swallows of the Nippon League will be posted today, opening a 45-day window for MLB teams to negotiate a contract with him starting Saturday.
On Thursday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report ranked the top-seven teams that potentially will be interested in Murakami’s services, and the Philadelphia Phillies were listed as one of the teams.
His nickname around baseball claims that he’s the “Babe Ruth of Higo,” with Higo being a Southern Japanese province that was eventually renamed “Kumamoto.”
Quite the praise for a 25-year-old. But let’s run through the numbers and see what prompted such a name.
In his eight seasons with the Swallows, Murakami has been one of Japan’s most dominant hitters, crushing over 260 home runs, with a career .273 average.
In the 2022 season, Murakami had hit 56 home runs in 141 games, while also driving in 134 RBIs and hitting .318.
This past season, he only played in 56 games, and hit 22 dingers, which in a 162 game season, would amount to 63 home runs.
The news comes on the heels of a season where expected free agent Kyle Schwarber crushed 56 home runs this season, leading the National League.
Schwarber is expected to get a substantial pay raise, but it’s currently unknown if both he and the Phillies will come to an agreement – though both parties wish to make it work.
That’s where Murakami comes into play.
While he is a corner infielder, teams like the Phillies could potentially see him as an option to play as a designated hitter.
All the options are on the table.
The Phillies may also be in the market to trade All Star third baseman Alec Bohm, whose OPS had dropped substantially from 2024 to this season. That ultimately would leave Murakami to play third base, and gives Philadelphia more room to retain Schwarber.
Should that happen, the Phillies could have one of the more dominant hitting rosters in baseball. With left-handed hitters in Schwarber, Murakami and Bryce Harper, along with Trea Turner it’s hard to find a more powerful lineup.
There will be a lot of suitors, and you can expect the back-to-back World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers to be in the mix – an organization that has consistently won over Japan's biggest talents.
Murakami’s 45-day window concludes on December 23.