Inside The Red Sox

When Japanese Star Munetaka Murakami Can Join MLB After 56-Homer Season

Is the next Aaron Judge playing in Japan right now?

Scott Neville

When Japanese Star Munetaka Murakami Can Join MLB After 56-Homer Season
When Japanese Star Munetaka Murakami Can Join MLB After 56-Homer Season /
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Baseball fans across the country have been introduced to Japanese sensation Munetaka Murakami over the last few days due to the overwhelming success of the World Baseball Classic. 

The two-time reigning MVP of Nippon Professional Baseball arguably had a stronger year than New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge last season and intends to play Major League Baseball -- but when?

Murakami has a clause in his contract with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows that states that he must be posted following the 2025 season at the latest. It would be shocking for them to do so earlier, so expect the Japanese superstar to make his MLB debut in 2026. 

Murakami hit .318 with 78 extra-base hits including 56 home runs -- the record for a Japanese-born player -- 134 RBIs, a nearly even 128-to-118 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.168 OPS in 141 games last season for the Swallows.

The left-handed slugger just turned 23 years old last month and plays third base primarily with some experience at first base as well. 

When Japan held Team USA's loaded roster to just two runs en route to winning their third WBC -- no other country has reached two titles -- they proved one thing, baseball over there is legit. 

While any player coming from overseas will battle some adjustments, Japan showed that the talent gap is not as steep as many depict. Will Murakami average 55+ home runs a season? No, but he could instantly become one of the top power threats in MLB. 

Not to mention, Murakami took the first pitch he saw from Team USA's Merril Kelly for a ride. The ball carried 115.1 mph -- only 20 balls were hit harder last season in the MLB, including postseason play. 

The massive blast came one day after he hit a walk-off double off of Team Mexico's Giovanny Gallegos -- a highly productive reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Murakami will do big things when he finally comes stateside, but he'll first have to collect some more hardware in the NPB. 

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Brock Holt Gives Encouraging Update Regarding Broadcasting Career

 

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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