Will White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami hit 40 home runs this season?
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What makes Munetaka Murakami a player to watch this season?
Rahimi Harrison-Grody. I'm not a fan of any team. I'm just a fan of being right.
Middays 10-2 on 104.3 The Score. 3-2. Murakami back in right field. It goes at the wall. He gets it! Oh my goodness, he did it again! Three games, three bombs for the Japanese sensation Murakami.
That was more the way he hits home runs. Powering fly balls. That one didn't make it by much, but it made it by enough.
I have power. He does have power. On display through the first three games of the regular season, he homered in each of the first three games. That highlight, John Triffin, Steve Stone on the call, brought to you by CHSN. Our friends over there. And we're back on Rahimi Harrison-Grody. Munitaka Murakami. It's a name you need to know. Not just if you're a White Sox fan, but if you are a baseball fan. Because this man has burst onto the scene doing something that only three other players in Major League history had done. And that's homering in each of their first three regular season Major League games. And yet, still... If they voted for Rookie of the Year, I don't think he would win in the American League because this guy Chase DeLauder is out here hitting four home runs in his first three regular season Major League games.
And that's okay because the bottom line is this.
How has Murakami performed in his first games?
We love power. We are addicted to power. I don't just mean power in the power, power sense. I'm talking about baseball power.
We are, as a society, addicted to that, too.
Yes, we are. Definitely, everyone's chasing it. Everyone bends the knee to it, apparently.
But definitely in baseball.
But definitely in baseball. And understand this. Last year, there were seven players who hit 40 home runs. Kyle Raleigh led all of baseball with 60. Kyle Schwarber had 56 for the Phillies. Shohei Otani doing Shohei Otani things. He had 55. Aaron Judge doing judging things. He had 53. Eugenio Suarez, even though he kind of slowed up at the end, still managed 49 home runs. And Junior Caminero, who's a dude that y'all also should know.
22 years old, had 45 homers.
Like... Yes. And then Juan Soto, even though he wasn't an all-star, which was egregious even at the time, ended up with 43 home runs on the year. Mune's about to hit 40 this year for the White Sox. And that's something I need everyone to just comprehend. understand, process, and most importantly, accept as the standard. And I know it's early. Russell, Mr. Pragmatism himself, Dorsey, is going to tell me why it's early. It's only been four games. But the power itself is undeniable. There's no question, will this translate from Japan to the major? It's already translated.
First three games, you saw it translate, right? I'm with you there. And I think while I disagree that's where the number is going to be, the thing that I think would get you there is that he's going to get every opportunity. He's going to get all the at-bats. Now, I think there are going to be some at-bats. There's some games against the left-handers where you're like, Mooney, don't even worry about this one. Chris Sales is my buddy. You go ahead, take a seat. We'll bring you in later in the game. But I do think there are going to be some really good matchups for him, right, where you'll get to see the power play. I'm curious as teams start to get a little tape and see where the weaknesses are now that he's playing in big league games regularly,
How it goes, because there will be an adjustment period from right now in six weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, et cetera. And he's going to have to adjust back. That's usually where it gets you as a young player, because you can have all this success early in the season. And he looks really good powers playing, but he'll have to adjust back when the league adjusts him.
I would argue the league's already tried to adjust to him because they knew what his weakness was coming in. They knew what his Achilles heel was coming in. He didn't handle Velo well.
What challenges does Murakami face in the Major Leagues?
And if you look at the pitches he's hit out of the park, it's been the off-speed stuff. And so I think this is just more about what you said at first, which is he's going to be granted and afforded every opportunity to get out there and hit bombs.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What makes Munetaka Murakami a player to watch this season?
0:01–1:35
2
How has Murakami performed in his first games?
1:35–4:23
3
What challenges does Murakami face in the Major Leagues?
4:23–5:40
4
How does power hitting influence Murakami's potential?
5:40–7:02
5
What are the historical comparisons for players hitting 40 home runs?
7:02–8:59
6
How does Murakami's performance compare to other rookies?
8:59–11:49
7
What adjustments might Murakami need to make as the season progresses?
11:49–12:42
Speakers
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