Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz is not ready to say, “I told you so.”
In December, when the team signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, Getz boasted that the South Siders were getting “one of the most prolific power hitters on the planet.”
That statement raised some eyebrows.
But doubters who scoffed back then may be eating their words now. While there were concerns about how Murakami, 26, would adjust to living in a new country and facing major-league pitching, he is off to a stellar start.
Through 25 games, Murakami has belted 10 home runs — one behind MLB leader Yordan Álvarez of the Houston Astros — putting him on pace for 64.
It’s too early for Getz to say he told you so, but in late April he at least is able to smile and enjoy the fireworks show the left-handed-hitting first baseman is providing.
“Well, it was a bold statement, and I appreciate him going out there and hitting for power supporting that statement,” Getz said Friday before the Sox faced the Washington Nationals to open a six-game homestand at Rate Field.
“That statement was driven by the fact that you know how much power is in that swing and in that body. But we also know that it’s easier said than done to actually hit for power.”
During the just-completed trip against the Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks, Murakami tied a franchise record by hitting a home run in five straight games and became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 10 home runs in his first 24 games.
Even fellow Japanese slugger Shohei Ohtani — a four-time MVP — can’t make that claim.
While the home runs attract much of the attention, Getz is happy to see that Murakami drew a team-leading 21 walks heading into Friday’s game.
“He creates plenty of action,” Getz said. “The action is either with his bat or when he doesn’t swing and he takes walks. That level of patience and being a threat at the plate potentially creates opportunities for other guys coming up to the plate with him on base.”
Murakami also can be a good example to some of his teammates, even the older ones, according to Getz.
“When you are in a lineup and you are watching the success that Mune is having right now, you take note as why he is having the success,” Getz said. “Not everyone has the power that Mune has, but that patience and the ability to take pitches that are not strikes or pitches that you cannot do damage with is something that we stress.
“When you have a player who is exemplifying that on a regular basis, that can influence others as well and how they take their at-bats.”
Murakami was not available to talk before the game, but during the trip he was matter-of-fact about his approach when he steps into the batter’s box.
“At any plate appearance, I stay the same,” he told reporters through an interpreter Wednesday in Phoenix after homering in his fifth straight game. “I’m very focused on each and every at-bat. There is no special difference in what I do each day.”
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Before his arrival in Chicago, Murakami played with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows from 2018-25 and had 246 home runs and 647 RBIs. In 2022, he was a Nippon Professional Baseball Triple Crown winner, hitting .318 with 56 home runs and 134 RBIs.
If he does continue at this torrid pace, he will become a big star in this country.
White Sox manager Will Venable said Murakami’s success in Japan will help him handle the pressure of being the major leagues.
“What we’ve learned is that he was a superstar over there and he’s a superstar over here,” Venable said. “He’s had the attention for quite a while now. You have to be a special person to handle it.”
Murakami is working on a two-year, $34 million deal, and in an era when some teams try to lock up young talent with long and lucrative contract extensions, a 25-game sample size is a little too small for Getz to start throwing out more years and dollars.
“We certainly don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but what he has done so far is impressive,” Getz said. “I’m happy for Mune, and we feel fortunate that he’s in the lineup.”
But it’s something Getz will keep an eye on.
“Obviously he’s gone out there and performed very well quickly in his White Sox career,” Getz said. “Our goal from the beginning is making sure that he can just go out there and be comfortable and be himself knowing that if he can get comfortable, he can be a productive major-league player.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.