When Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox last offseason, a lot of people around baseball scrunched up their faces. The White Sox had been historically bad two years running. They set records for losing that nobody wanted to touch. But Murakami looked past the 100-loss seasons and bought into something the front office was selling.
Now? He’s an All-Star, the White Sox are leading the AL Central at 50-45, and he just told reporters that coming to Chicago was the best move of his life.
After the American League shut out the National League 4-0 in the All-Star Game, Murakami stood in front of a scrum of reporters and let them have it. Through his translator, via CHSN, he said: “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. We’re a winning squad so we’re just going to keep continuing with it.” When someone asked if he sees himself in Chicago long-term, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said. “This is the place I wanna stay.”
The numbers back him up
Murakami has been a monster in his first MLB season. Twenty home runs. Forty-two RBI. A .911 OPS. And he did all that in just 60 games. He hasn’t even played a full season yet. The guy missed some time but still produced like a middle-of-the-order fixture.
His power translated from Japan without any adjustment period. That’s not always a given. Some guys come over and the breaking balls here are different, the velocity is different, the scouting is different. Murakami just kept doing what he does. The White Sox went from laughingstock to division leader largely because of him.
What happens next
Chicago has Murakami under contract for one more season after this one at a team-friendly $17.5 million. That’s a steal if he keeps hitting like this. And based on what he said Tuesday night, he’s not looking to leave. He could sign an extension sooner than later. The White Sox would be smart to lock him up before the price goes up even more.
This team is different from the one that lost 100-plus games in back-to-back years. The energy is better. The fans are showing up again. Even if the White Sox don’t make a deep playoff run this October — and there’s a long way to go — they’ve already done something important. They gave their fanbase a reason to believe again. And they found a superstar who actually wants to stay.
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