Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami named “winner” of the 2026 season so far
The Chicago White Sox were, surprisingly, the ones who ended up signing Munetaka Murakami after he decided to come over to Major League Baseball from Japan. When news first came that he was going to join the Majors, many expected that he would get a multi-year deal worth well over $100 million.
However, there were concerns among MLB general managers that his power would not translate in the league and his already high strikeout totals in Japan would only get worse.
56 games into the 2026 season, and it appears that Murakami is well on his way to proving them all wrong. Meanwhile, the White Sox are reaping the benefit.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami named a winner of the 2026 season (so far)
In one aspect, the other general managers were right: Murakami has struck out a lot. However, they were wrong about everything else. Currently, the White Sox first baseman leads the American League in home runs, and Chicago is two games over .500 and in second place in their division.
Bleacher Report named Murakami as one of their five top-winners of the 2026 season thus far:
“Expected to sign a deal in excess of $100 million at the outset of last offseason, Munetaka Murakami had to settle for two-year, $34 million deal with the Chicago White Sox amid concerns about how he would translate to the majors.
“Well, he’s doing just fine, thanks for asking.
“Murakami leads the American League with 19 home runs and has a .917 OPS. He has struck out 77 times, the most times in the junior circuit. But you can live with a three-true-outcomes hitter if he’s going to hit 45 home runs per season.
“It feels like general manager Chris Getz and the White Sox would be wise to approach the 26-year-old slugger sooner rather than later about extending his contract. The price to retain Murakami is only going to go up as he gets closer to his second trip to free agency after the 2027 season.”
Since the excerpt above was written, Murakami hit another home run. Currently, he is hitting .242/.381/.566 with 20 home runs and 41 RBI.
He leads the American League in runs (43), home runs, RBI, and strikeouts (79).
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For More Chicago Sports
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The post Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami named “winner” of the 2026 season so far appeared first on ChiCitySports.
Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-white-sox-munetaka-murakami-2026-mlb-season/
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