Don't fall for 56 home runs! Murakami's Weaknesses Spurring Here and There, Joey Gallo, Not Schwaber, Entering Posting 45 Days

Nov 08, 2025

Don't fall for 56 home runs! Murakami's Weaknesses Spurring Here and There, Joey Gallo, Not Schwaber, Entering Posting 45 Days
Munetaka Murakami has been close to 30% strikeout glass for the last three consecutive years. AP Yonhap News



With NPB big gun third baseman Murakami Munetaka posted, negative prospects for his success in the Major League are flowing out.

Yakult Swallows officially requested MLB to post Murakami to 30 lightbulbs on the 8th (Korea time). As a result, Murakami will be able to freely negotiate with all major league clubs for 45 days until 7 a.m. on December 23.

Murakami is widely considered to have the power to work in the major leagues, but many point out that he needs to change his batting form for smooth adaptation.




MLB.com counts the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox as clubs seeking to recruit Murakami.

The Mets saw President David Stearns go to Japan in August and Murakami hit a walk-off home run, and Seattle needs Josh Naylor and Ayuhenio Suarez to replace them as FA. Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber, who hit 56 home runs this year, went to the FA market, and Boston considers Murakami as a substitute in case third baseman Alex Bregman moves to the FA.

The club to watch is San Francisco. push for an off-season buildup every year San Francisco, which has repeatedly failed, can use Murakami as first baseman because it has third baseman Matt Chapman and designated hitter Rafael Devers.




Don't fall for 56 home runs! Murakami's Weaknesses Spurring Here and There, Joey Gallo, Not Schwaber, Entering Posting 45 Days
Murakimi hit 56 home runs in 2022, setting the record for the most NPB Japanese batters. AP Yonhap News
It was in 2022 that Murakami began to receive the attention of Major League Baseball. That year, he was named Central League MVP with a batting average of 0.318, 134 RBIs, 114 points, and 1.168 OPS, including 56 home runs, the most by a Japanese batter in NPB history. He then participated in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March 2023 and showed off his powerful hit in front of major league officials.

However, it has since suffered a sharp decline. In 2023, he played in 140 games and hit a batting average of 0.256, 31 homers, 84 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.875, and continued to decline with a batting average of 0.244, 33 homers, 86 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.851 in 2024. In particular, he played only 56 games this season, suffering from frequent injuries.

The most worrisome part is contact ability. The strikeout rate has increased significantly for the past three consecutive years. The strikeout rate in 2022 when he hit 56 home runs was 20.9%, but it was 28.1% in 2023, 29.5% in 2024, and 28.6% this year, approaching 30% for the third consecutive year. This is because the swing and miss ratio has increased. The swing and miss rate, which was 31.7% in 2022, has since risen to 34.3%, 37.3% and 36.7%.




MLB.com said 'It is never a good thing that Japan has a high swing rate. This is because the contact ratio tends to deteriorate when the NPB's big guns cross into MLB. Murakami's swing and strikeout rate this year is the highest in the Major League, he said.

Don't fall for 56 home runs! Murakami's Weaknesses Spurring Here and There, Joey Gallo, Not Schwaber, Entering Posting 45 Days
Munetaka Murakami is pointed out that the batting form should be revised concisely. AP Yonhap News
Local media outlet The Athletic also reported 'His career is highly anticipated, but the danger signal is also scary. The biggest concern is frequent swings and misses, and experts say his long swing trajectory is a weakness and he will be overwhelmed by powerful fastballs and sharp breaking balls.

An NL scout in charge of the Pacific said "A lot of swings and misses show what kind of player Murakami is. The strikeout rate is high. Can I hit enough home runs to handle strikeouts? Who is close to Kyle Schwarber or Joey Gallo?," he said, expressing doubts. Gallo is a representative hitter of the style of 'All or Do', hitting 30 to 40 home runs in his heyday, but his batting average of around 20% and strikeout rate did not exceed the mid to late 30% range.

The scout added "What matters is how many walks you get. In order to cope with MLB's fastball, the batting form will have to be modified. You can do that if you have the will. However, it is important how quickly you do it. He also suggested a solution.

Defensive skills are also a problem. As a third baseman, the range of defense is narrow and the throwing is not accurate. Another scout added "I don't think offensive power offsets defensive power. Taking third base in the big leagues is not realistic. The first baseman can be effective. It's not even left field."

However, since it is so powerful, a total of $100 million seems to be easy. Most media predicted more than $100 million. The Athletic columnist Jim Borden offered $160 million for six years, $180 million for MLBTR for eight years, $158.2 million for the Athletic statistics team for eight years, and $125 million for CBS Sports for five years, respectively. However, ESPN predicted negatively at $80 million for five years.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.