Munetaka Murakami, the Yakult Swallows’ powerhouse, declared that 2025 will be his final year in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He plans to move to Major League Baseball, joining many other Japanese stars who have made this transition.
Back in 2022, Murakami grabbed the world’s attention by breaking Sadaharu Oh’s record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player in a single season with 56 homers over 141 games. Since then, his performance has dipped a bit, with OPS scores of .875 and .851 in the following seasons.
Turning 25 next February and having played over six seasons abroad means Murakami won’t be an international amateur free agent like Roki Sasaki. Instead, he’ll enter MLB through the posting system, which allows the Swallows to earn a fee from whatever contract he secures with an MLB team.
Contract Details:
The posting system outlines how much the Swallows could gain based on Murakami’s future contract:
– For deals under $25 million: They receive 20% of the total.
– If it’s between $25 million and $50 million: They get $5 million plus 17.5% of any amount over $25 million.
– For contracts exceeding $50 million: The team earns $9.275 million plus 15% of anything above that mark.
Fans might wonder if Murakami’s power can shine as brightly in MLB as it did back home.
Murakami is known for his left-handed power hitting, averaging 38 home runs annually over five years and only dropping below 30 once during the pandemic-shortened season when he hit 28. Despite his impressive on-base skills—walking more than 15% last season—his high strikeout rate (over 28% in recent years) raises concerns about his contact ability and defense at third base.
In fact, his strikeout rate climbed further to nearly 29.5% in 2024. Many expect MLB teams will view him primarily as a first baseman due to these defensive challenges and emphasize how well he can adapt to tougher pitching.
What do you think? Can Murakami make waves across the ocean?
