{"id":545292,"date":"2026-03-17T02:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T02:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/545292\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T02:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T02:40:07","slug":"white-sox-have-to-get-munetaka-murakami-up-to-speed-after-lengthy-wbc-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/545292\/","title":{"rendered":"White Sox have to get Munetaka Murakami up to speed after lengthy WBC absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

SURPRISE, Ariz. \u2014 Back at Camelback Ranch after the World Baseball Classic, White Sox<\/a> slugger Munetaka Murakami sat at his locker preparing to get some work in.<\/p>\n

As Murakami got dressed, his Sox teammates blasted songs on the large speaker in the clubhouse. Right-hander Sean Burke controlled the music and took requests from teammates. He then passed the iPad to Murakami\u2019s translator, Kenzo Yagi. Murakami selected a Japanese hip-hop song to play throughout the clubhouse, mouthing the words on his way out.<\/p>\n

Those little interactions go a long way for Murakami, who\u2019s still trying to find his footing with new teammates, new coaches and a new country. Murakami and the team establishing a connection and rapport is paramount for on- and-off-the-field matters, but that requires patience that will be hard to come by once the regular season begins.<\/p>\n

Murakami\u2019s time away with Team Japan at the WBC left him with just over a week -remaining in spring training to acclimate with his organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that his first stretch here was really productive,\u201d manager Will Venable said Monday. \u201cHis engagement in the program, connecting with our players, was -really productive. He\u2019s just picking up where he left off.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Murakami hasn\u2019t been with the Sox since Feb. 26, which is valuable time lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that we put in since he left, [so] got to get him up to speed on those things,\u201d Venable said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a big transition for Japanese players coming to the United States. At his introductory news conference, he said he had some preliminary conversations with the Cubs\u2019 Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki about -Chicago and received support from Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.<\/p>\n

But nothing can replace the actual experience of taking in a new country. There are also some adjustments coming for the Sox, who haven\u2019t been a traditional destination for Japanese talent. Murakami is the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the Sox, joining right-hander Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07) and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012).<\/p>\n

Each Japanese player has a different set of needs that emerges while his team learns about him over the course of the season. Figuring out the proper nourishment for Murakami and adding a translator were necessary components on the Sox part as they integrated Murakami into the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

Yagi, Murakami\u2019s translator, stayed back with the team to deepen his understanding of baseball and how the Sox operate to expedite the process when Murakami returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cKenzo is awesome,\u201d Venable said. \u201cHe has no baseball experience, and so little things about how we approach the advanced process and the information and the communication of those things, some of the terminology we really wanted him to be around [for] on a different level so he could soak up those things and just help the communication between our coaches and Mune.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time is of the essence for the Sox and Murakami. Murakami didn\u2019t land the megadeal that many prognosticators predicted he would get in the offseason because of strikeout concerns and a propensity to chase pitches out of the zone.<\/p>\n

The two-year, $34 million contract he signed enables him to re-enter free agency before he turns 28 but also leaves little time for the Sox to evaluate what he can be in the majors. To get that picture, they will need Murakami relaxed and focused solely on baseball.<\/p>\n

The best version of Murakami benefits both him and the Sox, who will need his power bat to build on last year\u2019s second-half performance.<\/p>\n

This partnership can have lasting effects, and time isn\u2019t on their side.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mead played for Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic, going 5-for-14 with three RBI in four games.<\/p>\n

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Montgomery was reassigned to minor-league camp on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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The competition for the rotation is winding down.<\/p>\n

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Martin spent the offseason working with PitchingWRX to fine-tune his arsenal and work on pitch sequences. <\/p>\n

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