{"id":614724,"date":"2026-04-18T08:50:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/614724\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:50:39","slug":"munetaka-murakami-adjusting-to-mlb-pitching-along-with-anemic-white-sox-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/614724\/","title":{"rendered":"Munetaka Murakami adjusting to MLB pitching along with anemic White Sox offense"},"content":{"rendered":"

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 After a boisterous introduction<\/a> to Major League Baseball with three home runs in his first three games, the hits haven\u2019t been easy to come by for Munetaka Murakami.<\/p>\n

The slugger dubbed the Babe Ruth of Higo, Japan, has looked more like the Adam Dunn of yore with his three-true-outcome propensity, a big swing-and-miss profile the White Sox<\/a> knew and embraced when it brought him down to their price range for a two-year, $34 million deal.<\/p>\n

But to revive one of baseball\u2019s worst offenses, the Sox will need some more positive outcomes from Murakami beyond the strikeouts, walks and dingers their 26-year-old first baseman has piled up in the early going. Murakami says he knows he can get there as he adjusts in kind to the big-league pitchers adjusting to his prodigious bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pitchers have come out with a different variety of pitches obviously from the first series and now. But again, it\u2019s about getting used to it,\u201d Murakami said earlier this week<\/a> via interpreter Kenzo Yagi, after smacking his first homer in 10 days to break a 1-for-25 skid at the plate. \u201cI\u2019m seeing a lot of pitches right now. Getting used to it and getting that preparation is my first priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Sox headed west<\/a> to open a three-game series against the Athletics, Murakami carried a lopsided .167\/.346\/.417 line over his first 19 career games, with five homers and five singles in 60 at-bats against a whopping 26 strikeouts and 17 walks. He was 3-for-5 Friday with a grand slam, two singles and two strikeouts in the Sox\u2019 9-2 victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still buoying a cellar-dwelling Sox offense that was collectively below the Mendoza line (.195) to go with another MLB-worst OPS of .602.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Munetaka<\/p>\n

Munetaka Murakami takes batting practice earlier this week at Rate Field.<\/p>\n

Michael Reaves\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While Murakami has shown elite figures through mid-April in bat speed (74.1 mph), average exit velocity (93.7 mph) and barrel percentage (22.9%), his whiff (41.3%) and strikeout (33.3%) rates were among the highest in MLB, according to Baseball Savant.<\/p>\n

And while opponents\u2019 initial scouting reports had them going after Murakami with high heat, they\u2019ve swiftly zeroed in on a tendency to chase offspeed and breaking pitches \u2014 more than half of which Murakami has waved on.<\/p>\n

But he says he\u2019s fine-tuning his own response by putting in time with the Sox\u2019 Trajekt machine, an artificial intelligence-powered system that can replicate any pitcher for batting practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was kind of letting the easy pitches pass by me, the breaking balls in early stages. But now I\u2019m seeing the ball a lot better and I\u2019m really getting into the plate with a lot more confidence,\u201d Murakami said. \u201cThe routine really hasn\u2019t changed that much. Obviously if a pitcher that is new is coming up, I will go in Trajekt and see a lot of pitches from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sox hitting director Ryan Fuller said he expects Murakami to \u201cdial it back a little bit, see the ball a little bit deeper, use the whole field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ability to make adjustments at a really high level has been very impressive and you can see it. His swings are starting to be a little bit more fluid, finding the barrel a little bit more,\u201d Fuller said.<\/p>\n

General manager Chris Getz said he\u2019s not worried about his big offseason splash.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is going through an adjustment period with catching up to some fastballs,\u201d Getz said. \u201cWe know what he\u2019s capable of doing. The great thing is he\u2019s already shown [it] and I know that he believes in himself. Getting back into a home routine I think is going to serve him well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sox\u2019 Trajekt stays at Rate Field, but a little more time to settle into his new city and an entirely new country could serve Murakami well, too. He got to take in his first Blackhawks game in a box at the United Center with his teammates on Monday, his first Chicago off-day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really exciting and fun,\u201d Murakami said. \u201cIt\u2019s a grind, I\u2019m going home, hotel, facilities and then a routine of that daily. I really haven\u2019t gotten into the fun part of enjoying Chicago yet, but it will come.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Munetaka Murakami mashed a 431-foot grand slam nearly over the batter\u2019s eye in West Sacramento on a cathartic night for the offense. <\/p>\n

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As they embark on road series against the Athletics and Diamondbacks, both teams with winning records, the Sox are a major-league worst 6-13 after losing eight of their last nine games and six in a row at home.<\/p>\n

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With Opening Day starter and 2025 All-Star Shane Smith trying to recapture his form in the minors, the top spot in the Sox\u2019 rotation is there for the taking.<\/p>\n

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Chaney was alert when he was taken to a hospital from a scary scene Wednesday evening at Rate Field.<\/p>\n

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