"Scouts are unanimous in praising his monster power potential. The lefty hitter drilled 56 home runs in his age-22 season a few years back. That's an outlier but he has another four seasons with between 31 and 39 longballs. That doesn't include this year, in which oblique injuries limited him to 69 games. Murakami connected on 24 homers while hitting .286/.392/.659 across 263 plate appearances -- which would have put him on a 55-60 homer pace over a full season. His exit velocities are off the charts. There's a chance he's in the Kyle Schwarber or Shohei Ohtani tier in terms of left-handed raw power."
"As is often the case, the bigger question is whether he'll make enough contact to be an impact bat in MLB. Murakami has fanned a near-26% rate in his NPB career. That was up to 28.6% this year and closer to 30% in his last full season in 2024. Hitters can thrive while striking out that often -- Schwarber has gone down on strikes at a 28.8% rate over the last four years -- but Murakami's strikeout rate seems likely to climb against big league competition."
Munetaka Murakami must decide on an MLB contract by December 22 after the 45-day posting window began November 8. His camp has been private about suitors, leaving clubs and market projections unclear. Scouts praise his elite left-handed power: he hit 56 home runs at age 22 and had four other seasons with 31–39 homers. Oblique injuries limited him to 69 games this year, when he hit 24 homers and slashed .286/.392/.659 in 263 plate appearances. Exit velocities are among the highest, suggesting top-tier raw power. Significant contact concerns remain: a near-26% career strikeout rate rose to 28.6% this year and neared 30% in his last full season, and MLB pitching quality may push that rate higher.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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