Munetaka Murakami is a Japanese corner infielder that baseball fans need to know. He has won both Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in Japan, and has also set the single season record for most homers by a Japanese player in the NPB. He was the youngest Japanese player to 100 career home runs and won an Olympic Gold Medal.
Murakami was a first-round draft pick in 2017 and spent most of 2018 in the minors, batting .288/.389/.490 with 17 HR and 70 RBI in 98 games. He was a regular for the Swallows in 2019, alternating between first base (.995 in 124 Games) and third base (.857 in 28 Games), and hit .231/.332/.481 with 36 home runs. He also recorded 74 walks, 96 RBIs, and was 3rd in RBIs and 10th in slugging.
Murakami has always shown massive power dating back to when he set a record for homers by a teenager, and won the 2019 Central League Rookie of the Year Award, getting 168 votes.
Behind the plate view of Munetaka Murakami destroying a baseball pic.twitter.com/3x32pHGkv4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 4, 2023
But, as he has progressed, he’s started to show that he has become more than just a power hitter at the plate. In 2020, Murakami improved his contact drastically, slashing .307/.427/.585 with 30 doubles, 28 home runs, 86 RBI and 87 walks, while also stealing 12 bases in 17 tries.
Munetaka Murakami cemented his name in the NPB history books by becoming the first Japanese player since Hideki Matsui in 2002 to have a 50+ HR season. Then, he set the all-time single-season record for a Japanese-born player with 56 home runs, and also set a world record by homering in five consecutive plate appearances between July 31 and August 2.
A quick answer from Japan!
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 21, 2023
Munetaka Murakami solo homer to tie this thing up! 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/8CJJsoe1M2
Over a three-month stretch from June to August, Murakami was practically unstoppable, hitting .393 with 34 home runs and 69 RBI. His historical season netted him a 10.3 WAR and a WRC+ of 223 in 141 games.
But, he is human, and after hitting 55 HR to tie the legend Sadaharu Oh, Murakami fell into a massive slump, but alll players hit rough patches, so, his display of mortality should not cast a shadow over his amazing season.
ON OCTOBER 3, 2022, HE DID IT！NUMBER 56.🎉🎉HE'S BEEN CHASING HISTORY AND HAS JUST MADE IT🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— まむたさん (@mamxmsht217) October 3, 2022
In Japan's professional baseball history, Munetaka Murakami has become the youngest slugger to win the triple crown! #MunetakaMurakami@munetaka55ys @swallowspr #村上宗隆 pic.twitter.com/N6gUltmSvO
Murakami won both the “Slash Line Triple Crown” (.318 BA, .458 OBP, .710 SLG) and the traditional Triple Crown (.318 BA, 56 HR, 134 RBI), becoming the youngest player in NPB history to do so.
Another aspect of his game that sometimes doesn’t get enough credit is his base running. Murakam has amazing hitting abilities, and sometimes, as a result, his baserunning gets overlooked. But he indeed is a very good base runner as evidenced when he became the first player since Makoto Kozuru in 1950 to steal 10+ bases while hitting 50+ home runs in a season.
In 6 seasons with the NPB league Munetaka Murakami stats at third base are.
| Year | G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | FDL% | RF/G | ||
| NPB 6 | 3B | 502 | 1195 | 352 | 774 | 69 | 70 | .994 | 2.24 |
Munetaka Murakami is a young player who has proven to be a valid player the Dodgers organization should keep an eye on.
For Dodgers Daily, I’m Mike Salas.
