Munetaka Murakami might be the next Shohei Ohtani — Who Is the White Sox Star?

Munetaka Murakami was one of the most hyped Japanese baseball players a few years ago.

The Tokyo Yakult Swallow slugger was not only mashing in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, but he was making history along the way.

In 2022, he broke the legend Sadaharu Oh’s record for most home runs in the NPB by a Japanese-born player with 56.

If he could have gone to the MLB after that season, Murakami would have built generational wealth and gotten a long-term contract that locked him to a franchise for the rest of his career, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But Murakami couldn’t be posted yet because he wasn’t old enough to go through the proper channels, so he continued in the NPB, where he regressed due to injuries and difficulties with his strikeout percentage, along with a lack of infield defense.

By the time he finally could make his way to MLB this past offseason, that once great hype had died, and no one was willing to give him that ironclad, long-term contract that he would have received years earlier.

Instead of going back to Japan or signing a three- to four-year deal, Murakami bet on himself, inking an agreement with the Chicago White Sox for two years at $17 million per campaign.

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It was a gamble. If Murakami succeeds, he will hit free agency again at 28, when that long-term, gigantic-money contract will be there. But if he fails, his stint in MLB might be over before it even started, forced to return to NPB or sit on the bench in the minor leagues.

Murakami’s self-belief may have been a stroke of genius, however, as he’s been one of the main characters during the opening weekend of the 2026 MLB season.

The big-bodied Japanese smasher of baseballs has done just that, hitting a home run in each of the first three games of the season. Not only has Murakami been leaving the yard, but he’s doing it against the Milwaukee Brewers on the road, one of the best rosters in the entire sport.

Although Murakami doesn’t have Shohei Ohtani’s defensive skills or athleticism, his strength and overall power have been compared to those of the four-time MLB MVP.

If Murakami keeps doing what he’s doing, he won’t only be a big winner.

The White Sox might have someone who can change their franchise around, as they also hold the top pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.