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Why Munetaka Murakami felt destined to play for the White Sox
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- Why Munetaka Murakami felt destined to play for the White Sox
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Why Munetaka Murakami felt destined to play for the White Sox appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
There was nowhere to go but up for the Chicago White Sox in 2025 after they set records for putridity during the 2024 season. And 2025 was indeed an improvement for them as they went 60-102 — winning 19 more games than they did the previous season. But 2026 could very well see the White Sox take another step forward following the addition of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami on a two-year, $34 million contract following his decision to leave the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the NPB after eight seasons.
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Murakami plays corner infield and has established a reputation for himself in Japan as a premier power producer. He hit 246 home runs across eight seasons (seven full) in the NPB, including 56 long balls in 2022. And the 25-year-old is looking forward to producing a similar level of output with the White Sox — even calling himself "destined" to play with the team.
"I feel there are lot of exciting young players here. Just as my career panned out in Japan, I went to a team that was very young and we got to the promised land of winning the championship there. I kinda feel something similar here, I feel like I'm destined to be here," Murakami said through his translator, via Chuck Garfien of CHSN.
White Sox look to take next step in rebuild
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Murakami will have to put up with a few losing seasons, regardless of how destined he feels to be with the team. The White Sox, as poised as they are to take the next step thanks to the development of young players such as Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel , still lack a few key pieces, especially on the starting pitching front, to realistically compete.
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Murakami did at least experience two brutal losing seasons with the Swallows (in 2019 and 2020) before they broke through and won the Japan Series in 2021.
Related: New White Sox signing Munetaka Murakami will play for Team Japan in World Baseball Classic
Related: Munetaka Murakami opens introductory presser with hilarious prop
