Although the Dodgers are considered contenders for Munetaka Murakami, the New York Yankees are a better fit for the 25-year-old Japanese superstar. While the slugger's production has dipped over the last two seasons, that does not mean he won't return to his old form. His critics are not shy to point out his high strikeout rate of over 27% and his low BA against pitches over 94 mph.
He has struggled against breaking balls from southpaws and off-speed from right-handed pitchers. While looking at his MVP seasons of 2021-2022 and comparing them to the next 3 years, it appears that there might be underlying reasons for his struggles. While 2023 is harder to explain, 2024 is a bit easier to do so, as he underwent surgery at the end of the year, indicating that it may have been nursed in an unknown period of time. He played throughout 2024, but the elbow may have troubled him. The elbow issue may have persisted throughout the season, but we can understand, considering Japanese culture, why he chose to shrug it off. Doing your best even when hurt is common practice. He could have been hurt but shrugged it off, causing him to change some of his mechanical approach at the plate, as he became incredibly pull-oriented as a hitter.
During his MVP seasons, Murakami's stance was a bit different from when he started to struggle between 2023 and 2025. 2025 is a small sample, so let's not include that when starting this analysis. In his 2021-2022 MVP seasons, Murakami's stance at the plate was slightly different. It may not be obvious to most, but I notice it because baseball is a big part of my day. Previously, he maintained an upright stance and consistently angled his bat towards the sky. This change made him more consistent and allowed him to utilize the entire field, resulting in a higher batting average. In 2023-2025, he wiggled his bat more consistently. There is a problem with this approach because he also lifts his front leg as a timing mechanism when the time hits. The wiggle stands in the way of the timing approach because when you wiggle the bat while trying to hit balls of varying speeds, the placement of the wiggle also has to be perfectly timed in unison with the front leg and the actual swing. While the slight wiggling of the bat will not hurt his power production, it will result in more strikeouts, pulling of the ball, forced swings, and a lower batting average. This can also indirectly affect his OBP, as well as his batting average (BA), which the data indicates.
Despite struggling at the plate, he still has a solid OBP at .375 in 2023, .379 in 2024, and .358 in 2025. These are excellent numbers for any player, but they pale in comparison to 2022's .458. Now, that is insane! He remains an intriguing prospect for any team, especially for the New York Yankees. He has stated in the past that he prefers the West Coast and then added that he would also like to play for the New York Yankees.
The prospect of him in the same lineup with Aaron Judge is scary. The critics of this will look at his high K% and his dip in production to justify not signing Murakami; however, he is only 25 years old, which would make him quite young compared to NPB players who transitioned in the past, and 4 years younger than Hideki Matsui, the former Yankee. Unlike his fellow older countrymen, he would have some space to adjust to the rigors of MLB baseball. If Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki are the standards of former NPB players who transitioned to MLB before the age of 29, then Murakami will be a star as well. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
The Yankees are a better fit for Murakami because he will be the only Japanese player on the team, thus upping his value in Japan with the help of the New York Yankees' network worldwide. He'd be a star, not "The Star," if he joined the Dodgers, who have Shohei, Roki, and Yoshi. There's quite a difference in distinction.
It is up for Munetaka Murakami to decide whether he wants to share the spotlight or go solo. Either way, he will indeed make an impact to whatever team he decides to play for.
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