February 11Feb 11 Not saying he's the source of this quote, but Phil Nevin was with Mune at 1B quite a bit today. He spoke a little to the press about their scouting efforts on Murakami and implied the bat is more impressive in person. Seems to be well liked by the Japanese media from his time with the Shohei Angels.
February 11Feb 11 Anthony Kay on facing Murakami New White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay faced Munetaka Murakami in Japan. His scouting report: “He’s got probably the most power I’ve ever seen.”https://t.co/gHXRk5PEcE 🎙🎧🌵 pic.twitter.com/xO7mzz8Z8D — Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) February 11, 2026
February 11Feb 11 19 hours ago, Autumn Dreamin said: Japanese media says 8 HR in 29 swings for Mune's BP, with that last one to RF clearing 420+ They're also reporting a change in his swing to cut down on the leg kick. Shohei made a similar adjustment when coming over with swing and miss concerns. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Japanese media reports on BP sessions and especially preseason bullpen sessions with painstaking detail. It’s a strange non-sequitur, almost like the MLB tradition of reporting that every player is in the best shape of their lives as if it bears an outsized influence on how the season will go. Reduced leg kick is an interesting observation.
February 11Feb 11 3 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said: For anyone who doesn’t know, the Japanese media reports on BP sessions and especially preseason bullpen sessions with painstaking detail. It’s a strange non-sequitur, almost like the MLB tradition of reporting that every player is in the best shape of their lives as if it bears an outsized influence on how the season will go. Reduced leg kick is an interesting observation. I thought it was just a common BP drill, work on balance. I would be fairly surprised if the Sox had him working on swing changes in February 11, but maybe they are.
February 11Feb 11 I apologize if this is answered somewhere in the 30 pages...but do the White Sox control Murakami for just the 2 years in the contract or do they have 6 years of control?
February 11Feb 11 9 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said: I apologize if this is answered somewhere in the 30 pages...but do the White Sox control Murakami for just the 2 years in the contract or do they have 6 years of control? 2 years only
February 11Feb 11 1 hour ago, chitownsportsfan said: I thought it was just a common BP drill, work on balance. I would be fairly surprised if the Sox had him working on swing changes in February 11, but maybe they are. It could be something Mune flagged for himself to get a head start on based on the experience of Shohei and others. Kelenic is working on a similar shift towards a toe tap, and Beni made one previously.
February 11Feb 11 1 hour ago, almagest said: 2 years only Thanks...are international signings different than the standard 6 seasons of control? Or does a contract like this one state specifically after 2 seasons he is a free agent?
February 11Feb 11 2 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said: Thanks...are international signings different than the standard 6 seasons of control? Or does a contract like this one state specifically after 2 seasons he is a free agent? He signed a MLB deal. A standard MiLB deal grants an international the same arb schedule as a domestic draftee I believe. But those aren't being handed out to mid 20s Japanese stars.
February 11Feb 11 5 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said: He signed a MLB deal. A standard MiLB deal grants an international the same arb schedule as a domestic draftee I believe. But those aren't being handed out to mid 20s Japanese stars. Thanks! I was wondering how arbitration might go with a guy in this situation...guess the answer is "there won't be arbitration"! Again...thanks for the info!
February 11Feb 11 19 minutes ago, BrittBurnsFan said: Thanks! I was wondering how arbitration might go with a guy in this situation...guess the answer is "there won't be arbitration"! Again...thanks for the info! I only know this because of OOTP. In OOTP 20 at least you can sometimes sign a Japanese player to a MiLB contract that then converts to a standard pre arb contract. It's a bit of an exploit as the CPU usually will undervalue them in the game and not offerthem a MLB contract, so if they are not signed come December you can swoop in with a low ball.
February 11Feb 11 4 hours ago, Eminor3rd said: For anyone who doesn’t know, the Japanese media reports on BP sessions and especially preseason bullpen sessions with painstaking detail. It’s a strange non-sequitur, almost like the MLB tradition of reporting that every player is in the best shape of their lives as if it bears an outsized influence on how the season will go. Reduced leg kick is an interesting observation. Reporting was when he signed that Sox wanted to lower/eliminate the leg kick and make it more of a toe tap. If you want to hit velocity consistently, getting rid of the leg kick is a great place to start.
February 12Feb 12 6 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said: I hope even more that that’s Mune’s music, but I’m a bit doubtful. 🤣
February 12Feb 12 2 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said: I hope even more that that’s Mune’s music, but I’m a bit doubtful. 🤣 There is no way lol
February 12Feb 12 12 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said: I hope even more that that’s Mune’s music, but I’m a bit doubtful. 🤣 This will be Murakami's walk up music
February 12Feb 12 Mune, man of the people! 8 HR in 28 BP swings today reportedly. Japanese media says he'll leave on the 27th for the WBC, a few days later than the rest of the Team Japan MLB contingent, to give him more ST game reps with the Sox.
February 14Feb 14 Mune is scheduled to speak to the media tomorrow per Sanspo. 6 HR in 30 BP swings today ( @Eminor3rd was very right about their consistency in reporting these results lol) Live ABs against Newcomb (broken bat single to right) and Shane Smith (grounder to 2B).
February 14Feb 14 On 2/12/2026 at 10:30 AM, Autumn Dreamin said: He may get picked for the All Star game HR Derby.
February 14Feb 14 I wonder what the statcast has on his swing speed. It has to be 70th percentile or higher.
February 14Feb 14 20 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said: I wonder what the statcast has on his swing speed. It has to be 70th percentile or higher. I AI'd it and it said NPB max bat speed for him through 2025 was 85.7 which, if correct ,probably puts him way higher than 70th percentile from what little I know about bat speed. Highest average bat speed in MLB is O'Neil Cruz at 78.8 MPH but thats an average total for the majority of your hard swings. So even if Mune averages out to high 70s he'll be in the 95th percentile maybe around the same as Schwarber 5th) at 77.3. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/bat-tracking Edited February 14Feb 14 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside
February 14Feb 14 23 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said: I wonder what the statcast has on his swing speed. It has to be 70th percentile or higher. A few sources report his max recorded bat speed at 85mph, harder to find what his average is other than vague superlatives. Colson and LRJ were both around 76-78mph average for reference, comfortably in elite territory.
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