Red Sox Predicted To Sign Japanese Slugger With Some Flaws

The Boston Red Sox could benefit from adding some power to their lineup, and could look internationally to fill that need. Munetaka Murakami is available this winter and could be a solid fit for the Red Sox.

Many teams are expected to pursue the Japanese slugger, but NorthJersey.com’s Andrew Tredinnick predicted the Red Sox would win the sweepstakes for Murakami after failing to land Pete Alonso.

Murakami plays third base and first base, but with the Red Sox trying to retain Alex Bregman, Murakami’s fit on the Red Sox would be as a designated hitter and first baseman. Like Alonso, he is not a great defender, but has tremendous power and could man first base while Triston Casas recovers.

Given his defensive woes, getting Murakami in the lineup as a designated hitter would mask one of his flaws. Murakami made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut for the Yakult Swallows in 2018 at just 18 years old. He has 246 home runs in his NPB career, and has a .270/.394/.550 slash line in eight seasons.

While his numbers look great, there are some major concerns in his game. The first one is that power in Japan does not necessarily translate to Major League Baseball. The Red Sox have seen that firsthand with Masataka Yoshida. The second big concern with Murakami is his strikeout rate.

In the last three seasons, he has struck out in 28.8% of his plate appearances. He may continue to struggle with strikeouts against better pitching. Additionally, after 2022, his batting average and home run numbers have seen some decline.

Murakami could still become a star in MLB. However, the Red Sox may be better suited to target proven MLB hitters before targeting Murakami. He will not be cheap, so if the Red Sox are going to sign him, they need to have a plan in place to address his strikeouts.