Having signed a two-year, $34 million contract to join the Chicago White Sox over the winter, Munetaka Murakami has quickly taken MLB by storm, hitting 17 home runs and recording 36 RBIs.
In addition to his ability at the plate, it looks like Murakami has also been brushing up on his pitching. The infielder was spotted learning about a changeup from White Sox rookie pitcher Noah Schultz on Thursday.
A clip of Murakami and Schultz’s interaction later made it to X.
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“Munetaka Murakami is learning how to throw a changeup from Noah Schultz, the White Sox rookie pitcher,” the post was captioned in Japanese.
Several fans left comments, jokingly claiming that Munetaka Murakami was on his way to following in the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani and perform at an elite level on both sides of the ball.
“Shohei count your f**kin days,” a fan wrote.
“Next season, two-way player?” another fan commented in Japanese.
“He on Ohtani a**. 😭,” another fan replied.
“Munetaka Murakami confirmed future 2 way star,” another fan responded.
“They really cloned Shohei man why he look exactly like him lmao,” another fan shared.
“Shohei sh***ing himself seeing this,” another fan posted.
“It’s just about proving to the doubters how much I can play” – Munetaka Murakami opens up about his mindset for first MLB season
In the winter, Munetaka Murakami was expected to be one of the most sought-after Japanese free agents on the market. Though his ability to generate power at the plate was a coveted asset, his defense and high strikeout rate raised red flags, and several organizations did not pursue his acquisition for those reasons.
The White Sox eventually took a chance with him, and he has repaid that trust with some outstanding performances on the field.
Speaking to The Athletic’s Sam Blum on May 13, Murakami revealed how all the doubt surrounding his ability only motivated him, heading into his first MLB season.
“Obviously, there are a lot of critics that say critical comments … that are really something I ignore,” Murakami said, via his interpreter. “Some people do make critical comments.
“Or they have something to say against me, they would be somebody who’s not really playing ball. I know who I am, and what kind of challenges I do face every single day. It’s just about proving to the doubters how much I can play in this league.”
Despite many writing them off, the White Sox have been solid this year, currently sitting in second place in the AL Central with a 26-25 record. Fans will hope to see Murakami continue his hot start to the season and potentially guide his team to a postseason berth for the first time since 2021.
Edited by Raghav Mehta