The New York Yankees have commonly been a potential destination for Japanese baseball players, and now it appears that Munetaka Murakami is also interested.
Murakami, a 22-year-old third and first baseman, is the premium bat in Japan.
Last season, he hit .318 with a staggering 56 home runs and 134 RBI, winning the Triple Crown.
22-year-old third baseman Munetaka Murakami became the first Japanese-born player to hit 50 home runs in a professional season since Hideki Matsui in 2002 pic.twitter.com/VvIN6HHcgQ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 2, 2022
He has already won two MVP awards in just five seasons.
His play earned him a 600 million yen per season contract, the second-highest contract in Japan.
This level of domination already has MLB teams looking forward to 2025 when Murakami can be posted by the Yakut Swallows.
Many are projecting Murakami to be the biggest name out of Japan since Shohei Ohtani because of these numbers.
Luckily for the Yankees, Murakami has mentioned them as a potential signing place.
He also said that he was interested in west coast teams, making the Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, and Seattle Mariners likely destinations as well.
However, Murakami almost fits too perfectly with the Yankees.
Anthony Rizzo‘s two-year contract will be up after the 2024 season, creating a hole the Yankees would need to fill.
As a left handed hitter, Murakami will also likely be enticed by Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field.
22 year old Munetaka Murakami has quickly emerged as Japan’s newest superstar hitting .329 with 44 HR over 374 AB this season. pic.twitter.com/bf2NDk30z2
— Chase Denton (@chasedenton_) August 22, 2022
He will be 25 years old at that point, entering his prime as he enters Major League Baseball.
It is expected that he will garner a massive contract if his level of play continues.
When that time comes, the Yankees will likely be there in that race.
With the past success of a player like Hideki Matsui, who was a similar type of player to Murakami, the Yankees should have a good chance in the sweepstakes.
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