Which Japanese Slugger Should've The White Sox Acquired?

With the recent reports about the White Sox signing Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, it probably would be worth diving into whether it's a good idea to invest in him or Kazuma Okamoto instead. Murakami has more star power, but Okamoto has some significant intrigue. The Japanese are now sending more players to MLB than ever before as their talent is starting to get more noticed. It's about time the Pale Hose started getting invested more into Japanese talent as more players are going to come over from the Pacific nation.

Munetaka Murakami

His profile right off the bat is eye popping as he has legit power. Is 56 home runs at the age of 22 good enough to understand how much power Murakami has? Murkami also hit's left handed which a lefty slugger is something the Sox very much need. While he can play both hot corners, his primary position is third base, which could also mean that Miguel Vargas would be the solution to first base. Murakami isn't good defensively as that's a risk right there, but if his power outweighs his offensive production then it's worth it. There is truly a lot to like about his profile, especially the power output.

However, there is a downside and it's definitely red flags. Murakami had an alarming strikeout rate in Japan's Nippon Baseball League as it was roughly 28 percent or higher (plus it increased every season even as recent as 37.3 percent in 2024 and 36.7 percent in 2025) and that's incredibly high even for NPB standards as usually rates in that league are low. He also cannot hit balls faster than 93 miles per hour as in 2025 his batting average against those pitches was .095. His contact and strikeout rates against pitching that doesn't even compare favorably to MLB is alarming enough. On pitches that were 93 MPH or above, he struck out 42 percent of the time. His injuries are also a red flag as while his power is still legit, he hasn't reached 50 homers since then with 33 as his highest (though in 56 games in 2025 he did hit 22 which would suggest his pace would've been at least 50). While Murakami could theoretically overcome that and hit roughly 30 home runs against better pitching in MLB, with all those red flags brightly shining in everyone's face, that's pretty hard to just simply ignore.

All in all, theoretically, Murakami could make some mechanical adjustments with Ryan Fuller as evidenced with how Colson Montgomery's season changed dramatically. If the Sox feel confident enough to help change some things in his swing, then Murakami would be an elite slugger. Murakami is also 25, so he has not even reached his prime yet and that's a good sign as there's more room to work with. However, the red flags are more eye popping than his power.

Kazuma Okamoto

Okamoto's profile isn't quite as elite as Murakami's, but there is one thing he has that is really intriguing: consistency. Okamoto also has solid power having hit 30 or more home runs in six of the last eight seasons including 41 in 2023. He is excellent defensively having won the NPB gold glove twice. While he doesn't have the same type of power as Murakami, he actually is leading the NPB in home runs (one more than Murakami ironically) since his debut in 2018. While the power numbers have dipped in back-to-back seasons (27 in 2024 and 15 in 2025, though he only played in 69 games which would suggest his pace home run wise was probably at least 35 in a full season), his numbers would suggest he was still elite and even better of a hitter than in his previous ones. Okamoto is also versatile as he can play both corner infield positions as well as left field.

What is interesting is despite the decline in home runs, Okamoto's batting average ironically improved and did so dramatically hitting over .320 the last two seasons. Another thing is that his strikeout rates have improved dropping from 16 percent to 11 percent. Okamoto's numbers suggests he can slug the ball well plus get on base a lot, which would translate well to MLB. There are two big concerns though, his age and coming off an injury. Okamoto will be 30 in 2026 which suggests that whoever signs him that it will be short term and that his prime seasons are likely limited. The injuries occurring in his prime might hurt Okamoto's offensive output could also suggest that he might go into a decline.

Okamoto is a really fun player to talk about, but the limited amount of time of productivity he likely has left is a concern. The Sox are still in the middle of a rebuild, signing a player like Okamoto would be a better idea when they are ready to contend, but he could also be just the player the Pale Hose need. While Okamoto might not hit as many home runs in the MLB like he has in the NPB, he still has enough power to drive the ball into the gaps and drive in lots of runs.

Conclusion

This is actually a tougher decision than one might think as it does seem fairly obvious. Murakami being as young as he is has the higher upside, but Okamoto on the other hand has been more consistent despite his prime being so limited. That being said, Okamoto seems like the better choice here as some of those numbers Murakami has is alarming enough especially with the better pitching the MLB offers. Either way, the Sox should've at least taken a gamble on either one and it will be interesting to see how signing Murakami goes.