It turns out Munetaka Murakami could be perfect for the Yankees when the time comes

For years, it seemed that Munetaka Murakami was destined to be a New York Yankee. Coming off a 56-homer campaign in 2022, the then-22-year-old had everyone salivating about how his left-handed power bat would play up in Yankee Stadium.

Murakami was posted this winter, and at 26 years old, his contract projections were astronomical. That was, until folks started picking apart his game with a fine-tooth comb. With that came concerns over the phenom's hit tool. The Yankees swiftly disappeared from the picture.

From 2023 on, his strikeouts rose, and scouts became worried about his ability to handle higher velocities. Most troubling was his in-zone contact rates in the NPB. FanGraphs compared his z-contact numbers to those of former MLB players who went on to play in Japan to project what he might do in the majors and came to the conclusion that his most optimistic parallel was former Yankee Luke Voit.

As the concerns came to light, the Yankees receded to the background in the line of potential suitors. The power was enticing, but there were defensive concerns. Positional fit was also an issue. Murakami had played both infield corners in Japan, but many questioned his ability to handle third in the majors. With Ben Rice establishing himself at first base and Giancarlo Stanton clogging the DH spot, there would be nowhere for him to play.

The offseason opened with most projecting a $150+ million contract for Murakami, but the contact criticisms prevented that from coming to fruition and forced him into a two-year, $34 million pact with the Chicago White Sox. Now, he's proving he could be the perfect target for New York ... in 2028, when Stanton will be off the books.

Yankees could still benefit from Munetaka Murakami's two-year MLB audition

While it's not a large sample, we've gotten a nine-game look at how Murakami has fared against big league pitching, and the results have been encouraging. He started off his year by homering in each of his first three games, emphatically announcing his arrival.

Over the weekend, he added another, a majestic shot to dead center for his first dinger in Chicago. This smash showed once and for all that if he gets a hold of one, it will go a long way.

He's now hitting .226/.342/.613 on the young season. There are a lot of strikeouts (34.2% of all plate appearances), but he's also walking at a 15.8% clip. The strikeout rate is certainly elevated, but he's also starting to alleviate the concerns about making contact in the zone. So far, he's posted an 84.6% contact rate on pitches within the strike zone. If he can maintain that, he'll be in good shape.

For reference, that rate so far is better than what several of the game's top sluggers produced last season. This is by no means comprehensive or scientific, but it's worth noting when we talk about big-time power bats.

As you can see, the correlation between zone contact rate and batting average is pretty weak. Aaron Judge has the lowest mark on the list, and he won the batting title. What matters much more is not swinging and making contact with bad pitches, while making certain to drive the balls you do make contact with that are in the zone. Still, there are some impressive names on this list, and Murakami's early-season results have beaten everyone's mark from last year.

We'll need to see him keep it up, but if he does, the Yankees should be salivating. Stanton has a club option for 2028, which will almost certainly be declined. That will open up the DH role, and Murakami can slide right in, and we can go back to the original plan of dreaming about him abusing the short porch.

In a way, his transition stateside worked out in the best way possible for the Yankees. We'll thank the White Sox for giving him the audition while letting the stars align so that he can become a picture-perfect fit in the Bronx.