PHOENIX — The debates are raging on the Chicago airwaves:
Who will the Bears draft? Who should the Bulls hire? Will the Blackhawks ever win again? Are the Cubs are built for October?
Meanwhile, ever so quietly on the South Side of town, one of the best stories in all of baseball is materializing.
The name is Munetaka Murakami, and the Chicago White Sox slugger has burst onto the scene as one of the game’s premier home-run hitters in the infancy of the 2026 season.
Murakami has already hit 10 home runs – one shy of the MLB lead – and tied a White Sox franchise record by homering in five consecutive games. He also has the most homers by a Japanese-born player in the first 25 games of a career, 42 games earlier than four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in his 2018 rookie year.
If you care to dream, Murakami heads into the White Sox’s homestand beginning tonight at Rate Field against the Washington Nationals on pace to hit 65 homers with 123 RBIs and 136 walks this season.
“I’m really enjoying myself," Murakami told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m getting more comfortable every day. I’m getting used to the different rules and different playing styles in the major league. Everything has been great."
The White Sox, stunned themselves when Murakami fell into their laps this winter with a modest two-year, $34 million contract coming from Japan, couldn’t be more thrilled.
He has been everything the White Sox could have imagined, and much, much more. Everyone knew his power, breaking the single-season home-run record in Japan with 56 homers. You don’t win two MVPs without talent. But he’s making much more contact than talent evaluators predicted, hitting .253 with a .394 on-base percentage and .992 slugging percentage. He looks much better defensively at first base than the scouting reports indicated. He’s even got speed, beating out two infield singles this week on ground balls in Arizona.
And he has a whole lot of teams kicking themselves why they severely underestimated Murakami’s skills and didn’t make an offer.
You don’t think a team like, oh, say the New York Mets, could use him right about now?
“Obviously, there weren’t teams that raised their hands when I came over,’’ Murakami said, “but I’m really glad and happy that the White Sox picked me up. …. I love the team very much. All my teammates are very open to communication. They are really just good teammates overall. Staff, coaches, I love them very much."
“I'm running out of things to say," White Sox manager Will Venable said. “When he hits it, he hits it really hard. Even the singles he's hitting, he's hitting hard. And obviously the damage is incredible, too.
Certainly, he has played a major factor in their surge. The White Sox have 32 homers this year, ranking third in the American League and sixth in MLB. A year ago, they were next-to-last, with only the Kansas City Royals hitting fewer.
“He’s a game-changer," White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “He’s impacted this whole lineup. I love hitting in front of him. I see more balls in the zone, and especially heaters.
“I just hope the wind starts changing in Chicago so you’ll see him hit more balls. I mean, he’s got unbelievable power."
Murakami hit 2,156 feet worth of homers in his five-game barrage, including a 451-foot blast Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He already has three homers that have traveled at least 113 mph off his bat, leading MLB.
Really, the person probably least impressed is Murakami himself. He expects this. And a whole lot more as the season progresses.
“My swing is pretty good overall,’’ Murakami says. “It’s still early in the season, so I still have to keep adjusting to the pitchers, but right now I’m swinging really well. If the stats do come up as all good, that will be wonderful."
The White Sox’s young players have been mesmerized by Murakami since his arrival. They marvel at his meticulous preparation. The way he takes batting practice. The way he grinds tape. There’s a genuine purpose to everything he does from the moment he enters the clubhouse.