Taking stock of Murakami and the Sox offense to start 2026

CHICAGO -- The statistical results for White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami over his first 19 Major League games since coming from Japan have predominantly fallen in the "three true outcomes" category: Home runs, walks and strikeouts.

According to MLB research, his three-true-outcome percentage of 61.5 is second highest in the game, trailing only the A's Nick Kurtz (63.2 percent) among players with 60-plus plate appearances. Murakami’s three strikeouts over four at-bats during a brutal 5-3 loss to the Rays on Thursday at Rate Field only elevate that number.

But those who knew of Murakami’s vast success in Japan and those who know of his regimented work ethic with the White Sox they understand there’s more to be gained from his game on offense.

“There are more base hits in there,” said White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller prior to the Rays completing their three-game sweep. “You saw it in Japan. His ability with two strikes to have a little bit of a tradeoff.

“It might not be the home run swing, but dial it back a little bit, see the ball a little bit deeper. Use the whole field. But the ability right now is about, ‘OK, if you are not getting your hits, how do you still get on base?’ He’s doing that, so when it comes together with the power and the on-base skills and also the ability to hit for average, too, it’s going to be exciting.”

Exciting is not the best way to describe the White Sox offense as a whole. Their .195 average is the worst in baseball, as is their .602 OPS. Their 60 runs scored over a 6-13 start leave them worst in the American League and only ahead of the Giants overall.

These struggles become a bit surprising when factoring in the strong second half put together by this young crew during the ‘25 season. Catcher Kyle Teel has not played this year, joining Triple-A Charlotte at the outset of next week to test his right hamstring strain on an injury rehab assignment. Outfielder Austin Hays also has been sidelined by a right hamstring strain.

Aside from the injuries, though, the White Sox are struggling as an entity with the bats. Edgar Quero who picked up his first extra-base hit and first RBI of '26 with a go-ahead double in the sixth is an example.

“Good contact makes you feel a little bit better and a little bit more confident,” Quero said. “Yeah, we are frustrated. We’ve been hitting the ball pretty well those three games [vs. the Rays]. The last couple of games we’ve hit it pretty well. The ball is not going in the hole, but it’s part of the game too. We need to keep fighting.”

“We haven’t had a ton to show for it, but hitting the ball hard,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Too much on the ground or at guys. They made a ton of plays, but stringing some good things for the offense. Still just missing that big hit and putting some of these crooked numbers up there. Have to keep going.”

A sixth straight loss for the White Sox at home, after a 3-0 start, ultimately came down to a 55-pitch ninth inning where the Rays scored three times against closer Seranthony Dominguez and Lucas Sims. Junior Caminero tied the game with a homer to lead off the frame, and Tampa Bay (11-7) fouled off enough good pitches against this duo to make it work when they were out of the zone.

Miguel Vargas homered for the first time in April and Everson Pereira also went deep. In the first inning alone, the White Sox had three connections against Steven Matz with exit velocities at 103.4 mph or above, but they didn’t score. The belief is that it’s early, and the best is yet to come for players such as Quero, Colson Montgomery and the overall offense as the season progresses.

Murakami falls in that same category. Despite hitting .167 overall, Murakami has walked 17 times and has a .346 on-base percentage.

“He wants to help the team win,” Fuller said of Murakami. “Really impressive and he wants to be great. The way he works in there, he’s facing really challenging training environments and he knows that sets him up well to be ready for the game.”

“Results don’t really come easily,” said Murakami, through interpreter Kenzo Yagi, after homering Tuesday. “I really understand that. It’s about being really patient and really grinding every single day. It’s an ongoing process of preparation."