Alright, baseball world, you need to pay attention. Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami is on the absolute cusp of making some seriously wild MLB history as the regular season winds down, with less than two weeks left to play. This former Nippon Professional Baseball superstar is currently rocking a .202 batting average, but here’s the kicker: his OPS is a ridiculous .804! You read that right. A sub-.200 average and an elite OPS, all at the same time.
The “Three True Outcomes” Life Ain’t For the Faint of Heart
Murakami is basically the poster child for what they call a “three true outcomes hitter.” What does that mean? Well, his at-bats usually end in one of three ways: a strikeout, a walk, or a home run. And man, does he ever strike out a lot. But don’t let that fool you, because this dude has a boatload of power, the kind that can change a game with one swing. Plus, he’s got an incredible eye, drawing walks at an elite 17.1% rate. That’s why even with the low average, his OPS is still sky-high. He’s not putting the ball in play often, but when he does, or when he takes a free pass, it’s usually productive. Lately, though, his power has been in hiding, with only two dingers since August 19th. That makes his current .804 OPS even more jaw-dropping, coming mostly from those walks.
Joining a Club of Two, Soon to Be Three?
ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle dropped the stat that everyone needs to see: Murakami is on track to become just the third player among batting title qualifiers to hit under .200 while still managing an OPS of at least .800. Think about that for a second. It’s almost impossible to be that unproductive with the bat in terms of average, yet still so valuable overall. The only two other guys to pull off this statistical anomaly were Joey Gallo in 2021 and Kyle Schwarber in 2023. Gallo, who was the OG “three true outcomes” guy, isn’t even in the Majors anymore. Schwarber is still one of the league’s most dangerous sluggers, but even he’s managed to bump his average up from .197 in 2023 to a much healthier .237 this season. Murakami is sitting at .202 with that .804 OPS right now, so a few more strikeouts and he’s officially in. This isn’t your grandma’s small-ball baseball, folks; it’s a power-or-bust world, and Murakami is living proof.
With just a handful of games left, every single at-bat for Munetaka Murakami is going to be appointment viewing. Will he dip below that .200 mark and cement his place in this exclusive, bizarre, and incredibly powerful club alongside Gallo and Schwarber? It’s shaping up to be one of the wilder individual finishes to the season for a truly unique hitter. Meanwhile, over here in the Emerald City, the Mariners aren’t looking to pick up that $9M option on Victor Robles this offseason. Always something brewing, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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