Sell-High or Hold: Munetaka Murakami's Explosive Fantasy Baseball Start

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Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The White Sox's Munetaka Murakami is off to an explosive start to his debut MLB season. The Japanese star has 9 home runs through his first 99 plate appearances, although he is largely alone in the White Sox lineup that has the team at 9-14. The question we ask as fantasy baseball savants is - do we sell Murakami, or do we hold him?

Fantasy Baseball Status​

Through 23 games, Murakami is the 3B2 in fantasy baseball, trailing only Jose Ramirez. Overall, Murakami is the 24th-best batter in fantasy baseball. He is with 9 home runs, batting .234, and a .978 OPS. Murakami has just 18 hits on the season, which makes 50% of those home runs.

The amazing part is that, of 29 MLB stadiums, Rate Field ranks 20th (10th hardest) in park factor. Murakami does benefit from the Rate Field ranking, ranking 11th versus left-handed betters. Yet, it is not Fenway Park nor Yankee Stadium.

Where we must look is not just his numbers, but his scouting report. What was expected from Murakami coming to America?

Murakami was deemed a big bat of huge power, but only with that. He owns the NPB record with 56 home runs hit in a season in 2022, best of any Japanese-born player. He would bat for a great average, but Murakami would get on base, and when he gets his bat on the ball, he would rake home runs. That is precisely what is seen right now, pacing for 63 home runs. His on-base percentage is also .394 with a top-6% xwOBA in the MLB.

What we have seen from Murakami is, as expected, what was expected. That means he is not due for much of a fall-off. Truth be honest, Murakami can very possibly match Cal Raleigh's 60+ home run season from a year ago.

In preseason ADP, Murakami went as the 104th-best hitter in fantasy baseball. In ROS Rankings, Murakami has risen to be around the top-75 of hitters. That slates him as a net-profit if traded, but perhaps that should not be done.

As value lies where hoped for and mostly was expected, Murakami shall not be valued much as a sell-high candidate. Rather, own the value of Murakami and ride it to the fantasy baseball postseason.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Sell-High or Hold: Munetaka Murakami's Explosive Fantasy Baseball Start.

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