Ranking 'Japanese Babe Ruth' Munetaka Murakami's Top 7 MLB Landing Spots

Ranking "Japanese Babe Ruth" Munetaka Murakami's Top 7 MLB Landing Spots

At the heart of the Los Angeles Dodgers' back-to-back World Series triumphs stood a trio of Japanese players who defined this baseball era.

Japanese Stars Leading the Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani is poised to become only the second MLB player ever to secure four MVP awards. His two-way ability has sparked debate about him being the greatest player in the sport’s history.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award, concluded his postseason with a legendary 1.45 ERA across 37.1 innings, earning the World Series MVP honor.
Roki Sasaki, despite an early-season right shoulder injury limiting him to 36.1 innings, emerged as Los Angeles’ most reliable reliever during the playoffs.

The Next Japanese Superstar

With those precedents set, the next major talent expected to reshape October baseball could be Munetaka Murakami. Known as the “Japanese Babe Ruth,” he is anticipated to be posted by the Yakult Swallows this winter.

“As his nickname would lead you to believe, he could make an immediate impact in the majors.”

Murakami’s Impressive Record

Despite being limited to just 56 games in the latest Nippon Professional Baseball season, Murakami hit 22 home runs. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 213 pounds, the left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower has built an impressive resume with 246 career home runs, a .273 batting average, 722 RBI, 678 walks, and a .945 OPS across eight seasons in Japan.

Author’s Summary

Munetaka Murakami, long hailed as the “Japanese Babe Ruth,” stands ready to bring his powerful bat and proven record from NPB to MLB, potentially becoming baseball’s next global icon.

Bleacher Report — 2025-11-06