In the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) in 2023, which ended with Japan’s victory, Munetaka Murakami (23‧ Yakult) was one of the players who received the biggest spotlight. Although his performance in the tournament was not ideal, it was because he was recognized as one of the sluggers who could later advance to the major leagues.
He suffered severe ups and downs at the beginning of the tournament, giving up his 4th place, but he also became a Japanese hero by hitting the finishing touch to save the team from elimination in the quarterfinals against Mexico. The tournament performance was about saving face with a batting average of 0.231, 1 home run, 6 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.826 in 7 games, but many expected Murakami, who had accumulated experience in the WBC, to show a home run race better than last year.
Last year, as a Japanese player, Murakami set the record for the most home runs (56) and stood at the forefront. Although he may not hit a home run like this again this year, the extent to which his performance is maintained could be a turning point in his career. However, the start of the season was so sluggish. The majesty of the home run king has disappeared. Rather, he has degenerated into a strikeout machine.
As of the 18th, Murakami has played 15 games of the season and has a batting average of 0.196. Although there were two homers, it is one in the last 14 games except for one in the opening game. While he got 10 fours, he struck out twice as many as 20. His OPS, the sum of his on-base percentage and slugging percentage, is sitting at 0.700.
Although it is still early in the season, it is very different from last year in all indicators. Murakami had a .318 batting average last year, and an OPS of 1.168. It can be seen as just one season, but Murakami’s OPS was 1.012 in 2020 and 0.974 in 2021, which was at the top for three consecutive years. Strikeouts may be fate for Geopo, but he was not a player with such a small number of walks compared to strikeouts.
By month,온라인카지노 Murakami’s most sluggish period last year was September, with an OPS of 0.832. However, there were not many games and the walk rate remained steady. But this year, there have been too many swing misses, an increase in strikeouts, and a typical slump with a drop in batting average. Opponent pitchers who confirmed Murakami’s poor batting condition are no longer afraid of him. In the last 6 games, there were no intentional 4 pitches.
One might think that his performance has declined since September of last year. He has been on a downward trend since September, and in fact, his performance in the WBC was not that good, and it is interpreted that this graph continues at the beginning of the season. One interesting topic was whether Murakami would be able to rebound quickly.