Like any student who misses school, there's work to do when he/she returns. White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami got some assignments yesterday. Not only was he named as an All-Star reserve, replacing Byron Buxton on the AL squad, he also was told that he will be the eighth and final member of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday night. Even though the White Sox slugger has been out six weeks with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, he returned to the lineup Friday and will be given chance to, if not win the Derby outright, at least make some noise for several reasons.
A NEW CHALLENGER HAS EMERGED 😮
— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2026
Munetaka Murakami is the final entrant in the @TMobile #HRDerby!
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The 2026 Home Run Debry will have a new format
In case you didn't know, the rules have changed significantly. From 2015-2025, players had a chance to hit as many home runs as they could within a given time limit. Now, the contest will more closely resemble the ones I grew up with, when players could keep hitting until they made a determined number of "outs". This year, each player has a finite number of swings each round (20 - Round 1, 15 - Round 2, 15 - Final Round). Players with the top four totals move on to Round 2, and the best two of that group advance to the Final. These new rules allow players to be much more patient and wait for a pitch they can drive.
The new rules seem to benefit a player with patience, and that's an attribute Murakami has in spades. Despite the missed time, the Japanese slugger is still ranked 32nd in the league with 44 walks. Statcast lists his walk rate in the 99th percentile, which means Murakami does better in that category than all but 1% of his peers. Like most power hitters, he has his fair share of strikeouts. However, Murakami takes pitches above the league average that are not down the heart of the plate. When he sees a pitch he likes, he knows what to do with it. His exit velocity of 94.2 is in the top 2% of all MLB players, while his Hard Hit rate is also elite (top 1% of players). It has nothing to do with the park he plays in. MLB.com says that 13 of his 20 home runs were "no doubters", meaning that they would leave any ballpark.
Speaking of ballparks, Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia isn't just any park. It's plays very hitter-friendly, especially to left-handed hitters. The field has the shortest power alleys in baseball. Baseball Reference gives it a "Park Factor" of 110. This means that Citizen's Bank boosts run scoring by 10% vs. a neutral site. The short rightfield porch plays to Murakami's power profile. Of his 20 home runs, nine have been hit to straightaway right, while another four were swatted to right-center.
Obviously Murakami isn't the only hitter with patience and the benefit of hitting left-handed in this ballpark, but each these factors give Munetaka Murakami a great chance to be the second White Sox player to ever win the Home Run Derby.
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