MLB-bound Munetaka Murakami, dubbed as 'Babe Ruth of Higo,' focuses on final year in Japan as ¥1,800,000,000 contract ends in 2025

Another big NPB name is scheduled to take his talents stateside, as Munetaka Murakami is scheduled to play his last season in Japan's NPB in 2025. Despite his young age, Murakami has been one of the most decorated NPB players of the past decade.

Dubbed as the "Babe Ruth of Higo," an homage to his home province of Kumamoto (previously known as Higo), Munetaka Murakami has been named a Central League MVP twice and has won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2022. He announced that he will play in his final NPB season in 2025 before a highly anticipated MLB move the next year.

"Munetaka Murakami and the Yakult Swallows agreed to a ¥600 million (~$4M) contract for the 2025 season. “This will be my last season in Japan.”" - Murakami via Yahoo Japan, h/t Yakyu Cosmopolitan

The young baseball star was chosen as the top overall pick in the 2017 NPB Draft by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. In 2022, he signed a 1.8 billion Yen contract extension with the team over three years that has a clause enabling him to be posted to MLB at the end of the 2025 season.

Murakami made his NPB debut on Sept. 16, 2018 and didn't waste any time in asserting his dominance in the Central League. he was named the 2019 CL Rookie of the Year after a 36-home run and 96 RBI performance in the season.

In 2021, the star slugger would have another solid campaign and would claim his first CL MVP Award along with the Swallows' first Japan Series title in 20 years.

As if he wasn't content with what he achieved, Munetaka Murakami would raise the bar even higher and write his name in Japanese baseball history with an even stronger 2022 season.

He smashed 56 home runs during the campaign, the most by a Japanese-born player in NPB history en route his second MVP award and the distinction of being the youngest Triple Crown winner at the tender age of 22.

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Munetaka Murakami rescues Samurai Japan's WBC hopes

For fans who watched the 2023 World Baseball Classic in the United States, Munetaka Murakami can be classified as a savior for his home country of Japan.

Expected to be one of the anchors of the team with his slugging, the young star had an atrocious tournament, recording just six hits in 26 at-bats for a .231 batting average. In the semi-final against Mexico, Murakami posted an 0 for 4 line with three strikeouts.

With doubts creeping whether he could perforn in international events, the slugger absolved himself from all criticism when he hit a two-run walkoff single to send Japan to the WBC final.

Murakami would then follow up his heroics in the final against Team USA after hitting a solo home run to level the scores in the bottom of the second inning.

Japan eventually won 3-2 to take their third WBC trophy.