GLENDALE, Ariz. — White Sox hitting coach Derek Shomon used one word when asked for a first impression of Munetaka Murakami.
“Does not shy away from the work,” Shomon continued. “Been very clear about wanting the information. Wants to utilize the resources that we have. More times than not, it might be trying to pull him out of the cage and remind him to breathe [more] than having to push him in the cage to actually get work done. The guy works really hard. It’s been fun to see.”
Shomon, who is in his first year in charge of White Sox hitters, will get a chance to see Murakami in game action for the first time on Friday, when the Sox play the Cubs at Sloan Park in both teams’ Cactus League opener.
Manager Will Venable didn’t provide Murakami’s exact lineup spot, but the first baseman who came to the White Sox from Japan on a two-year, $34 million free-agent deal figures to be somewhere in the run-producing middle.
Murakami will get into a few Cactus League games before leaving on Feb. 26 to join Team Japan for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. As Shomon was talking to the media on Thursday, including a group from Japan, Murakami was hitting behind him in the batting cages.
That sort of hard work, starting early in the day and well before he gets into the cage, per Shomon, has been seen across the White Sox group of hitters.
“He’s in the weight room, he’s got a pretty extensive prep that he goes through,” Shomon said. “The ideal of intentionality. The takeaway is, ‘Maybe I can do a little bit more dedicated work.’
“Guys are doing a very good job of that. We’ve got a prep phase in our workday that guys are going through. The takeaway is how important that piece is before you actually put a bat into your hands and get in the cage. … We’ll use the game as the tell of what needs to be addressed next.”
