"Everyone fell for the bait" - Fans erupt as MLB analyst reveals truth about Munetaka Murakami amid growing FA buzz

MLB analyst Peter Appel shed light on a false narrative set around Japanese star Munetaka Murakami as his free agency takes the offseason by storm. The false stat was about Murakami's inability to hit well against fastballs harder than 95 mph. As per the false reporting, the Japanese slugger managed to hit only .095 against those pitches last season.

However, Appel shed light on the true facts, sharing that this isn't the case.

"This stat is wrong," Appel said. "Murakami did not hit .095 against fastballs 93 mph or harder last season. That stat has created a narrative around Munetaka Murakami that simply isn't true."

Appel went on to share the slugger's real numbers against velocity last season and they were simply amazing. Appel said Murakami has the highest average exit velocity among MLB players 26 years old or younger. O'Neal Cruz is at the top, and Murakami right behind him.

This has caught the internet in surprise and in awe of the Japanese star.

"Everyone fell for the bait @James_Schiano," one fan commented. "@James_Schiano was doing God's work...downgrading Murakami so he'd fall to the @Mets ....but Stearns wants a 1B who played a whole 0.1 innings," one fan added. "thanks for clearing this up Peter , Murakami has raw power that will shock people," one fan wrote. "My guess is one of the teams who value high EV and Hard Hit%, but could have a need in the line up at 1B, 3B or DH will land him. Red Sox or Mariners jump out. Could also see teams needing more of his skill set being a fit, like the Angels or Tigers," one fan shared his thoughts. "Bro sports fans have the least patience out of any group of people. If you give him some time to adjust to differences he’s still a good athlete who is good at baseball but if on opening day he goes 0/4 people will call him a complete bust even though that’s normal in baseball," another fan added. "It was based off 93+mph is why. & they chose that number because The sample size for 95+mph is ridiculously small. Since not a ton of guys in japan throw that hard & Murakami is really young," one fan added.

Peter Appel compares Munetaka Murakami with Shohei Ohtani

The MLB analyst continued with his take, suggesting why teams should go after Munetake Marakami because of his raw power and ability to swing on every corner of the field.

While he acknowledged that "there are some swing-and-miss concerns with Murakami, but I think they're a little overblown." Peter Appel went on to compare Murakami with four-time MVP and two-time World Series champion Shohei Ohtani.

"If you look at career strikeout rates in the NPB: Ohtani at 27%, Murakami under 26%," Appel added. "It's not an apples-to-apples comparison because Ohtani was younger before he came over from the NPB, but against high velocity, he put up a .311 OPS in his final season."

Appel also predicted that Murakami's career could be similar to that of Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber.

Edited by Krutik Jain