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  "path": "/white-sox/2026/02/10/white-sox-spring-training-munetaka-murakami",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-10T21:33:22.527Z",
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  "textContent": "<p>GLENDALE, Ariz. — Hopes were as high as the moonshots launched toward the mountainous Arizona skyline by <b>Munetaka Murakami</b> Tuesday morning at Camelback Ranch.</p><p>It was <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox\" >White Sox</a> pitchers and catchers who were officially reporting to spring training, but it was their new slugging first baseman whose bat made some of the biggest cracks on the backfields to ring in a new season that, for the first time in three years, actually carries some expectations.</p><p>Time will tell if Murakami’s world-class power <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/12/22/white-sox-munetaka-murikami-has-team-talking-big-but-will-this-work-out\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>will translate to Major League Baseball</u></a>. But like all the other popping mitts and whizzing balls heralding the end of winter this week in Glendale, it’s just fun to watch.</p><p>“That's what he does. He's got a powerful stroke, certainly excited to get him going here, get him involved in the program, and watch him go and do his thing in games,” manager <b>Will Venable</b> said after overseeing his squad’s first official workouts of 2026. “I was able to connect with him — really personable guy, somebody that is gonna be a great guy in our clubhouse, gonna make an impact.”</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" > <div class=\"TweetUrl\"> <blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"et\" dir=\"ltr\">Munetaka Murakami taking swings on the backfields. <a href=\"https://twitter.com/suntimes_sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@suntimes_sports</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/2gbMMFhx0K\">pic.twitter.com/2gbMMFhx0K</a></p>— Mitchell Armentrout (@mitchtrout) <a href=\"https://twitter.com/mitchtrout/status/2021280342196588913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 10, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"></script> </div> </div> </div></div><p>That’s music to the ears of a young core of Sox players who saw the front office start making a few investments in hopes of turning a corner in the rebuild.</p><p>“When you're at home in the offseason, seeing that moves are being made and the team's improving and everything, it's very, very exciting,” right-hander Mike Vasil said.</p><p>They return this year with “certain guys that have gone to that highest point,” Vasil added, pointing to the signing of former Blue Jays reliever <b>Seranthony Domínguez</b>, who pitched in last season’s World Series.</p><p>“This is just a great unit, we all get along, we’re all friends, we all kept up this offseason,” starter <b>Jonathan Cannon</b> said. “I’m excited to see where it takes us this year.”</p><h3><b>Cuban Missile’s comeback</b></h3><h3></h3><p>Murakami and Domínguez are part of the Sox contingent leaving camp later this month to play for Japan and the Dominican Republic, respectively, in the World Baseball Classic later this month, along with <b>Kyle Teel</b> and <b>Sam Antonacci</b> for Italy and <b>Curtis Mead</b> for Australia.</p><p>That’s several potential foundational players for the Sox’ future — and they could meet up with a big part of the team’s past as 44-year-old <b>Alexei Ramirez</b> suits up for Cuba, more than a decade after he last played shortstop on the South Side.</p><p>“It was very clear, the love and the passion that he has for baseball, and that clearly has not gone away,” said general manager <b>Chris Getz</b>, who overlapped with Ramirez playing for the Sox in 2008 and ‘09. “He'll be a fun player to follow in this.”</p><h3><b>Glovegate</b></h3><p>Reliever <b>Tyler Gilbert</b> still wants his glove back.</p><p>Umpires confiscated it during the final week of last season when <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2025/09/26/tyler-gilbert-glove-sticky-mlb-confiscate\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>it felt too sticky during an appearance at Yankee Stadium</u></a>. An MLB probe soon determined there was nothing illegal about the mixture of rosin and sweat built up in the left-hander’s mitt.</p><p>“I thought it was going to get shipped back to my house in California, but I never saw it,” Gilbert said.</p><p>He’s got a new glove broken in for camp, but he’d rather pick up with the one he used most en route to 51 innings of 3.88-ERA ball out of the Sox bullpen last year.</p><p>“Maybe I'll find out where it is this spring,” Gilbert said.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class=\"PageListL\" data-module data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-4a0005\" name=\"list-4a0005\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox\" target=\"{borderColor=#dfdfdf, pageNumber=1, inverseColors=false, footerBgColor=#000000, bodyFont=font-3, showListNumbers=false, imagePositionHorizontal=null, rteBodyFont=font-3, headerBottomBorderColor=#111010, subTitle=null, pageCount=2421, stickyHeader=true, listTitleColor=#000000, tableCellBorderColor=#ccd1d5, relatedListFont=font-1, hideAuthors=true, tertiaryTextColor=#6c6c6c, pagination=[{body=[Next Page], href=?p=2, _template=/link/Link.hbs, contentId=null, pianoSectionSlug=null, target=null}], buttonHoverTextColor=#ffffff, tableFont=font-1, carouselAutoPlay=false, promoTitleFont=font-2, ctaButtonText=[], primaryTextColor=#2a2a2a, buttonTextColor=#ffffff, linkTextColor=#1a1a1a, hideTitles=false, footerLinkColor=#ffffff, carouselSpeed=null, buttonHoverBgColor=#a91d23, rteHeadingFont=font-1, secondaryColor=#656565, hideCategories=true, _template=/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs, font3=Arial, font4=Source-serif-4, ctaUrl=null, hideImage=false, footerLinkHoverColor=#d3242c, hideAudioPlayback=false, description=[], showSecondItemMedia=false, listColumns234=null, footerTextColor=#ffffff, titleUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox, headerSecondaryBgColor=#000000, primaryTextColorInverse=#ffffff, titleColor=null, ampLink=null, listHeaderPosition=null, hideDescriptions=false, showActionBar=true, linkHoverColor=#d3242c, buttonBgColor=#d3242c, ctaTarget=null, suppressPagination=false, promoButtonText=null, backgroundColor=null, headerSecondaryTextColor=#ffffff, pullQuoteIcon=[{image=null, narrowImage=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=null}], listTitleFont=font-2, headlineFont=font-1, promoDescriptionFont=font-3, _styledTemplate=/page/list/PageListL.hbs, primaryColor=#d3242c, anchorId=list-4a0005, slimFooter=false, hideHeadline=false, hideDates=true, headerBorderColor=#e9e9e9, ratingCardFont=font-1, titleTarget=null, tableCaptionColor=#626262, items=[{type=Image, _styledTemplate=null, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/09/white-sox-100-losses-spring-training-rebuild, category=[{items=[White Sox]}], imageAlignment=null, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox, isFeatured=false, anchorId=promo-c50001, publishDate=February 09, 2026 08:17 PM, target=null, primaryMediaType=null, description=[{items=[Getz said the Sox are “making meaningful strides” as they kick off spring training this week, but they’re not guaranteeing anything. ]}], media=[{ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=White Sox general manager Chris Getz speaks to reporters Monday at the team's training complex in Glendale, Ariz., image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/c2/cb/e788665747fab98407c2e1819d87/soxmain020926.jpg, width=4200, height=2800}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/c2/cb/e788665747fab98407c2e1819d87/soxmain020926.jpg, width=4200, height=2800}}], ampLink=null, title=GM Chris Getz not playing numbers game as White Sox look to stave off another 100-loss season, wordCount=669, audio=[], authors=[{jobTitle=[{items=[Reporter/assistant editor]}], name=[{items=[Mitchell Armentrout]}], bio=[{items=[Mitchell Armentrout is a staff reporter covering government and politics from Chicago to Springfield, focusing on the expansion of gambling across Illinois as well as the Chicago Bears’ quest for a new stadium. 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He also periodically serves as the Sun-Times’ White Sox beat reporter.]}], name=[{items=[Mitchell Armentrout]}], jobTitle=[{items=[Reporter/assistant editor]}], authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/mitchell-armentrout}], description=[{items=[Fedde was a rare bright spot on the Sox’ dismal 2024 squad, but he struggled last season. ]}], title=White Sox bring back Erick Fedde to compete for spot in rotation, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/09/erick-fedde-signs-white-sox-return, ampLink=null, audio=[], publishDate=February 09, 2026 06:11 PM, anchorId=promo-c60001, audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}, {type=Image, description=[{items=[The first official workout date for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 10. ]}], _styledTemplate=null, authors=[{ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, bio=[{items=[Kyle Williams covers sports for the Chicago Sun-Times.]}], jobTitle=[{items=[Sports reporter, Report for America]}], media=[{narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/29/f8/02a66e2347d6b4cd2b2fa0d55b68/kylewilliams-121124-6.JPG, width=6000, height=4000}, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/29/f8/02a66e2347d6b4cd2b2fa0d55b68/kylewilliams-121124-6.JPG, width=6000, height=4000}, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=KYLEWILLIAMS-121124-6.JPG}], name=[{items=[Kyle Williams]}], authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/kyle-williams}], imageAlignment=null, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox, isFeatured=false, title=Spring training: It's time for White Sox' active offseason to show improved results on the field, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/06/its-time-for-white-sox-active-offseason-to-show-improved-results-on-the-field, timestamp=1770382800000, category=[{items=[White Sox]}], target=null, primaryMediaType=null, ampLink=null, media=[{ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/eb/bf/8414e55f4d5191fad99431e3a775/2232609050.jpg, width=4512, height=3008}, alt=New York Yankees v Chicago White Sox, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/eb/bf/8414e55f4d5191fad99431e3a775/2232609050.jpg, width=4512, height=3008}}], publishDate=February 06, 2026 07:00 AM, audio=[], anchorId=promo-c60002, wordCount=735, audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}], mobileCarousel=false, tableEvenRowsBgColor=#f9f8f3, count=9681, containerTitleFont=font-2, listBorderColor=#dfdfdf, defaultArticleLeadStyle=standard, title=Latest on the White sox, _parentFiles=[/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs]}\">Latest on the White sox</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items\" data-with-borders> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/09/white-sox-100-losses-spring-training-rebuild\" >GM Chris Getz not playing numbers game as White Sox look to stave off another 100-loss season</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Getz said the Sox are “making meaningful strides” as they kick off spring training this week, but they’re not guaranteeing anything. </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770689837000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/mitchell-armentrout\" >Mitchell Armentrout </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"669\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/09/white-sox-covid-19-lawsuit-vaccine\" >Former prospect sues White Sox, claiming COVID-19 vaccination ended his career</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Isaiah Carranza, a 12th-round draft pick from 2018, never got past High-A, and he blames the team for allegedly pushing him to get the shot. Numerous studies have shown the vaccine is safe and effective. </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770683430000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/mitchell-armentrout\" >Mitchell Armentrout </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"249\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/09/erick-fedde-signs-white-sox-return\" >White Sox bring back Erick Fedde to compete for spot in rotation</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Fedde was a rare bright spot on the Sox’ dismal 2024 squad, but he struggled last season. </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770682260000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/mitchell-armentrout\" >Mitchell Armentrout </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"566\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListL-items-item\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/02/06/its-time-for-white-sox-active-offseason-to-show-improved-results-on-the-field\" >Spring training: It's time for White Sox' active offseason to show improved results on the field</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">The first official workout date for pitchers and catchers is Feb. 10. </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770382800000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/kyle-williams\" >Kyle Williams </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"735\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><p></p>",
  "title": "Munetaka Murakami's big bat gavels in White Sox spring training",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-10T22:21:28.333Z"
}