2 Japanese stars who could be future Pete Alonso replacements for the NY Mets

It seems the New York Mets and Pete Alonso will be parting ways. After spending the previous six seasons as the Mets’ incumbent first baseman and becoming one of the best sluggers in baseball, the Mets now expect him to sign elsewhere after the two sides could not come to an agreement. But this leaves an infield corner position wide open. 2024 breakout slugger Mark Vientos can cover one of the positions, but the Mets may have a hard time finding a replacement for Alonso.

Not only are they trying to replace a guy who has the 2nd most home runs in baseball since 2019, but also a player who has appeared in about 97% of the Mets’ games since his debut. While it may be hard to find a replacement now, the Mets could potentially find one in the very near future. Stars from Japan’s NPB have been quickly making their way to the United States over the last few years. Two corner infield sluggers could soon make the move from NPB to MLB and could also be options to replace Pete Alonso.

1) Munetaka Murakami

A few years ago, Munetaka Murakami looked like he was going to take the baseball world by storm. In just his age-22 season in 2022, Murakami batted .318/.458/.711 with a record-setting 56 home runs. He struck out at a 20.9% rate but drew walks at nearly the same pace with a 19.3% BB% throughout 612 plate appearances.

Although Murakami’s stock has fallen, he is still putting up decent numbers. Last year for the Yakult Swallows, Murakami batted .244/.379/.472 with 33 home runs in 610 plate appearances. NPB is currently going through their own Deadball Era. Last season, the league average batter had just a .645 OPS, and Murakami had nearly as many home runs as the Hiroshima Carp with 52. He still drew plenty of walks with a 17.2% BB%, but Murakami’s biggest flaws with his bat were on full display.

The slugger struck out 29.5% of the time. While NBP is going through a Deadball Era, the league does not put as much of an emphasis on strikeouts as MLB pitchers do. The average K% was just 18.9%. Murakami was in the zero percentile of contact rate in NPB last season. Murakami is also a well below-average defensive third baseman but has experience at first base, where his glove may play better.

While there are some clear issues in his game, he was still one of the best hitters by far. He was in the top five in OPS and total bases and had the most home runs. His 105 walks were also the most by a very wide margin of 37. It might be a harder transition from NPB to MLB pitching for him than most, but there’s power for a consistent 30+ home run threat within Murakami. He is expected to make the move to the US next offseason.

2) Kazuma Okamoto

Another NBP slugger who could make his way to the United States in the very near future is Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto has spent his entire pro career with the Yomiuri Giants. He had six straight seasons with at least 30 home runs from 2018 through 2023, including a 41-homer campaign in ‘23. While he fell just short of a seventh season in a row, his numbers were still impressive.

Okamoto batted .280/.362/.501 with 27 home runs. Okamoto is far less prone to striking out than Murakami. He had just a 15.9% K% throughout 611 plate appearances in ‘24, which was also a career-best. He paired that with an above-average 10.8% walk rate. Okamoto had the second most home runs in the league behind Murakami but also led the league in total bases. He ended the season top three in OPS and slugging percentage.

Okamoto primarily played first base in 2024. However, he’s seen plenty of time across the diamond at third base throughout his career and served as the Giants’ primary third baseman in 2020 through the 2022 season. He has also logged many games in the outfield grass but is likely better suited for an infield corner rather than an outfield corner.

Team officials reportedly expect Okamoto to eventually make the move to US ball. If he decides to make that move next offseason, he could be another potential Pete Alonso replacement. 2025 will be Okamoto’s age-29 season, and he has been one of Japan’s best hitters for seven seasons now. He comes with less risk than Murakami as well.