Four years before Munetaka Murakami had the White Sox on the brink of the American League Championship Series, he captured the Triple Crown in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League while playing for the Yakult Swallows. Ahead of his expected move to the United States and Major League Baseball, Teruaki Sato followed suit.
The 27-year-old Sato batted .306 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs, leading all three categories in the Central League to become the ninth player to achieve the feat. He also became the first Hanshin Tigers player to win the Triple Crown.
Sato, similar to Murakami, is a left-handed slugger with game-changing pop. At 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, Sato’s season also posted a .991 OPS with 68 walks. He struck out 164 times in 614 plate appearances. He’s played third base primarily in NPB, though he appeared in right field during the 2026 World Baseball Classic and could make the move to first base like Murakami.
Sato’s superb 2026 campaign followed Central League MVP honors a year prior after he tallied 40 home runs with 102 RBIs. His time on Team Japan in the recent WBC doubled as an audition for the Majors, where he recorded three doubles and two RBIs in 10 at-bats.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman recently linked the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers as possible suitors for Sato if he were to be posted in early November. Sato would instantly emerge as one of the top infield options on the market, and a Triple Crown winner certainly adds to the intrigue.