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Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Kazuma Okamoto Slugging His Way to First Career All-Star Selection

The Jays third baseman is finding a groove in the majors which is exactly what this hitting order needs. Okamoto might have had a rocky start to the year, but he is firing on all cylinders right now.
Maddy Dickens|
Apr 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; View of the back of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto's (7) jersey at a MLB game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre.
Apr 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; View of the back of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto's (7) jersey at a MLB game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

Only a handful of weeks ago, concern was rapidly growing over the Toronto Blue Jays' new third baseman, Kazuma Okamoto, as he was definitely struggling in his debut against big leaguers, as this is his first season playing in the States.

Originally, Okamoto was chasing pitches at a high rate, which was leading to an eye sore in the strikeout column as he was being retired at an unfathomable rate. There was also an issue with his swing as he wasn't committing.

Well, to say he has settled in quite nicely would be the understatement of the year, as he has posted the most respectable turnarounds in baseball.

Okamoto went from hitting well under .200 to now posting a batting average of .278 in his last 15 games to complement seven long balls and 17 runners brought home during that span. If he keeps up that pace, nobody will touch him for the AL All-Star team.

On top of his recent top-notch performance with his swing, he has also corrected his strikeout ratio. In his first seven games? Struck out more than 50% of the time. In May? The same number of homers as strikeouts- four.

Even though it is probably too soon to speak of an individual honor that won't come about for another two months, that doesn't mean the conversations aren't happening anyway. As Okamoto is trending upward, his first of many selections will come when July rolls around.

Okamoto Compared to Other Top AL Third Baseman

Kazuma Okamoto hits a baseball in a grey Blue Jays jerse
Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) connects with a pitch from Minnesota Twins pitcher Luis Garcia (40) in the ninth inning at Target Field. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

While Okamoto is still competing neck and neck against the best third baseman in the American League this season, a more accurate representation of what he is capable of doing, and will likely keep doing, has come in the last 30 days. This is how he ranks in his position in the last month.

  • 7 Home Runs- 2nd
  • 19 RBI- 1st
  • 22 Total Hits- 4th
  • 11 Drawn Walks- 4th
  • .247 Batting Average- 4th
  • .330 On-Base Percentage- 5th
  • .506 Slugging Percentage- 3rd
  • .836 OPS- 3rd

If the Jays' third baseman keeps trending in a positive direction, he will overtake the entire slash line amongst his fellow competition as he is slugging .620, as six of those seven homers and 14 of the RBI listed above have come in the last 15 days. He is getting better and better.

With the departure of all-around offensive weapon Bo Bichette, the team needed Okamoto to look like the slugging machine he was overseas. The team is starting to reap the benefits of Okamoto's bat, which will be key for the ballclub down the stretch.

The Blue Jays are still trying to get back to .500 as shorthanded as they are, as the entire roster has become dismantled by injuries.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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