Blue Jays’ Lack of Power Exposed a Bigger Weakness in Their Offense
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It was not a hidden problem throughout the entire year. We could all see the Blue Jays’ lack of power because of a combination of reasons, including injuries, inconsistencies, and the shocking declines of George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
When opponents moved on from facing Kazuma Okamoto, who led the team with 33 home runs and 92 RBIs, no one was in real danger of an error in command anywhere in the strike zone or falling behind in the count ending with a ball hit beyond the fence.
The 2026 Blue Jays hit 152 home runs, a similar number to the 156 home runs they hit in 2024, with the difference being that they had only one hitter with 15 or more home runs: Okamoto.
In 2024, Vladdy led the offense with 30 home runs, but behind him were Springer with 19 and Daulton Varsho with 18, so the danger they generated was different, even though the difference between 2024 and 2026 was only four home runs.
Another point to consider is that, following the drop in home runs, slugging percentage plummeted from .427 in 2025 to .381, Toronto’s worst mark in the last 10 seasons.
What Can the Blue Jays Do To Improve Their Power?
That is one of the most important questions the Blue Jays should answer starting this winter. Since we have talked about home runs, this may surprise you: home runs, although they decreased in frequency compared to the 2025 season, still have a similar impact on Toronto’s runs.
Surprised? The Blue Jays scored 648 runs in 2026, and 36.8% of them were driven in by home runs, the same percentage as in 2024 and only a little less than the 38.3% of 2025.
That data reveals the importance of home runs in a lineup that lost a lot of potential when it needed to produce runs in another way. The 2026 team had only four hitters capable in one way or another of recording 50 or more RBIs, while in 2025 they had eight.
When it comes to projections, Okamoto is expected to potentially improve his power numbers if he can work on limiting his high 38.6 whiff% and 32.4% against breaking pitches and offspeed pitches, respectively.
Toronto and Guerrero Jr. cannot afford another season with the home run drought and power production falling to one of the worst levels of his career. Anthony Santander is expected to be able to play his first full season since signing with the Blue Jays.
There are some reasons to believe that several bold moves and hard work during the offseason can bring progress.
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Yirsandy is a baseball writer specializing in MLB coverage with experience across multiple teams and storylines. He currently writes for Diamond Centric, where he covers the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. My work focuses on game coverage, player analysis, and storytelling that connects performance with context. My Substack has also been an important part of my writing development, where I’ve built much of my baseball coverage and storytelling voice over time. I’m passionate about combining reporting, research, and thoughtful analysis to produce engaging baseball content for readers.
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