Putting a Grade on Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto’s Rookie Season
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The Toronto Blue Jays didn't expect to miss the playoffs in 2026 after a trip to the World Series in 2025, but that's the reality they find themselves in. Regardless of all the ups and downs through the 162-game season, the Blue Jays have several reasons to hold their heads high.
One of those reasons comes in the form of rookie third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto, who signed a 4-year, $60 million contract with the franchise this January, became an iron man for Toronto, playing in 156 games.
While Okamoto didn't hit for the highest batting average, finishing the year at .232, he was very valuable when Toronto needed a big hit. His .762 OPS ranked 69th in Major League Baseball, and for a player who spent a handful of years in the Japan Central League, that's pretty impressive in transition.
The biggest weaknesses for Okamoto were strikeouts and fielding. Punching out 183 times this season, Okamoto led the Blue Jays in that category by a wide margin. In fact, he was the only Toronto player to punch out over 100 times in 2026.
As for the fielding, his 20 errors at third base led Major League Baseball, which, for obvious reasons, isn't ideal. He did have 201 assists and saved two runs on average when playing the position, so he didn't lose any points in his overall WAR ranking in the field (2.5 WAR)
Monthly Splits for Okamoto
For the Blue Jays' home run (33) and RBI (92) leader for the season, it was filled with consistency from the get-go. His monthly splits can be viewed below.
March (20 ABs) - .300 AVG, .391 OBP, .600 SLG, .991 OPS
April (90 ABs)- .200 AVG, .280 OBP, .322 SLG, .602 OPS
May (100 ABs)- .210 AVG, .304 OBP, .470 SLG, .774 OPS
June (91 ABs)- .286 AVG, .353 OBP, .560 SLG, .913 OPS
July (89 ABs)- .213 AVG, .271 OBP, .427 SLG, .698 OPS
August (96 ABs)- .219 AVG, .290 OBP, .406 SLG, .696 OPS
September (82 ABs)- .256 AVG, .344 OBP, .500 SLG, .844 OPS
There were months when Okamoto was a force at the plate, such as March and June, but more often than not, he became a home run, strikeout, or walk type of hitter, and he only walked 59 times in 2026.
All in all, the Blue Jays offense needed a power bat given how Vladimir Guerrero Jr. performed this season, and Okamoto was that. With his defense needing improvement and his strikeout rate high, here's how Okamoto's rookie campaign grades out.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.