The slugger from Japan has helped carry the Toronto Blue Jays offense.
The Toronto Blue Jays began the final homestand of their season on Friday night with a 6-5 comeback win against the Cincinnati Reds at Rogers Centre. The Jays are now 78-82 after the victory, which saw them rally from a 5-2 deficit in the seventh inning.
The win was partially powered by rookie slugger Kazuma Okamoto, who had three RBIs via a pair of doubles.
The 30-year-old has been everything the Blue Jays could have hoped for when they signed him to a four-year, $60 million deal last offseason. Through all the injury issues for this team, plus the regression of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Okamoto has been a constant.
He's carried the lineup from a power perspective, hitting .234 with 33 homers and 92 RBIs. He has a .766 OPS and has added 26 doubles.
As noted by StatsCentre, he's reached the 90 career RBI-mark in 154 games played. That's the fifth-fastest mark in team history, behind only Bo Bichette (145), Josh Phelps (146), J.P. Arencibia (151), and Carlos Delgado (152).
Looking ahead to 2027
While health is never guaranteed, the Jays have to figure they will be healthier next season. This season, they have more than 2,000 combined days lost to injury. Assuming they are, Okamoto will pair with Anthony Santander and Guerrero to make a very formidable middle of the order.
Beyond them, Addison Barger should be healthy and ready to take the next step in his career. George Springer will likely be gone in free agency, but the Jays could look to backfill his spot with an outside acquisition. We've already speculated that Randy Arozarena could be an excellent fit for the roster.
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto (7) flies out during the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Jamie LeBlanc-Imagn ImagesQuestions answered
There were questions before he signed about how Okamoto would be able to handle consistent MLB pitching, namely the high-end velocity. Judging from his power numbers, he seems to have handled it well. As noted by Baseball Savant, he's in the 89th percentile of barrel rate and in the 72nd percentile of hard-hit rate.
Not bad for a guy who is facing pitchers he's never seen and never heard of before.
Final days for the Jays
The Blue Jays and Reds will play the penultimate game of the season on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. First pitch is set for 3:07 p.m. ET as Rhett Lowder takes the mound against Trey Yesavage. Yesavage has gone 5-5 this year around two significant injured list stinks (shoulder, knee).
