logo
Blue Jays: Kazuma Okamoto player analysis
alt
Photo credit: © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Nick Prasad
Jan 5, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 5, 2026, 08:06 EST
Comments
Not exactly the signing everyone expected, but the Toronto Blue Jays made a splash in the offseason market early into the new year. The club added right-handed hitting slugger Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year deal, signing one of the most consistent bats in Japan since 2018. 
The Blue Jays are finally legitimate investors in the Japanese baseball market, a market that’s booming for both the seller and the consumer.  The Japanese slugger brings very valuable traits and tools to this competitive Toronto lineup. 

Stats Overview

The veteran infielder has 11 seasons under his belt, all spent with the Yomiuri Giants in the NPB. This includes over 1074 games at the top level and 3934 at-bats. For his career, he owns a .277/.361/.521 slash line with a .882 OPS and 248 home runs. 
In 2025, Okamoto recorded a .327 batting average, .416 on-base percentage, and a .598 slugging percentage across 69 games, missing a good chunk of the year due to an elbow injury. He recorded 82 hits and 49 RBIs with 33 walks, which tied his strikeout numbers for the year, and put forward an impressive 1.014 OPS. 
From 2018 to 2023, Okamoto hovered around 30-plus home runs per season, and collected 27 round trippers in 2024. He is a six-time All-Star in NPB, led the league in home runs three times (2020,2021, and 2023), and is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner. 
The slugger has been a producer in Japan and shows the face value tools that suit Major League competition at 29 years old. 

Player Analysis 

We got a good look at Okamoto not just in Japan, but on the world stage for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. The 6-foot-2 slugger plays first base, third base, and left field, although he boasts the most experience on the infield, namely the hot corner. 
Okamoto has a lot of power from the right side of the box. He covers a lot of the plate with reach to the left side of the box, extending out with his barrel and quick hands. Okamoto is a primary pull-side hitter, getting his barrel around quickly. 
The Japanese slugger has raw, low-key power. He does not try to do too much but gets the job done in fashion, hence his strong eye at the plate that results in low strikeout numbers. Okamoto has gap-to-gap ability, jumping on fastballs, and keeping patience at the plate. His contact skills can put him in the two-spot, five, or six spot in the lineup, beefing up the order. Okamoto also gets on base a lot, walking a decent amount. 
The addition of the high-leverage bat adds some diversity to the Blue Jays lineup, and complements the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr well. 

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News