Well, that was pretty damn cool, Blue Jays fans?

While the fanbase was waiting with baited breath to see if the Blue Jays pursuits of Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette would land them one of the two premier bats in the free agent class, Ross Atkins and company were working diligently (and quietly) behind the scenes on another premier bat from the pacific rim that most Blue Jays weren’t at all familiar with until the actual signing was announced.

From the moment the Blue Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto to a 4 year/$60 million deal back on January 3rd, expectations were sky high. A name that was not publicly linked to the Blue Jays until the day before his posting fee was set to expire, the signing of Okamoto came as a shock to the industry. While rumours swirled all winter, the teams that were often linked to the Japanese slugger were the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox.

The former captain of the Yomiuri Giants became the first player in the franchise’s history to get posted overseas for MLB clubs to pursue. It was a monumental moment. Dubbed as the “New York Yankees of NPB”, the Giants had long deployed a policy where they wouldn’t subject any of their players to the posting process. That all changed this offseason with Okamoto. A move that’s brought a monster amount of eyeballs to Canada’s team from a behemoth of a baseball market in Japan.

Long been touted for his bat, Okamoto has shown he’s much more than a one-dimensional player. Throughout spring, including the WBC, and now under the bright lights, he’s demonstrated an ability to not only be able to survive at third base but thrive. As evidenced by this sterling play he made on a slow roller off the bat of Tyler Soderstrom on Opening Night.

Okamoto was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ win on Opening Night.

Up until the fifth inning, the Blue Jays were getting stifled by Luis Severino, having mustered just a hit and a couple of walks. Daulton Varsho struck out to begin the frame, which brought Okamoto up with one out and nobody on. He proceeded to quickly fall behind 0-2 before working the count, fouling off a couple of tough pitches, and ultimately drawing an 8-pitch walk. The Blue Jays capitalized on that momentum, shifting at bat by immediately getting a double from Ernie Clement before Andres Gimenez drove both of them home on a 2-run triple that was assisted heavily by miscommunication in the A’s outfield between Tyler Soderstrom and Denzel Clarke.

Then, with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Okamoto stepped to the plate with two outs and nobody on. Extra innings looming.

Much like his previous at-bat, Okamoto quickly fell behind before taking a 1-2 fastball from Justin Sterner and lacing a single to right. 105.8 MPH off the bat. Absolutely pieced.

A strike away from extra innings, and Okamoto displays elite bat control and the ability to take what the pitcher gives him. If he tries to pull that pitch from Sterner, he’s either popping it straight up or rolling over to the shortstop. Instead, he stays back and flicks the barrel, knowing he has the bat speed and power to hit the ball with authority to all fields. This started the winning rally as once again Ernie Clement doubled behind him before Andres Gimenez found a hole with a seeing eye single to walk the game off.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon, and Okamoto provided the fireworks Blue Jays fans were longing for.

Facing Luis Morales in the fourth inning, Okamoto took a 96.4 MPH fastball in the lower quadrant of the strike zone and absolutely demolished it with authority to the opposite field. The ball came off his bat at 110.4 MPH and travelled 420 feet to right field. Okamoto’s swing speed of 78.4 MPH was the sixth fastest swing of the entire game, and his average bat speed of 73.9 MPH thus far puts him firmly in the 80th percentile. This gives Okamoto an exciting profile at the plate, a blend of both floor and ceiling.

The strikeout rate should be at or slightly below league average, and the walk rate right around there, too. While Okamoto doesn’t boast elite exit velocities (career max of 112.2), we’ve already seen multiple 110s from him, and his damage optimization is fantastic given most of his contact is both in the air and to the pull-side.

I don’t need to tell anybody reading this that a three-game sample size means absolutely nothing. Every player in baseball can and will have a three-game stretch where they look like the best hitter on the planet.

However, when it’s the first three games to begin the season, and you have no other MLB sample size to look back on other than what’s currently in front of you, it is fine to dream a little bit, even if it is half tongue-in-cheek. Speaking of the first three games, here’s what Okamoto’s produced after finishing up a sweep of the A’s this afternoon:

Again, don’t take any of this too seriously. It’s just all we have as of this point, but it’s pretty damn good. Don’t you think?

Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about—it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.