Blue Jays Insider Explains How Kazuma Okamoto’s Approach Reflects Toronto’s Identity

On Sunday, infielder Kazuma Okamoto signed a four-year, $60 million contract to join the Toronto Blue Jays.

The next day, insider Keegan Matheson of MLB.com explained why he thinks Okamoto is a good fit for the Jays, during his appearance on “Toronto Sports Rush.”

“He’s already a Blue Jays player. He’s a Blue Jays hitter,” Matheson said (timestamp: 5:48). “He has, I think, six seasons of 30-plus home runs. He peaked at 41 home runs. So there’s legitimate power. I don’t think that’s going to translate one-on-one in the major leagues. But there’s enough power. He can hit 20 (home runs). He can hit 25. Sure, he can hit 30, if he plays every day. There’s enough power to play.

“What makes him fit the identity of the Blue Jays is that he works at bat, he doesn’t hit, he works on walks and on top of that, he gets the knockout every now and then. Two, three, four years ago, the Blue Jays were just one of those things. Hitting only singles and avoiding strikeouts, or selling out for power. They now have the identity of a team that can make the two, and it’s very rare to do that (Kazuma) Okamoto can do both of those things.”

Insider offers context on Kazuma Okamoto’s past success in Japan

In the same conversation, Matheson also gave insight into the success Kazuma Okamoto has had so far in his career, playing for the Yomiuri Giants in NPB.

“Kazuma Okamoto played for the Yomiuri Giants, which for people watching is like playing for the Yankees in Japan,” Matheson said (timestamp: 1:18). “There’s a lot of prestige, a lot of attention in a market where, my God, the attention is on baseball.

“He’s one of their stars, one of the faces of the Giants in Japan for years,” he added. “And it’s, my God, by definition, probably a safer, quote-unquote, Japanese player coming here.”

During his eleven seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, Kazuma Okamoto earned six NPB All-Star selections and two Mitsui Gold Glove Awards. He also finished the season leading the Central League in home runs three times.

He also played a key role in helping Japan win gold at the 2023 WBC, alongside MLB superstars such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish.