{"id":683066,"date":"2026-04-26T06:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/683066\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T06:03:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:03:29","slug":"blue-jays-finally-seeing-the-version-of-kazuma-okamoto-they-paid-for-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/683066\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays Finally Seeing the Version of Kazuma Okamoto They Paid For"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Blue Jays had high hopes when they signed Kazuma Okamoto in the offseason. They certainly didn’t sign him to be “just another bat” in the lineup.<\/p>\n

He was signed because they believed he could be a difference maker.<\/a><\/p>\n

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During the first few weeks of the season, the decision was questionable as the version the team expected never showed up.<\/p>\n

Now, things may be turning around.<\/p>\n

A Turnaround Was Expected But Certainly Delayed\"Kazuma<\/p>\n

Kazuma Okamoto | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Looking at Okamoto’s start on paper really isn’t impressive.<\/p>\n

Through his first 25 games, he has hit .237 with a .743 OPS. Those numbers won’t turn heads, but over the last week, Okamoto may have found his groove in the United States.<\/p>\n

In his last seven games, Okamoto is hitting .375 with three home runs, seven RBI and a .792 slugging percentage. His .483 OBP proves he is finding more discipline and pitch recognition at the plate.<\/p>\n

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Back-to-back multi-hit games with home runs against the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> is hopefully hinting toward something more than a temporary turnaround.<\/p>\n

The Player Toronto Was Betting On<\/p>\n

The surge isn’t surprising for those who have seen Okamoto’s history.<\/p>\n

Before coming into Major League Baseball, Okamoto spent a decade playing for the Yomiuri Giants. There, he established himself as one of Japan’s most consistent power hitters.<\/p>\n

During his tenure at NPB, he hit 277 home runs and boasted a .860 OPS. He was the anchor for one of Japan’s most recognizable franchises.<\/p>\n

An overview of his resume clearly shows why Toronto believed in him enough to offer a four-year $60 million contract<\/a> to bring him to the United States.<\/p>\n

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That resume also reinforces why no one panicked when his MLB start didn’t go quite as planned. International players routinely need time to adjust to the various and multiple changes experienced.<\/p>\n

Now, the payoff can start for the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

This Matters Right Now<\/p>\n

The timing of Okamoto’s surge couldn’t be better.<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays are struggling<\/a>. Some say it’s the hangover from the World Series. Injuries have certainly played a factor. They currently have 12 players on the injured list.<\/p>\n

Sitting at 11-15 and at the near bottom of the AL East, Toronto needs a spark. They need consistency and the ability to find some answers across the lineup.<\/p>\n

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Okamoto could be a momentum changer. He could take some pressure off the surrounding hitters while also providing some legitimate power in the middle of the lineup.<\/p>\n

With everything on the line and a cold start, the Blue Jays need all the help they can get. If this is the real Okamoto starting to show up, Toronto can only hope he stays.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on www.si.com\/mlb\/bluejays\/onsi as Blue Jays Finally Seeing the Version of Kazuma Okamoto They Paid For<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Toronto Blue Jays had high hopes when they signed Kazuma Okamoto in the offseason. They certainly didn’t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":683067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2378],"tags":[5,377,2554,51,3685,4,1414,282,70,2553],"class_list":{"0":"post-683066","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-blue-jays","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-blue-jays","10":"tag-bluejays","11":"tag-cleveland-guardians","12":"tag-kazuma-okamoto","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-the-blue-jays","15":"tag-toronto","16":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","17":"tag-torontobluejays"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116469498680279152","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=683066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/683066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/683067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=683066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=683066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=683066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}