Blue Jays 2026 report card: Grading an offence that ranked among MLB’s worst

The Toronto Blue Jays entered 2026 expecting their offence to help carry them to another postseason run. Instead, a lineup that had been central to the club’s World Series appearance a year earlier became one of its biggest weaknesses. Established stars endured dramatic downturns, useful role players were asked to carry larger workloads and injuries forced Toronto to lean on several inexperienced hitters.

Anyone who watched the Blue Jays in 2026 knows they were not a good offensive team. They scored the fewest runs in all of baseball (648), hit the fewest home runs (152), and ranked second-worst in team OPS (.691) ahead of only the Los Angeles Angels.

There were still a few encouraging performances. But for every one of those successes they Blue Jays had another two or three hitters who fell short of expectations. The grades below weigh each hitter’s production against his role, opportunity and expectations entering the season.

Grading every Blue Jays hitter from the 2026 season

Alejandro Kirk 

• HR: 10
• RBI: 43
• AVG: .278
• OPS: .767
• wRC+: 114

Kirk didn’t look like himself to start the year, then missed several months with a thumb injury. He recaptured his All-Star form when he finally returned, however, and led the Blue Jays offensively for much of the second half. 

Grade: B+

Andrés Giménez

• HR: 9
• RBI: 59
• AVG: .244
• OPS: .649
• wRC+: 81

Giménez is what he is at this point: a below-average hitter with a knack for coming through in the clutch. He still managed to accrue 2.8 fWAR on the strength of his stellar glovework at shortstop and contributions on the basepaths. 

Grade: B-

Brandon Valenzuela

• HR: 9
• RBI: 24
• AVG: .226
• OPS: .688
• wRC+: 96

Valenzuela filled in admirably for Kirk while he was on the injured list during the first half of the season. He flashed legitimate power upside at the plate before going ice-cold after the All-Star break, exposing the current limitations of his offensive profile. 

Grade: C

Brett Bateman

• HR: 2
• RBI: 11
• AVG: .329
• OPS: .826
• wRC+: 138

Bateman exceeded all expectations after being acquired for Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline. He injected some life into the lineup immediately upon arrival and has likely cemented himself as a marquee piece of the 2027 squad.

Grade: A+

Charles McAdoo

• HR: 3
• RBI: 14
• AVG: .258
• OPS: .694
• wRC+: 93

McAdoo largely held his own at the plate with the Blue Jays in 2026. His approach needs work, but his combination of power and speed is exciting. He should keep improving with additional reps against MLB pitching. 

Grade: C+

Davis Schneider

• HR: 5
• RBI: 16
• AVG: .145
• OPS: .624
• wRC+: 84

Schneider was one of several surprise contributors who propelled the Blue Jays to the World Series in 2025. His production fell off a cliff this year, which led to multiple demotions to Triple-A Buffalo. He might be out of runway.

Grade: F

Ernie Clement

• HR: 9
• RBI: 48
• AVG: .259
• OPS: .649
• wRC+: 80

It was a tale of two seasons for Clement. He rode a strong first half to his first career All-Star appearance, then devolved into one of baseball’s worst hitters from August onward. He ended the year with the worst offensive numbers of his career. 

Grade: C-

George Springer 

• HR: 15
• RBI: 54
• AVG: .249
• OPS: .726
• wRC+: 105

Springer redeemed what was likely his final season with the Blue Jays with a strong second half. While he didn’t come anywhere near his 2025 numbers, he still put together a solid season. His contract was worth every penny. 

Grade: B-

Jésus Sánchez

• HR: 8
• RBI: 35
• AVG: .254
• OPS: .713
• wRC+: 99

He makes the list because he was on the team for most of the year before being designated for assignment in September. He failed to turn his power potential into actual production, and the less that can be said about his defence, the better. 

Grade: D

Josh Smith

• HR: 6
• RBI: 15
• AVG: .203
• OPS: .611
• wRC+: 75

Smith was a pleasant surprise down the stretch after coming over in the Adam Macko trade, hitting five of his six home runs after coming to Toronto. He should have an opportunity to compete for a bench spot on the 2027 squad. 

Grade: B-

Kazuma Okamoto

• HR: 33
• RBI: 92
• AVG: .232
• OPS: .762
• wRC+: 113

The general consensus on Okamoto coming over from Japan was that he would hit for a high average with some power. He ended up being more of a three true outcome guy who led the team in home runs, RBI, and strikeouts by a wide margin. 

Grade: B+

Myles Straw

• HR: 3
• RBI: 26
• AVG: .241
• OPS: .646
• wRC+: 83

Straw wound up getting far more plate appearances than anyone expected he would coming into the year. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t do much with those opportunities. His value is in his speed, excellent defensive play, and clubhouse presence. 

Grade: C+

Nathan Lukes: 

• HR: 10
• RBI: 41
• AVG: .277
• OPS: .725
• wRC+: 102

Lukes got off to an extremely rough start at the plate while managing a bout of vertigo, but eventually settled back into his usual form. He’s a league-average hitter who grinds out at-bats—a quintessentially glue guy in a deeper lineup.

Grade: B

Sean Keys

• HR: 2
• RBI: 9
• AVG: .197
• OPS: .570
• wRC+: 57

Assigning Keys a letter grade almost feels unfair given how little he played. Still, he flashed some power potential in his limited opportunities, albeit while appearing generally overmatched by major league pitching. He’s very much a work in progress. 

Grade: C

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

• HR: 9
• RBI: 57
• AVG: .260
• OPS: .688
• wRC+: 95

This might be the most disappointing season by a hitter in the 50-year history of the franchise. Coming off a historic postseason, Guerrero authored one of the most pathetic performances by a superstar in recent memory. That ridiculous quote didn’t help, either.

Grade: F

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