Blue Jays somehow buried their best power hitter, Kazuma Okamoto, for half the season

Without question the Toronto Blue Jays had one key offensive contributor that almost single-handedly kept the team afloat for much of the 2026 MLB season. That player is Kazuma Okamoto, one of the Blue Jays’ big free agent signings from the past offseason.

Okamoto has led the Blue Jays in home runs (33) and RBIs (89) going into Wednesday's game against Baltimore (Sept. 23). The next best home run hitter on the team is George Springer with 15 and the second-most RBI getter is Andres Giménez with 58.

For someone who has been as productive as Okamoto has been, questions still linger around how he was used in the lineup this season. Fans have pointed out the discrepancy between where Okamoto has hit compared to other premier producers on teams in other lineups.

It hasn't gone unnoticed that the Blue Jays have slotted their leading home run and RBI getter sixth in the lineup for most of the season, whereas other teams would have them within the top 4 of the batting order.

Kazuma Okamoto should have been given a lineup promotion with Toronto's season on the line

While Okamoto hasn’t batted sixth for every single game, manager John Schneider has deployed the 30-year-old third baseman fifth or lower in the starting lineup 77 times this season. That included 34 times in the fifth slot, 24 times in the sixth slot, and even 19 times in the seven hole.

With practically the rest of the lineup slumping, it felt reasonable to put Okamoto higher more often. Perhaps Schneider was basing it on the analytical number splits. Okamoto registered a .292 average and .963 OPS hitting sixth over 24 games and a .338 average and .951 OPS batting seventh over 19 games in 2026.

If we want to go solely on the spot where he produced best, the arguemtn would be that he should hit seventh. However, he also slashed .264/.312/.514 with an .826 OPS and five home runs in 72 at-bats in the number three spot.

You won’t see the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, Pete Alonso, or Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting much lower than fourth. Okamoto may not be on the same level as those stars just yet, but he deserved the same kind of respect when it comes to how he can help produce in a lineup that was lagging behind.

One number that may have counted against Okamoto was his hitting with Runners in Scoring Position. He posted a .227 average with a .672 OPS and 88 wRC+ in 150 at-bats. Not the ideal numbers for a run producer when there are guys that need to be cashed in.

However, down the stretch, Okamoto hit .286, with an .875 OPS and 148 wRC+ with RISP in September. Those are the kind of numbers that dictate how hot Okamoto had been and the Blue Jays should have looked to try and capitalized on that.

It just makes one wonder whether a few more runs driven in here and there could have resulted in a few more wins for the Blue Jays, even with a struggling Guerrero at the time. However, the dumbfounding usage of Okamoto may have now cost the Blue Jays a chance to return to the postseason. Along with some of the recent decision-making by the Blue Jays manager, Schneider may be in the hot seat entering the upcoming offseason.

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