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Kazuma Okamoto's Rookie of the Year finish was fair, but his Blue Jays debut deserves recognition

A seventh place in the voting reflects how the award is decided now.
ByMatthew Sookram
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Sep 19, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) warms up to hit against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) warms up to hit against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kazuma Okamoto didn't win American League Rookie of the Year, and that's probably the right call. He finished seventh in the voting, while the hardware went to Detroit's Kevin McGonigle. But Okamoto's first year in Toronto probably went just as well as anyone could have hoped.

What makes it interesting is that Okamoto hit more home runs than both McGonigle and National League winner Sal Stewart. A few years ago, that kind of old-school counting number might have bought him a lot more votes. But 33 home runs and 92 RBIs just doesn’t land like it used to.

Stewart, just 22, repeatedly came up big for Cincinnati in run-scoring situations. He received 20 of 30 first-place votes and 170 points, finishing ahead of Mets outfielder Carson Benge (seven first-place votes, 107 points) and Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (three first-place votes, 99 points). Stewart was the only player listed on every ballot.

An NL All-Star in his first full big-league season, Stewart batted .263 with a .787 OPS, 32 home runs and 112 RBI while playing all 162 games, with 161 starts. He's the first rookie to do that since Delmon Young of the Devil Rays in 2007.

In the American League, McGonigle, also 22, won in a runaway, collecting 28 of 30 first-place votes ahead of finalists Parker Messick and Payton Tolle. He slashed .278/.376/.430 with 18 homers, 72 RBI, 97 runs scored and 12 steals.

His 7.1 bWAR led all AL players, and he finished top 10 in the league in OBP, hits and total bases while striking out just five more times (100) than he walked (95). He's the first rookie since Ted Williams in 1939 to log at least 97 runs, 28 doubles, 18 homers, 72 RBI and 95 walks.

McGonigle also moved between shortstop (96 games) and third base (94 games) seamlessly, collecting plus-10 defensive runs saved. He's the first Tigers infielder to win the award since franchise icon Lou Whitaker in 1978, and just the sixth winner in franchise history.

But not everyone loved the results from the AL side of the voting. Some feel Cleveland starter Parker Messick was just as deserving. His 2.56 ERA led the Guardians' rotation, while he also posted a 1.06 WHIP and struck out 193 batters in 186 innings while leading all rookie pitchers in ERA and WHIP.

Only three other rookie pitchers in MLB history have posted an ERA of 2.60 or lower with nine or more strikeouts per nine innings, and each of them won Rookie of the Year.

Why Kazuma Okamoto finished seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting

That brings us to Toronto's lone nominee. Okamoto received one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes and six fifth-place votes on his way to seventh overall.

It wasn't for a lack of production though. In 156 games, the 30-year-old batted .232 with 33 home runs, 92 RBI and a .310 on-base percentage, and he led the Blue Jays in home runs, RBI, slugging and OPS. Without him, the Blue Jays’ anemic offense would have looked a lot worse. Although it’s hard to be worse than finishing last in several major categories.

But Okamoto did out-homer both winners (33 to Stewart's 32 and McGonigle's 18) and drove in more runs than McGonigle, though Stewart's 112 RBI topped his 92. But the voting has changed over the last few years. There's way more focus on underlying numbers and metrics now, as there should be, and a .310 on-base percentage doesn't stack up against McGonigle's .376 and AL-best 7.1 bWAR.

None of that takes anything away from what Okamoto did. His rookie campaign will go down as one of the best in franchise history. He surpassed Eric Hinske's rookie home run record. Hinske hit 24 in 2002. Okamoto surpassed that on Aug. 18.

He also made some Japanese-MLB player history as well. When he launched his 30th home run of the season on Sept. 8, he became the fifth Japanese-born player to reach 30 home runs in a season, joining Hideki Matsui, Shohei Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki and Munetaka Murakami.

It's a great season to build off. The Blue Jays will hope Okamoto keeps slugging like this over the remaining three years of his four-year contract, and if he does, missing out on one award won't matter much.

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