This Blue Jays infielder showing that he could be in the mix for a Gold Glove award

When the Toronto Blue Jays made the huge splash this past offseason in signing Japanese superstar Kazuma Okamoto, they all knew what he could ultimately provide at the plate. With the ability to post 30+ home runs and 80+ RBIs per season while hitting for a solid average, he was fully expected to be a solid replacement for the departed Bo Bichette in terms of offensive production.

However, surprisingly it has been Okamoto’s play in the field that has caught the attention of many during his short tenure in the major leagues thus far. Apparently, it has been so good that he could even be in the running for a potential Gold Glove award by the end of the year..

Okamoto's defense is better than everyone expected and could perhaps be in the Gold Glove award conversation

Earlier in the season, Okamoto gave a glimpse of what was to come by coming up with this dazzling play in his season debut with the Blue Jays.

If there were any doubters that it was just luck on his side at the time, he has certainly put all of those concerns to rest with what he has done in the field in his subsequent games. In fact, as Thomas Hall had pointed out, Okamoto made such a good play in the game against the Chicago White Sox this past weekend that it even fooled the cameraman behind home plate.

On the season, Okamoto already has one Defensive Run Saved along with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in over 80 innings at third base with the Blue Jays entering Monday. He also has a +1 Outs Above Average rating to rank in the 92nd percentile in the league, according to Baseball Savant. 

His day in and day out strong defense has definitely overshadowed some of his offense to date, which hasn’t been too shabby either, as the 29-year-old infielder has compiled a .263 average, .770 OPS, along with four runs scored, two home runs and three RBIs in 10 games played. More importantly, Okamoto has also shown to be quite flexible as Blue Jays manager John Schneider has utilized the Japanese star in various spots in the batting order, including the cleanup spot.

With the ability to contribute now in almost all facets of the game, Okamoto has now made himself a valuable piece of the Blue Jays roster. But with the way he has been performing in the field, he could pretty much end up with a Gold Glove award even before a Silver Slugger award when all is said and done.