Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto received several votes for the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
On Monday, MLB announced that Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle won the AL ROTY Award for 2026, which didn’t come as a surprise given how great a rookie season he had.
But Okamoto, who had a huge rookie season for the Blue Jays, got some love from the voters.
Kazuma Okamoto Finished 7th in AL ROTY Voting
Per the BBWAA, Okamoto finished seventh in AL ROTY voting. He received one third-place vote, four fourth-place votes, and six fifth-place votes for 17 total points.
Of course, that wasn’t enough to win the award, as McGonigle ran away with it with 204 points. But still, it’s a nice feather in Okamoto’s cap that he was at least considered for the honor, and getting a third-place vote in a stacked crop of AL rookies is also a nice honorable mention for him.
Aside from McGonigle, Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox were the finalists.
Kazuma Okamoto Had a Great Rookie Year for the Blue Jays
Okamoto, a 30-year-old Japanese native, signed a four-year, $60 million contract last winter with the Blue Jays to help replace what they lost after losing Bo Bichette to the New York Mets in free agency.
In his first foray into MLB action, Okamoto hit 33 home runs, which led the Blue Jays. He also had 92 RBIs, and he racked up 2.5 bWAR while playing third base, first base, and DH for Toronto, which missed the playoffs just one season after making it all the way to the 2025 World Series and losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a heartbreaking Game 7.
Okamoto, though, did his part for Toronto this past season, as he had a great rookie season overall despite setting the franchise record for strikeouts by a Blue Jays batter with 183.
Strikeouts aside, Okamoto had a very good season at the plate for Toronto, and he will be expected to help carry the offensive load in 2027 if and when the league resumes play from a potential lockout.
Kazuma Okamoto Gets AL ROTY Votes for Blue Jays