Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto has set a dubious record for Blue Jays hitters in his rookie season.
Although Okamoto has 30 home runs — a Blue Jays franchise record for a rookie, by the way — making him the fifth Japanese-born player in MLB history to hit that mark, he has also set a record he likely wishes he hadn’t.
Kazuma Okamoto Sets Franchise Strikeout Record
By racking up his 171st strikeout of the year, Okamoto set the Blue Jays franchise record for batters with the most strikeouts in a single season in team history.
The previous record belonged to Jose Bautista in 2017 and Matt Chapman in 2022, who each had 170 strikeouts for the Blue Jays in those seasons.
With 15 games left on the schedule, Okamoto can increase his strikeout record even further for Toronto, who are chasing down the Cleveland Guardians and trying to fend off the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles for the third and final American League Wild Card spot.
Kazuma Okamoto’s Rookie Season
Despite setting the single-season strikeout record by a Blue Jays hitter, Okamoto’s overall rookie season has been a grand success for the Japanese-born hitter.
Coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball, the Blue Jays signed Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million deal during the offseason to partly replace what they lost when Bo Bichette left the team in free agency.
At age 30, Okamoto has been solid as a rookie overall for Toronto, as he has clubbed 30 home runs for the team while also accumulating 2.0 bWAR while primarily playing third base for the team, though he has occasionally dabbled at first base as well.
Although the strikeouts have been an issue for Okamoto, you can’t deny that he has been a valuable contributor for the Blue Jays, as the fact he has 30 home runs and a positive bWAR shows he has helped the team more than hurt it this season.
Next year, the Blue Jays would surely love to see Okamoto cut down on his K rate. But they will gladly take his 30 home runs as a trade-off, as the team is in need of power.
Kazuma Okamoto Sets Dubious Blue Jays Record for Hitters