DUNEDIN, Fla. -- For months, all the Blue Jays had to work with were videos of Kazuma Okamoto. Now, after a week of seeing him take batting practice and ground balls, they’ll finally get their first look at him in game action.
Okamoto is expected to be in the lineup and playing third when Toronto opens its Grapefruit League schedule on Saturday at home. As long as nothing changes and weather doesn’t get in the way, Okamoto is penciled in for the following games to open camp:
- Saturday vs. Phillies
- Monday vs. Mets
- Wednesday at Tigers (road game)
- Thursday, Feb. 26, vs. Marlins
From there, Okamoto is expected to depart for the World Baseball Classic roughly a day earlier than some of his other teammates, like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Samurai Japan is scheduled to open its WBC play on March 6 against Chinese Taipei at the Tokyo Dome.
Okamoto will play third base for Samurai Japan, the defending champions who defeated Team USA in the 2023 final, one of the best baseball moments in recent memory, with Shohei Ohtani facing Mike Trout in the final at-bat. Okamoto homered in that win for Team Japan, and he’ll be counted on again to help his country repeat.
But first, the Grapefruit League calls …
What matters for Okamoto in Spring Training
Okamoto comes to MLB with the reputation of a solid defender, but he’s about to play the hot corner in the same division as Aaron Judge. Buckle up.
That’s where manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays’ staff will be focused in these early days, working to get Okamoto in the right position to play the game at his own speed. We often talk about the challenge of overseas players adjusting to new pitchers, but the defensive side is an adjustment, too.
“Where he’s playing depth-wise, the speed of the game, how guys are getting down the line and how he can approach the ball being hit a little bit harder there,” Schneider said. “That’s what we’re looking for in spring. [Third-base coach] Carlos [Febles] has a pretty good plan with him. If you see him taking ground balls at short, he’s not going to play short, but that’s for a reason. It’s to get some range and play him a little bit deeper.”
This is why a third baseman’s throwing arm matters. The better arm they have -- like Addison Barger -- the deeper they can play, and the more time they buy themselves.
“We feel that [Okamoto's] arm is more than serviceable to play a little bit deeper,” Schneider said.
Okamoto will likely see a game or two at first base later in camp, but he will get “the lion’s share” of his time at third.
Okamoto’s fit in the lineup
Spring Training lineups don’t matter much, so don’t read into any clues, but it’s clear that Okamoto’s bat is the main attraction here, and the Blue Jays need to maximize that, especially without Bo Bichette.
“The cool thing about him is how he fits our approach to a T. There’s contact, and there’s damage,” Schneider said. “It’s about picking spots where to do that and understanding where you fit in throughout the lineup. When we look at it, he’ll be somewhere in the middle. Righty or lefty on the mound and whoever we’re facing, guys slide up and down, but his skillset with the ability to both drive the ball and make contact is why we acquired him.”
George Springer is the leadoff man, and while Schneider has joked that he hopes to talk Vladdy into batting second again, we all know Guerrero is most comfortable batting third. That leaves the No. 2 role in the spotlight, so Okamoto will be a candidate there along with the No. 4 and 5 spots in the lineup, depending on matchups.
There’s still more than a month until we see Okamoto introduced to a roar from Toronto’s home crowd on Opening Day, but it’s finally starting to feel and look more real.