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Toronto Blue Jays Awards: Was Kazuma Okamoto Passed Over For AL Rookie of Year?
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- Toronto Blue Jays Awards: Was Kazuma Okamoto Passed Over For AL Rookie of Year?
(Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images)
On Monday, we learned that Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease was named as a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award. We also learned that reliever Louis Varland was named as a finalist for the American League Reliever of the Year.
However, surprisingly, third baseman Kazuma Okamoto was not named as a finalist for the American League Rookie of the Year. Those finalists are Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers, Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox .
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Let's take a deeper look and the candidates to see if Okamoto was snubbed from this group.
The Kazuma Okamoto file
Signed to a four-year deal worth $60 million last offseason, Okamoto played 156 games for the Blue Jays, becoming the biggest threat in the middle of the order. Known as a power bat who had good plate discipline during his time in Japan, he largely lived up to his reputation. He hit .232 with 33 homers and 92 RBIs, posting a .310 on-base percentage with a .762 OPS. He had a 107 OPS+ and a 2.5 bWAR.
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) hits an RBI double against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
And how about the others?
The 22-year-old McGonigle was excellent for the Tigers, hitting .278 with 18 homers and 72 RBIs while posting a 126 OPS+ and accumulating a 7.1 bWAR.
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Tolle, 24, helped carry the Red Sox rotation, especially in the wake of Garrett Crochet's near season-long injury. He went 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out 171 hitters in just 148.2 innings. He had a 2.9 bWAR in 26 starts, helping take the Red Sox to the playoffs.
Messick helped carry the Guardians to the American League Championship Series after going 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA. He struck out 193 batters in 186.1 innings, accumulating a 6.3 bWAR.
So, was Okamoto snubbed?
For my money? Yes.
While all three of those players had incredible reasons, I think it's fair to note that both Tolle and Messick had major league experience in 2025. While it wasn't a lot, it was something, so what they accomplished was not completely out of the blue.
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For Okamoto, even though he has more professional experience through his time in Japan, it's incredibly impressive to come over to a new continent and face pitchers you've never seen and never heard of, and deliver real, tangible results. He finished sixth in the American League in homers and tied for ninth in RBIs. In an age when offensive production is down, Okamoto consistently delivered.
Doing that in a brand new baseball culture warrants strong consideration for me. Evidently, the people who vote on these awards didn't feel the same way.
