Kazuma Okamoto's hot dog lunch, successful season help Blue Jays in Japan
The slugger's viral eating habits and strong rookie season have made Toronto a more attractive destination for Japanese free agents.
TORONTO — Kazuma Okamoto's successful rookie season with the Toronto Blue Jays is helping the franchise's profile in Japan ahead of a key free-agent market.
The 30-year-old slugger, who signed last winter, batted .232/.310/.452 with 33 homers and 92 RBIs while playing better-than-expected defence at third base.
"The 162 felt quick, actually, now looking back at it," Okamoto said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima on the final day of the regular season. "But through ups and downs I learned a lot. It was a fun season."
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He is the first everyday Japanese position player of prominence to play for the Blue Jays, and his presence meant every game this season received coverage from multiple Japanese media outlets.
President and CEO Mark Shapiro said "the most easily quantifiable impact" is in the club's social media engagement, but he also noted "the number of Blue Jays hats that are now in Tokyo compared to what there were."
The team is planning to send a marketing group to Japan this off-season to build relationships, with Shapiro possibly making a separate trip.
"We hope to have that be a part of our business strategy, as well, moving forward," he said.
More immediately, Okamoto's transition may influence a strong contingent of Japanese free agents the Blue Jays are expected to explore, led by Seiya Suzuki, Teruaki Sato and Kaima Taira.
Okamoto said he has chatted with players from back home over the course of the season. "I was able to exchange some information and tell them what it's like in Toronto as well as the level of play here in MLB," he said.
Asked what he would say to free agents, he replied, "I'll just be honest about how I felt about the team and the organization," adding he is open to recruiting if asked.
Agent Scott Boras, who represents Okamoto, said the challenges for Japanese players coming over are more difficult for position players than pitchers.
"The level of information given here far, far exceeds what they've been given there, so players tend to become technical rather than athletic," explained Boras.
He said American players are used to the volume of coaching information, while Japanese players are not, and the adjustment can be amplified by being in a foreign environment.
Cognizant of those challenges, the Blue Jays worked to streamline the process for Okamoto by rehiring interpreter Yusuke Oshima and utilizing staff like analyst Gosuke Katoh and dietitian Yuka Sanui.
Team leaders like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer also made a point of integrating him from the first day of spring training.
"We pivoted pretty quickly to helping Kaz with the baseball stuff day-to-day, not just like the actual translating of it," said manager John Schneider.
Okamoto praised the club's resources but noted that "the transition always wasn't the smoothest and there were some rough patches, too. But I've always believed in myself and always thought that I could hit here. It's great that I'm able to."
His acclimation included a viral moment early on when, during his first visit to Toronto, he skipped a team dinner at a high-end sushi restaurant because he had eaten so many hot dogs at the Eaton Centre food court for lunch he was too full.
His taste for fast food went viral again in May when he narrowly missed a three-homer game and blamed a ninth-inning drive falling short on not eating a pre-game quesadilla. "I think if I would have had that, it would have been a home run," he said at the time.
Boras said Okamoto's experience with fame in Japan, where "he can't go out in the streets because he is a face," prepared him for the expectations in Toronto.
"He's used to fame, he's used to expectation and he's used to the demands being placed on him as being the centre of something," Boras said.
Off-season decisions loom
The Blue Jays' off-season planning comes as the league prepares for potential labour uncertainty. Garbutt Disposal reported in October that the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, with a work stoppage expected to disrupt the winter calendar.
With files from Sportsnet