"It took a little bit longer than expected but the Toronto Blue Jays were finally able to welcome their new third basemen to Dunedin on Saturday morning (Feb. 14). Talk about a Valentine's Day gift, it was nothing but love when Kazuma Okamoto spoke to the Blue Jays media ahead of getting on the field for the first time at Spring Training. Okamoto, delayed by visa issues, will only be around for a short time as he's also gearing up to play at the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan."
"Okamoto may already be a fan favourite after just one Toronto media conference as he spoke to reporters saying, "Yeah, I'm very serious and very manly. Yeah, I think I can say that about myself," before he burst out laughing, according to Blue Jays reporter Hazel Mae. He also spoke directly to Blue Jays twitter and said, "Hello everyone, I just got to camp and I'm looking forward to getting after it.""
Kazuma Okamoto arrived at Blue Jays spring training after visa-related delays and will have a short stay because he is preparing to play for Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic. Okamoto expressed enthusiasm and confidence on arrival, greeting fans and media with playful remarks. Toronto plans to rely on his proven Nippon Professional Baseball power to offset losses from Bo Bichette's free agency departure and Anthony Santander's multi-month injury recovery. Okamoto hit 248 home runs in 11 NPB seasons and posted a .277/.361/.521 slash with an .882 OPS. He will work with hitting coach David Popkins to lower a roughly 18% career strikeout rate that could rise against Major League pitching.
#kazuma-okamoto #toronto-blue-jays #spring-training #world-baseball-classic #nippon-professional-baseball
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