The Blue Jays spent 2026 waiting for their offense to show up, and it never really did. Toronto finished with the fewest runs in baseball at 648, the fewest homers at 152, and the second-worst team OPS in the majors at .691, ahead of only the Los Angeles Angels. A lineup that had helped drive a World Series run the year before turned into one of the club’s biggest problems.
There were bright spots, sure. But the season mostly became a parade of uneven production, injuries and letdowns, with a few players doing far more than anyone expected and several others falling well short of the standard they were supposed to meet. Here’s how the Blue Jays’ hitters stacked up.
Alejandro Kirk was one of the few bats who actually looked like a real middle-of-the-order presence once he got going. He opened the year slowly, then disappeared for several months with a thumb injury.
After he came back, though, he found his All-Star form again and led Toronto offensively for much of the second half. His line - 10 homers, 43 RBI, a .278 average, .767 OPS and 114 wRC+ - earned him a B+.
Andrés Giménez was never going to be mistaken for a big offensive force, and that’s basically where his season landed. He remained a below-average hitter, but he still chipped in enough with elite defense at shortstop and work on the bases to post 2.8 fWAR. That package gets him a B-.
Brandon Valenzuela filled in well for Kirk during the first half while Kirk was on the injured list. He showed real pop at the plate, then went ice-cold after the All-Star break and reminded everyone where the limits of his bat still are. His grade: C.
Brett Bateman was one of the season’s biggest surprises after arriving in the Kevin Gausman trade at the deadline. He gave the lineup an immediate jolt and looks like he may already be a major piece of the 2027 club. That kind of impact gets an A+.
Charles McAdoo held his own in his first run with the Blue Jays. His approach still needs polishing, but the power-speed mix is intriguing and there’s reason to think more reps against big-league pitching will help him keep moving forward. He finished with 3 homers, 14 RBI, a .258 average, .694 OPS and 93 wRC+, good for a C+.
Davis Schneider’s fall was one of the starkest on the roster. After being one of the surprise contributors to the 2025 World Series team, his production cratered in 2026 and sent him back to Triple-A Buffalo more than once. With 5 homers, 16 RBI, a .145 average, .624 OPS and 84 wRC+, he gets an F.
Ernie Clement’s year split neatly in two. He rode a strong first half all the way to his first All-Star nod, then turned into one of the worst hitters in baseball after August.
He ended up with the worst offensive numbers of his career, despite finishing with 9 homers, 48 RBI, a .259 average, .649 OPS and 80 wRC+. That’s a C-.
George Springer salvaged what may have been his final season in Toronto with a strong second half. He never got close to his 2025 production, but he still delivered a solid overall year and made his contract worth it. He earns a B-.
Jésus Sánchez spent most of the season on the roster before being designated for assignment in September, which is enough to land him on this list. He never turned his raw power into real production, and his defense was not a selling point. His grade: D.
Josh Smith came over in the Adam Macko trade and quietly became a useful late-season piece. He hit five of his six home runs after joining Toronto and put himself in position to fight for a bench job in 2027. His 6 homers, 15 RBI, .203 average, .611 OPS and 75 wRC+ come with a B-.
Kazuma Okamoto was expected to be a high-average hitter with some pop after coming over from Japan. Instead, he became more of a three-true-outcomes bat, while still leading the Blue Jays in home runs, RBI and strikeouts by a wide margin. His totals - 33 homers, 92 RBI, a .232 average, .762 OPS and 113 wRC+ - earn a B+.
Myles Straw got far more playing time than most people probably expected, and the results were modest. His value still came from his speed, defense and presence in the clubhouse, not the bat. He finished with 3 homers, 26 RBI, a .241 average, .646 OPS and 83 wRC+, which puts him at C+.
Nathan Lukes steadied himself after a rough start at the plate while dealing with vertigo and eventually settled into his usual role. He was a league-average hitter who worked counts and fit the mold of a dependable glue guy in a deeper lineup. His 10 homers, 41 RBI, .277 average, .725 OPS and 102 wRC+ get him a B.
Sean Keys barely played, which makes any grade a little awkward, but he did show some power flashes in limited chances. He also looked overmatched at times, and the Blue Jays still see him as a work in progress. His line - 2 homers, 9 RBI, a .197 average, .570 OPS and 57 wRC+ - earns a C.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was included too, with the note: “That ridiculous quote didn’t help, either.”
In Other News...
Blue Jays Report Card Puts One 2026 Failure Front And Center
The Blue Jays 2026 season review was not gentle, and the harshest mark landed on the one area that never quite found its footing all year: the offense. Hitting coach David Popkins was handed an F in the report card, a reflection of how uneven Torontos attack looked over the course of the season, even as the clubs broader leadership drew more favorable evaluations.
There was more balance in the rest of the grades. Manager John Schneider earned a B for steering a difficult roster through the year, while president and CEO Mark Shapiro received an A for the organizations larger improvements. The front office also came out well in the review, with offseason additions and trade deadline moves singled out as positives, but the offensive mess remains the most glaring issue hanging over the team heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Could Be Saying Goodbye To Several Familiar Names
The Blue Jays are heading into a stretch where the roster may start to look very different from the one fans have come to know. Several veteran arms who were brought in to help bridge the gap toward contention have run into the same familiar issues teams worry about this time of year: age, health, and uneven performance. For a club trying to stay competitive while also keeping one eye on the future, that usually means some uncomfortable decisions are coming.
By the time the 2027 season arrives, Toronto could be leaning on a much younger and healthier mix on the pitching side. Max Scherzer, Paul Sewald, Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon and Yimi Garcia are among the familiar names whose time with the Blue Jays is expected to wind down, leaving the front office with the task of retooling without losing momentum. It is the kind of roster turnover that can reshape a bullpen and rotation quickly, and for Blue Jays fans it may mean seeing several recent additions become part of the past sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Pitching Grades Show Who Carried Toronto Through The Chaos
The Blue Jays 2026 pitching story was one of survival as much as performance, with the staff forced to absorb injuries, shifting roles and heavy workloads all season long. The review of the groups grades makes clear how much Toronto leaned on a mix of established arms and newcomers to keep the rotation and bullpen moving, even as the season kept asking for more from the pitching staff than it could comfortably give.
Some pitchers held up remarkably well under that pressure, giving the club stability when it needed it most, while others were left fighting inconsistency or the effects of all the wear and tear. The full assessment sorts through the bright spots and the setbacks across the staff, and it also leaves you with the obvious follow-up: which arms truly did enough to matter most when the Blue Jays were at their most chaotic? [Read more 🡒]