Kazuma Okamoto almost single-handedly kept the Blue Jays afloat, and the lineup spot never matched it.

Heading into Wednesday's game against Baltimore, Okamoto led Toronto in both home runs (33) and RBIs (89). George Springer sits second in homers with 15, and Andres Gimenez second in RBIs with 58.

That gap between Okamoto and everyone else is enormous. It also raises a real question about how he was actually deployed in the order.

Manager John Schneider slotted him fifth or lower 77 times this season, including 34 games in the fifth spot, 24 in the sixth, and 19 in the seventh.

Most teams don't bury their leading home run and RBI producer that far down the order.

Why the numbers make this look like a real missed opportunity

There's an analytical case for it. Okamoto hit .292 with a .963 OPS batting sixth over 24 games, and .338 with a .951 OPS batting seventh over 19 games.

If you go strictly by where he produced best, seventh actually makes the strongest statistical case.

But he also hit .264 with an .826 OPS and five home runs across 72 at-bats in the three-hole, more than enough production for that spot in the order.

You don't see hitters like Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, Pete Alonso, or Ronald Acuna Jr. batting much lower than fourth. Okamoto may not be at that tier yet, but his production deserved similar treatment in a lineup that badly needed it.

One number worked against him. He hit just .227 with a .672 OPS and an 88 wRC+ with runners in scoring position across 150 at-bats, a real red flag for a supposed run producer.

But down the stretch, in September specifically, he hit .286 with an .875 OPS and a 148 wRC+ with RISP, exactly the kind of hot stretch a team should have tried to capitalize on by moving him up.

It's fair to wonder whether a few more driven-in runs here and there could have flipped a handful of results, even with Guerrero struggling at the same time.

The stubborn usage of Toronto's best hitter, layered on top of some of Schneider's other questionable in-game decisions this season, may have genuinely cost the Blue Jays a return trip to the postseason.

Entering an offseason that already includes plenty of roster questions, Schneider's own seat is worth watching just as closely.