<p><a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/addison-barger-680718?stats=career-r-fielding-mlb&amp;year=2024">Addison Barger</a> has been on the radar of Blue Jays fans since his impressive Spring Training campaign last spring. The long-haired Washington product didn&#8217;t debut last season but got a chance earlier this summer when Kevin Kiermaier hit the IL with a hip injury, setting the stage for a short-term audition to see whether he could handle at-bats under the bright lights.</p>
<p>The sample size did not bode in Barger&#8217;s favour, as the left-handed slugger produced just one hit through 18 at-bats with six strikeouts and he just didn&#8217;t find a groove in the batter&#8217;s box during his first taste of big league pitching. Barger had another stint from the middle of June to early July for better results &#8211; .191/.227/.238 slash line with two doubles and four RBIs &#8211; but was still struggling to find his footing to the tune of 12 K&#8217;s through 15 games with a .465 OPS, evidenced by the lack of extra-base hits.</p>
<p>Another stint down in the minors befell the prospect and once the Jays started trading away veteran players (as well as Bo Bichette&#8217;s calf injury) through July, the door opened once again for Barger to get back into the big leagues. As of late, the utility player is making the most of the opportunity.</p>
<h2>Addison Barger is starting to figure things out in the big leagues</h2>
<p>His first 16 games back in the Majors after his latest call-up was still a work in progress as he hovered under the Mendoza line. Through his last seven games, the script has flipped and Barger is putting together stronger at-bats and is finding his power at the plate that has paid dividends for this team.</p>
<p>In his last 28 at-bats (seven games), Barger owns a .288 average and a .571 SLG while producing two home runs, two doubles, and five RBIs &#8211; one could argue he should have another hit given the forceout at second base last night with Kirk getting tossed out on second, but such is life. One of those home runs was a walk-off blast against the Los Angeles Angels this past weekend, where the 24-year-old battled to a full count before driving a fastball just right of the foul pole, setting the stage for his solo home run that he straightened out to right-centre field &#8211; a 439-foot blast that left the bat at 109.6 MPH.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT! 👏</p>
<p>Addison Barger wins the game for the <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BlueJays</a> with a walk-off home run. 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/gJ9UmoTVVc">pic.twitter.com/gJ9UmoTVVc</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1827159992585085121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The home run power is a welcome addition for a Blue Jays squad that has struggled to get the ball over the outfield wall for most of the year, although they are now riding a 15-game home run streak. With his violent swing in the batter&#8217;s box, when Barger connects on the ball, it can travel a long way &#8211; one of the reasons his<a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/addison-barger-680718?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb"> hard hit %</a> is 5.3 points higher than the MLB average. With that power does come the strikeouts, with the prospect getting punched out at a 27.9% rate this season, but this recent stretch is a step in the right direction with Barger striking out just four times through his last 27 at-bats (14.8%). If he can continue to drive that percentage on the lower side of 20%, it will be a welcome addition to the Jays lineup.</p>
<p>With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the Jays giving internal prospects some runway for everyday at-bats, Barger is one player who stands to benefit from the increased reps on the active roster.</p>
<p>Through his last 12 games (dating back to August 8th), Barger has started 11 of those contests and has been working across the diamond, with the Jays using that peak athleticism to try him at different positions &#8211; third base, left field, and right field. His plus arm is a threat anytime he steps onto the field and has two outfield assists to his credit although he has struggled defensively at the hot corner on a few occasions this season and could be destined for a long-term role in the outfield when all is said and done.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Barger is heating up at the right time when this Blue Jays team is starting to become exciting after a disappointing campaign that has tested even the most diehard fan. With 29 games remaining, Barger is setting himself up for consistent reps to round out the season that could give him a boost into 2025, where the Blue Jays are set to contend again (at least through the comments of the front office) while some of the core members are inching closer to the free agent market.</p>
<p>Finding some more consistency at the plate and toning down the strikeouts will go a long way to impressing the coaching staff and the front office and if this past week is any indicator, it appears Barger is starting to adjust to big league pitching and reaping the benefits of his power bat at the plate.</p>


<a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/addison-barger-680718?stats=career-r-fielding-mlb&amp;year=2024">Addison Barger</a> has been on the radar of Blue Jays fans since his impressive Spring Training campaign last spring. The long-haired Washington product didn't debut last season but got a chance earlier this summer when Kevin Kiermaier hit the IL with a hip injury, setting the stage for a short-term audition to see whether he could handle at-bats under the bright lights.

The sample size did not bode in Barger's favour, as the left-handed slugger produced just one hit through 18 at-bats with six strikeouts and he just didn't find a groove in the batter's box during his first taste of big league pitching. Barger had another stint from the middle of June to early July for better results - .191/.227/.238 slash line with two doubles and four RBIs - but was still struggling to find his footing to the tune of 12 K's through 15 games with a .465 OPS, evidenced by the lack of extra-base hits.

Another stint down in the minors befell the prospect and once the Jays started trading away veteran players (as well as Bo Bichette's calf injury) through July, the door opened once again for Barger to get back into the big leagues. As of late, the utility player is making the most of the opportunity.
<h2>Addison Barger is starting to figure things out in the big leagues</h2>
His first 16 games back in the Majors after his latest call-up was still a work in progress as he hovered under the Mendoza line. Through his last seven games, the script has flipped and Barger is putting together stronger at-bats and is finding his power at the plate that has paid dividends for this team.

In his last 28 at-bats (seven games), Barger owns a .288 average and a .571 SLG while producing two home runs, two doubles, and five RBIs - one could argue he should have another hit given the forceout at second base last night with Kirk getting tossed out on second, but such is life. One of those home runs was a walk-off blast against the Los Angeles Angels this past weekend, where the 24-year-old battled to a full count before driving a fastball just right of the foul pole, setting the stage for his solo home run that he straightened out to right-centre field - a 439-foot blast that left the bat at 109.6 MPH.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1827159992585085121

The home run power is a welcome addition for a Blue Jays squad that has struggled to get the ball over the outfield wall for most of the year, although they are now riding a 15-game home run streak. With his violent swing in the batter's box, when Barger connects on the ball, it can travel a long way - one of the reasons his<a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/addison-barger-680718?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb"> hard hit %</a> is 5.3 points higher than the MLB average. With that power does come the strikeouts, with the prospect getting punched out at a 27.9% rate this season, but this recent stretch is a step in the right direction with Barger striking out just four times through his last 27 at-bats (14.8%). If he can continue to drive that percentage on the lower side of 20%, it will be a welcome addition to the Jays lineup.

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the Jays giving internal prospects some runway for everyday at-bats, Barger is one player who stands to benefit from the increased reps on the active roster.

Through his last 12 games (dating back to August 8th), Barger has started 11 of those contests and has been working across the diamond, with the Jays using that peak athleticism to try him at different positions - third base, left field, and right field. His plus arm is a threat anytime he steps onto the field and has two outfield assists to his credit although he has struggled defensively at the hot corner on a few occasions this season and could be destined for a long-term role in the outfield when all is said and done.

Looking ahead, Barger is heating up at the right time when this Blue Jays team is starting to become exciting after a disappointing campaign that has tested even the most diehard fan. With 29 games remaining, Barger is setting himself up for consistent reps to round out the season that could give him a boost into 2025, where the Blue Jays are set to contend again (at least through the comments of the front office) while some of the core members are inching closer to the free agent market.

Finding some more consistency at the plate and toning down the strikeouts will go a long way to impressing the coaching staff and the front office and if this past week is any indicator, it appears Barger is starting to adjust to big league pitching and reaping the benefits of his power bat at the plate.

Addison Barger is starting to find a groove at the big league level with the Blue Jays

The data supports that the Blue Jays bats struggle to produce power and hits with runners in scoring position

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre.

Recent articles from Tyson Shushkewich

Breaking News