Addison Barger's first Major League homer!
WATCH: Blue Jays’ prospect Addison Barger hit his first home run in the big leagues
Photo credit: © Reggie Hildred - USA Today
Jul 29, 2024, 17:15 EDTUpdated: Jul 29, 2024, 18:01 EDT
A top Blue Jays prospect hit his first career home run in the big leagues.
In the first game of Monday’s doubleheader, Addison Barger hit his first home run as a Blue Jays, a three-run shot to right centre field.
Selected all the way back in 2018 with the Jays’ sixth-round pick, Barger emerged on radars in 2021, as he slashed .244/.326/.477 with 18 home runs in 393 plate appearances with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays and the High-A Vancouver Canadians.
It wasn’t until the following season, 2022, where he really became one of the Blue Jays top prospects though. Between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Barger slashed .308/.378/.555 with 26 home runs in 526 plate appearances, along with a 151 wRC+, the highest mark for any player in the organization with a minimum of 150 plate appearances.
Barger was added to the team’s 40-man roster that winter and looked to build off the momentum in the 2023 season. However, that season was marred thanks to an elbow injury and the outfielder ended up slashing .250/.353/.403 with nine home runs in 397 plate appearances, along with a 13.1 BB% and a 21.7 K% with the Buffalo Bisons.
The 24-year-old returned to form with the Bisons in 2024, as he slashed .260/.391/.466 with nine homers in 249 plate appearances, along with a 16.1 BB% and a 19.3 K% for a 126 wRC+. He’s earned several call-ups to the Blue Jays, where he slashed .169/.194/.215 in 68 plate appearances heading into Monday’s first game.
Barger ranked as MLB Pipeline‘s sixth-best prospect heading into the 2024 season, noting his muscular frame, strong arm, and ton of power. With power comes a high strikeout rate, and while it’s lessened since his 2021 breakout, it gives him a high ceiling and a low floor.
Over the next two months or so, Barger will have more opportunity to play with the trades the Jays have made and are planning to make. The 24-year-old has to capitalize on it, and Monday’s home run was a big first step in earning more playing time.
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