Article: Addison Is Barging In

[Leo Morgenstern]

Let me start with a warning: If you came here looking for close analysis, well, that’s not what you’re going to get. It’s not necessary. Over the past month-plus, Addison Barger has been one of the most entertaining players, not just on the Blue Jays but across the major leagues. I want to celebrate that, and I hope you’ll join me.

The Blue Jays have been scorching lately. Since a walk-off loss at the hands of the Angels on May 7, the Jays have gone 24-14 over the past six weeks. That’s a 102-win pace. They’re only half a game back of the Rays and Astros for the best record in the AL in that time. 

It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. They lost two series to Tampa Bay, including a particularly devastating sweep. Three weeks later, it was Philadelphia’s turn to sweep Toronto, outscoring the Jays 22-6. Just yesterday, the D-backs built a 9-1 lead over the first six innings, and a late rally wasn’t nearly enough for the Jays to get back in the game. 

Yet, the highs have far outweighed the lows. The Jays swept the Mariners, Padres, Athletics, and Cardinals. They also won series against the Rangers, Phillies, Twins, and Diamondbacks. According to FanGraphs, their chances of making the playoffs have increased from a season-low 22.6%, after that tough loss to the Angels, to just over 60%.

I’ve already written about two of the most important contributors during this stretch: Alejandro Kirk and Ernie Clement. Those two rank first and second on the team in FanGraphs WAR since May 8. However, it’s the player that ranks third whose greatness has been the most obvious: Barger is making the most of his superhuman strength to thrill fans on both sides of the ball.

Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but it’s no coincidence that Toronto’s offense started to heat up at the same time Barger began to break out. What is a coincidence (but a fun one!) is that Barger’s breakout also perfectly coincided with Owen Hill’s article about the young hitter showing signs of improvement. 

The Angels walked off the Blue Jays on May 7. Owen’s article came out on May 8. Prior to its publication, Barger was 6-for-37 (.162) with two walks, three doubles, and zero home runs. His 33 wRC+ ranked last on the team. Since then, he is batting .306 with eight home runs and 23 RBI. Among Blue Jays batters, his .945 OPS is second only to Tyler Heineman’s .991, while his 163 wRC+ trails only Heineman’s (181) and Kirk’s (164). His 21 extra-base hits are easily the most on the team (Bo Bichette ranks second with 17).

He has also been the kind of slugger who's just plain fun to watch! I'm not sure there's anyone on this club I'd rather see crush a walk-off home run. It's the beautiful swing. It's how high and how far the baseball travels. It's the intensity on Barger's face as he tosses his bat, and how that intensity fades to joy as his teammates swarm him at home plate. It's everything, really.

Barger has made his mark in the field as well. His ability to play a capable right field and third base has made a huge difference for manager John Schneider. With the injuries to Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander, and Nathan Lukes, Toronto’s outfield depth has been stretched thin. Meanwhile, the Jays entered the season without a true starting third baseman, and Barger’s glove at third has helped the team survive Will Wagner’s disappointing performance and allowed Ernie Clement to play the utility role he’s best suited for. Barger is one of just seven MLB players to have appeared in at least 15 games at third base and in the outfield this season, and one of only two with an OPS above .800.

His range has been better than expected, but of course, the star of the show is his arm. The same strength that has him ranked among the top 10 qualified AL hitters in everything from bat speed to hard-hit rate to slugging percentage, isolated power, and extra-base hits (since May 8) also helps him in the field. 

Did you see that throw in the second clip I linked above? Don’t worry, here it is again:

Byron Buxton is one of the fastest runners in the game. Barger is about as far over to the left as a fair groundball can take him. Somehow, he managed to get up from lying flat on the ground to unleash a throw that beat Buxton to the bag by a fraction of a second. 

Statcast requires a large enough sample of competitive throws to calculate average arm strength, so Barger hasn’t qualified for the leaderboard at third base in either of the past two years. However, he has made enough throws in 2024 and ‘25 combined to qualify for the all-time (since 2020) leaderboard at both third base and right field. Since Stacast began tracking this data, Barger’s 92.6 mph average arm strength at third base ranks fifth out of 169 qualified third basemen. Meanwhile, his 97.1 mph average arm strength from the outfield ranks fourth out of 214 right fielders and sixth among all 419 qualified outfielders. 

You might not guess it from his six-foot frame, but the man can slug and the man can throw.

The Blue Jays are playing some of their best baseball since the 2022 stretch run, and Barger has been as big a part of it as anyone. We knew he was strong as a prospect, but right now, he's using that strength to make an impact beyond what any of us could have hoped for.

View full article