Addison Barger’s controlled aggression working for Blue Jays
There aren’t many MLB players who can swing the bat like Addison Barger. But if he is going to reach his potential, he’ll have to pair his power with an approach that puts him in a prime position to maximize it.
There aren’t many MLB players who can swing the bat like Addison Barger.
While the 25-year-old is still trying to establish himself at the game’s highest level, his raw power is difficult to ignore.
Of the 343 MLB hitters who have taken at least 100 swings this season, just 14 have superior bat speed. Only 15 players with at least 25 balls in play top Barger’s average exit velocity of 94.1 mph. Just 10 hitters have hit a ball harder than this double Barger blasted into the right-field corner last Friday at 116.5 mph.
While all of those numbers are impressive, if Barger is going to reach his potential, he’ll have to pair his power with an approach that puts him in a prime position to maximize it.
In his first taste of MLB action last season, he hit just .197/.250/.351 with a BB/K of 0.23, a number that ranked 307th among 365 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances in 2024. No matter how much raw power is in your bat, it’s difficult to be a good hitter when piling up the Ks without earning free passes.
So far in 2025, Barger’s walk rate (6.2 per cent) is virtually identical to what he did last year (6.3 per cent), but his strikeouts have dropped noticeably from 26.7 per cent to 19.0. When a hitter cuts down on the Ks, it’s often the result of more patience and fewer total swings, but Barger’s swing rate (48.3 per cent) is up from 2024 (46.3 per cent).
Instead of becoming more passive, he has become more selective. His swings on pitches outside the zone have cratered while he’s gotten more aggressive within it:
It’s intuitive for a player to have better results swinging at pitches inside the strike zone than outside of it, and unsurprisingly, that’s been the case for Barger so far in his MLB career.
|
Location |
BA |
SLG |
Exit Velocity |
Whiff % |
|
In the Zone |
.233 |
.421 |
91.0 mph |
19.7% |
|
Outside the Zone |
.109 |
.156 |
83.0 mph |
44.6% |
The numbers on balls in the zone aren’t world-beating, but it’s worth remembering how much Barger struggled in his first taste of big-league action. Based on how he hits the ball, there’s every reason to expect them to improve.
It’s been clear for quite some time that Barger has the chance to be an impact hitter due to the impressive contact quality he’s shown throughout his pro career. The question with him has tended to be whether he had more to offer at the plate than just brute force.
Last season, he had his moments, but his reckless approach caused more problems than his power could solve. In 2025, his attacking mindset has been channelled in an increasingly productive way.
Barger is still coming up to the plate looking to hit first, like teammate Bo Bichette and several of the game’s best offensive stars.
That doesn’t mean he’ll force the issue. He demonstrated that on Sunday by walking to set up a two-out George Springer home run when Bryce Miller wouldn’t meet him in the zone…
… then letting four pitches go by before hitting a 3-1 meatball off Collin Snider two innings later:
Barger still has plenty to prove before he can be considered a lineup staple for the Blue Jays in the short or long term. His slash line of .224/.286/.379 leaves plenty of room for improvement, even if his expected numbers (.284 xBA and .444 xSLG) are far more promising.
It’s too early to tell what the young slugger’s 2025 will look like, but it’s clear that his powerful swings can lead to excellent outcomes for the Blue Jays — and he’s getting better and better at figuring out when to unleash them.
