Addison Barger: “He looks incredible right now.”

Last year, Addison Barger failed to secure a spot in Toronto after training camp. Yet he deserved his spot… but sometimes, a young player gets the boot when there's no room for him.

That said, he was quickly called back up to the Majors and spent the year at the top. He became increasingly important and in the playoffs, he had some timely hits for the Blue Jays.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for him. Along the way (in the middle of the season, during baseball's infamous dog days of summer), Barger slowed down. He seemed to be struggling.

According to David Popkins, this is not unusual for a young player in his first full season in the Majors.

David Popkins knows a bit more about the #BlueJays‘ hitters than I do.

So — Here's David Popkins' thoughts on five of Toronto's most important bats in 2026:https://t.co/H9I9HK6KBs

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 21, 2026

The Blue Jays' hitting coach, who spoke to Keegan Matheson about this recently (about several guys, actually) recently, believes strongly in Barger. And in his eyes, the complete player we saw in the playoffs will only get better.

His experience in 2025 will help him. He looks incredible right now. – David Popkins on Addison Barger

His name is getting out there more and more. Barger should hit more often against left-handers this year, so we can expect to see improvement in terms of results and consistency.

A lot of people believe in him, in fact. His series was really eye-opening.

“He got his graduation papers in the Postseason last year, he's no longer a kid. I think the ceiling is so high for him…”

Tom Verducci is all in on a huge year from Addison Barger in 2026 pic.twitter.com/bJm9oGCAvZ

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 20, 2026

As a right fielder (and occasional third baseman), the left-handed hitter has the potential to protect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the lineup when he's at his best. For me, he's good at that point.

Is this the guy we'll see? To be continued.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.