Barger's bat will be in the spotlight during Blue Jays' quest for World Series title

The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays had many breakout stars who helped contribute to their World Series run. They were a team that seemed headed for disaster after April, but the roster starting clicking in May, especially on offense.

One of those breakout stars was Addison Barger. The 26-year-old played his first full season in the Majors last year, where he became a reliable power bat for the Blue Jays. Now that he enters his third year in the big leagues, Barger is hoping to replicate last season's numbers and step up for Toronto.

Barger's bat will be in the spotlight during Blue Jays' quest for World Series title

Addison Barger's first year with the Blue Jays did not get off to a strong start. In 69 games, he slashed .197/.250/.351 with an OPS of .601 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. His value was also a concern, with a fWAR of -0.3 and a wRC+ of 69.

Then 2025 came, and Barger looked like a completely different player. Playing 135 games, Barger improved his 2024 slash line to .243/.201/.454 with an OPS of .754. His offensive totals also shot up, as he had 21 home runs with 71 RBIs. The value? His fWAR jumped to 2.2, and his wRC+ rose to 107. He capped off his big year with the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now the attention turns to 2026, and in the early stages of Spring Training, Barger gave the impression he's a big fan of hitting towering grand slams to right field.

After hitting the light pole with that grand slam, Barger spoke with Rogers Sportnet's broadcast crew, and made it clear what the Blue Jays need to do in 2026: "We want to win the World Series. That's the expectation," said Barger.

When asked about how he stays ready for the new year, it all comes down to his favorite place, the gym. "I like the gym a lot. I feel like it helps the game. More than anything, it helps me mentally. It's about the only therapy I do and have. It gets me away from everything, pump some iron."

Looking back at 2025, Barger emphasized that the World Series run helped calm his nerves and let him be more of himself in the games ahead.

"After playing in the World Series, I don't feel like in a Spring Training or a regular season game, I'll be schitzing out, like I have in the past, because those games are so big. That allows you to be yourself and be a little more free. I think that's going to help a lot."

2026 will be an important year for Barger. With the departure of Bo Bichette and the Blue Jays failing to sign guys like Kyle Tucker, Barger will see more playing time in the outfield and possibly platoon at third base. Per Fangraphs, Barger is projected to hit 20 home runs with a WAR of 1.9 and a wRC+ of 110.

However, one of the things Barger will need to improve on is his strikeout and chase rate, which ranked 32nd and 30th in 2025, respectively, per Baseball Savant. Barger led the Blue Jays in strikeouts with 121. Considering his slugging projection of .440 on Fangraphs, limiting the strikeouts and finding a way to get on base more frequently will go a long way.

Regardless, Barger is here to stay. If Toronto wants another shot at being champions, they'll hope to have the bat of Addison Barger, and that's something the Blue Jays will take any day of the week.