3 Blue Jays players who could see a larger role in 2025, 2 who should not

Addison Barger

Current Jays Journal No. 5 prospect Addison Barger had been a highly-touted prospect in the Jays’ farm system over the past couple of seasons. Constantly ranked among the top 10 prospects within the organization across the industry, Barger finally got his chance to shine at the highest level with the big league club this year.

His first and second stints with the Jays earlier this season for the most part was worth forgetting. But the third time up appeared to be a charm for Barger, as he has managed to stick with the big league club and has performed a lot more respectably in the process. Since July 25, he has compiled a .239 batting average, .767 OPS, along with 14 runs scored, 8 doubles, 7 home runs and 23 RBI in 37 games played entering Wednesday.

More significantly, Barger has shown that he could be versatile piece by making starts in both the infield and outfield positions. However, he has struggled mightily at third base, committing a whopping 6 errors in just 60 chances for a fielding percentage of .900. He has been a lot more steady though in the outfield, recording 3 outfield assists along with a .982 fielding percentage.

With Barger up against numerous internal candidates to fill potentially the third base or left field position for 2025, he hasn’t shown enough yet to the Jays’ brass to convince them that he could be a starter going forward. As a result, Barger will likely either be a platoon or fourth outfielder, backup infielder or perhaps even begin 2025 back in the minors. That is because from his defensive numbers above, he would definitely need more seasoning if the Jays indeed see him as a future infielder, in particular at third base.