Bounce back candidate: Addison Barger
Toronto Blue Jays IF/OF Addison Barger had a rough start to his 2024 rookie campaign, but finished off strong down the stretch.
In three separate stints with the Toronto Blue Jays this past season, the 25-year-old had a mixed bag of results during his first year in the big leagues.
The learning curve hit Barger hard to start, he collected just one hit through 18 at-bats with six strikeouts before being sent back to Buffalo.
With a violent swing in the left side of the batter's box, Barger had some solid contact at times but wasn't able to find a hole as well as perfect his timing, still adjusting to big league pitching and learning the hard way.
One of Barger's fatal flaws earlier in the season is something that Guerrero struggled with at various points in his career, which is pounding the ball into the ground.
At the beginning of the season, Barger hovered around a 50% ground ball rate, but he trimmed it down to 43% by the end of September.
A bit more seasoning in triple-A and Barger returned for another stint in mid-June with Daniel Vogelbach being given his walking papers.
The second go around was a bit more in Barger's favor, as he posted a .200/.234/.267 slash line through 16 games.
The top prospect posted nine hits and four runs in the timeframe with three doubles and five RBIs to his credit.
He still struggled with the strikeouts at times (14) but his BABIP was trending in the right direction (.290) while he kept getting acclimated to life in the big leagues.
Barger stuck with the Blue Jays from mid-June until early July, where he had a brief one-week stint in Buffalo before being recalled after Bo Bichette landed on the injured list.
Barger posted a .211/.267./.379 slash line during his final 64 games of the season, chipping in seven homers and 11 doubles during his second tour with the Blue Jays down the stretch.
One of those homers was a walk-off homer against the Los Angeles Angels, a 439-foot shot to right-center field.
At the end of the year, Barger was also back with his signature uppercut swing, moving the needle towards a 12-degree average launch angle.
But one bad habit that crept back in during his third tour with the Blue Jays was Barger's propensity to chase and miss outside the strike zone.
Anything down and in to the left-handed batter was too tempting for him to resist, whether it was fastballs, breaking balls or off-speed pitches.
That was his unhappy zone all season long, but opposing pitchers exploited it in August and September against Barger.
This Spring will be a big year for Barger and the other internal infield options and it likely could come down to the wire, whether it be for third base, second base, the fourth outfielder spot, or a role on the bench.
Barger, like many of the other Jays prospects, will have to wait to see how the offseason shakes out and see where the Blue Jays add or subtract for a clearer depth picture.
To make an impact, he'll have to hit the ground running in Spring Training and continue that momentum into May and June to secure his spot on the roster.
Unfortunately for him, he has a lot of competition in this talent pool with Loperfido, Schneider, Wagner and Orelvis Martinez battling for at-bats.
The biggest thing Barger can do to stand out from the rest is hit for power and continue to showcase his rocket of an arm.
Adding some improved defense will go a long way but a strong presence at the plate will go a long way early.
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