Blue Jays Slugger Reveals What's Fueled His Second Year Breakout at the Plate

This second year slugger has seen a huge jump in production, and he recently sat down to discuss what has led to his breakout campaign.

Jun 9, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (47) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

One of the biggest surprises for the Toronto Blue Jays so far this season has been the emergence of second year slugger Addison Barger.

The 25-year-old outfielder/third baseman made his big league debut in the second half of 2024, putting up a .197 batting average and .601 OPS across the 62 games he appeared in for the Jays last season.

Even for a rookie, these numbers did little to inspire much enthusiasm for, but Barger has surprisingly become one of Toronto's most reliable hitters over the first half of the 2025 season.

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As of this writing, he's posted a .264/.328/.489 slash line while slugging eight homers and racking up 24 RBIs across 178 at bats.

Second year jumps are often viewed as a litmus for whether or not a player has longterm viability at the MLB level, and Barger has certainly taking that next step.

The Score's Tom Ruminski recently sat down with Barger to discuss the success he's found at the dish in 2025, and what's led to his jump in production.

I sat down with Addison Barger at the Rogers Centre to talk about the art of crushing baseballs, how much he can bench press, playing the ukulele, and which Blue Jays would be in his dream musical band.👇https://t.co/nihGo0fPC2

— Tom Ruminski (@TomRuminski) June 23, 2025

"I think a lot of it is just kind of going back to swinging how I have for my whole life," Barger said when asked what adjustments he made this season. "Going back to my natural movement pattern, just getting comfortable and being confident at the big-league level more so than any big adjustments I've made."

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For guys making the jump to the big league level, finding success can just about going back to basics which is what Barger has done. He's also learned to not take things to seriously, and to just allow himself to relax.

"Just going back to confidence and being comfortable in the big leagues," Barger said. "Last year was tough. It was hard for me to get acclimated, and it took time. I think (the key) is just not taking it so seriously. Just realize it's the same baseball game as in the minors and even before that - it's just more of a mentality. Not putting too much pressure on yourself, not taking it too seriously - just being yourself."

It's clear that Barger has found the key to success at the plate, and that has in turn been a massive boost for the Blue Jays as they attempt to chase down an AL East title.

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