Toronto’s No. 6 Prospect is Being Recalled from Triple-A

What Can Barger Bring to the Blue Jays

Barger is a left-handed bat who’s off to a great start. Where he fits in the lineup remains to be seen. Kevin Barker of the Blair and Barker Show, discussed what the prospect can bring to the table.

“When he’s getting a good pitch, he’s hitting it hard which is what they’re not doing at the big level. Right now with the way the lineup looks, I think it’s more about can he have a quality at bat against a guy with runners on base. I think that’s sort of where they’re at,” said Barker. “How much he plays, when will he play, I’m sure it could be against righties only and they’ll [Blue Jays] do a little platoon thing.”

Keith Law of The Athletic released the Blue Jays top 20 prospects of 2024. Here’s what he said of Barger:

“Barger’s come into some pretty decent power, with 26 home runs across three levels in 2022. Although he hurt his throwing elbow last year and didn’t repeat the performance. He’s played short, third, and right, and has utility value because of the versatility and the power, although he’s not a shortstop except in some emergencies and he’s going to have work at third base as he keeps getting bigger. If he sticks there, he could be a low-OBP 20-homer guy who plays every day. I think a utility role is more likely, as he doesn’t really have a position and the bat might not play every day in right or left.”

The Blue Jays Need Life in the Lineup

If Barger continues to find a way to hit and depending how long Kiermaier is out, hopefully he can hit the ground running with some quality at bats. The Blue Jays are hitting .235/.320/.374 collectively which has them eighth, fifth and eighth respectively in the American League. They need any sort of life in the lineup right now and Barger could be a small answer to the equation.