BIOGRAPHY
JJ Bleday was born November 10, 1997, in Danville, Pennsylvania. He is an outfielder in the MLB.
Bleday was considered one of the top prospects for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He was selected by the Miami Marlins with the fourth overall pick and signed for $6.7 million. He made his professional debut on July 20, 2019, with the Class A-Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League and spent the whole season there. Over 38 games, Bleday slashed .257/.311/.379 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.
Bleday did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Double-A South. Over 110 games, he slashed .212/.323/.373 with 12 home runs, 54 RBIs, 22 doubles, and 101 strikeouts. He walked 64 times during the season which was second in the league. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) for the Mesa Solar Sox after the season where he was named to the Fall Stars Game and was named the game's MVP. Bleday ended the AFL with a .316/.435/.600 slash line over 25 games and was named the league's Hitter of the Year alongside Juan Yepez. Prior to the 2022 season, Bleday gained 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of muscle. He was assigned to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the Triple-A International League to begin the year.
On July 23, 2022, the Marlins selected Bleday's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter that night at PNC Park versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance of the night. He recorded his first major league hit the next night with an infield single off of Mitch Keller. On July 27, Bleday hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo.
On February 11, 2023, the Marlins traded Bleday to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for A. J. Puk. Bleday was optioned to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators to begin the 2023 season. The Athletics promoted him to the major leagues on May 3.
