The wait for JJ Bleday is over. And it was a short one.
On Monday night, Bleday, the Vanderbilt Commodore right fielder, was selected by the Miami Marlins with the 4th pick in the first round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.
The pick comes as no surprise to most, as Derek Jeter, Marlins’ CEO and part owner, as well as Jorge Posada, Marlins’ special advisor to baseball operations, were spotted at Vanderbilt’s 11-1 victory against Auburn in the SEC Tournament. Bleday went 5-5 with two doubles in that matchup.
Bleday is the first Commodore taken in the 2019 MLB Draft, and is the first Top 5 selection since Kyle Wright was drafted by the Atlanta Braves back in 2017.
The 6’3 lefty out of Panama City Beach, Florida is currently hitting .353 with a nation-leading 26 home runs for the #2 seed Commodores, who won the Nashville Regional Sunday night to advance to the final 16. Bleday’s season follows a sophomore campaign in which he hit .368 with 4 home runs, having battled a wrist injury for a majority of the year.
