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JJ Bleday makes major league debut on Saturday for Miami

Outfielder becomes seventh former Jumbo Shrimp to debut in MLB in 2022
JJ Bleday made his major league debut Saturday for the Miami Marlins. (Bill Moll/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp)
By Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
July 24, 2022

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp outfielder JJ Bleday made his MLB debut Saturday for the Miami Marlins against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Bleday entered the game as a defensive sub in the bottom of the seventh inning for Brian Anderson. His first plate appearance came in

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp outfielder JJ Bleday made his MLB debut Saturday for the Miami Marlins against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Bleday entered the game as a defensive sub in the bottom of the seventh inning for Brian Anderson. His first plate appearance came in the top of the ninth, when he worked a seven-pitch walk against Pittsburgh RHP David Bednar.

A first-round pick (fourth overall) by Miami in 2019 out of the Vanderbilt University, Bleday logged time with Jacksonville in 2022. With the Jumbo Shrimp, Bleday played in 85 games, batting .229/.365/.470/.835 with an International League leading 20 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Currently rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 4 prospect in the Marlins system, Bleday spent three seasons at the Vanderbilt University, playing in 161 career games for the Commodores. In his three-year career, Bleday hit .326/.449/.553/1.003 with 33 home runs and 109 RBIs. As a junior in 2019, Bleday was the first Commodore since Scotti Madison (1979) to lead the SEC in home runs with 27, which was also a single-season record.

In addition to Bleday, former Jumbo Shrimp infielder Joe Dunand (May 7, Miami Marlins), right-handers Chad Smith (May 29, Colorado Rockies), Jason Alexander (June 1, Milwaukee Brewers), Aneurys Zabala (June 12, Miami Marlins) and Max Meyer (July 16, Miami Marlins) and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion (June 19, Miami Marlins) have also made their major league debuts so far during the 2022 season. Bleday is the 947th player to don both a Jacksonville uniform and play in the major leagues. The history of Minor League Baseball in Jacksonville dates back to 1904.

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marked the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.