{"id":19709,"date":"2019-05-11T19:23:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-11T23:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/\/?p=19709"},"modified":"2019-05-11T19:23:15","modified_gmt":"2019-05-11T23:23:15","slug":"j-j-bleday-2019-mlb-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2019\/05\/11\/j-j-bleday-2019-mlb-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"J.J. Bleday 2019 MLB Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2019 MLB draft<\/a> is less than a month away and prospect hounds are already salivating at the thought of whom their teams will select from this year\u2019s class. Youth is all the rage right now in professional baseball as teams eschew veteran free-agent signings in favor of locking up young players early, making a splash on the international free agent market, or positioning themselves for a higher pick in the amateur draft. Many of the players selected in June will immediately be anointed as a \u2018savior\u2019 for that organization, the player who makes past struggles go away and finally delivers that elusive World Series crown. The pressure is real, both for the player and the team who will call their name this summer, something Vanderbilt right fielder J.J. Bleday<\/strong> will understand soon enough.<\/p>\n

J.J. Bleday 2019 MLB Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 6\u20193\u201d 205 lb. Bleday, currently a junior, immediately won a starting role upon arrival in Nashville. He performed well as a freshman, though he really hit his stride in his second campaign, posting a ridiculous .368\/.494\/.511 line and leading the Commodores in hitting that season despite missing several weeks due to injury. He has continued to be an offensive force for Vanderbilt this season, ramping up the power to launch an NCAA-leading 23 home runs at this point in the season, a major factor behind the helium his draft prospects have acquired.<\/p>\n