In high school,Bleich was named a 2005 first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball (Louisville Slugger),a third-team All American by Baseball America,and was twice named All-State in Louisiana. He was profiled by author Michael Lewis in his short book Coach:Lessons on the Game of Life,published in 2005. He was named a Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star in 2006.
He has a sister (Dr. Lauren Feldman),and a brother (Dr. Steven Bleich).[9][7] Remarking on how his father and siblings are all doctors,Bleich noted:"I always tell people I'm the black sheep of the family."[14] He is close friends with former outfielder Sam Fuld,whom he credits with being a great sounding board throughout his career.[13][15]
High school
He attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans,graduating in 2005.[9] As a sophomore Bleich was 9–3,striking out 100 batters in 71.0 innings while batting .318.[9] As a junior,he was 7–3 with a 1.25 ERA,and 110 strikeouts in 72.2 innings,while also batting .464.[9] As a senior,he was 7–1 with an 0.56 ERA,and 138 strikeouts in 63.0 innings,while batting .387.[9] In high school by his junior year he had what author Michael Lewis described as "a decent fastball,great command,a big-league change-up and charm to burn",and had over 40 colleges recruiting him.[6]
Bleich was named a 2005 first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball (Louisville Slugger),a third-team All American by Baseball America,and the 2005 All-Metro Player of the Year.[9] He was named All-State in Louisiana twice,was the 2004 and 2005 District Most Valuable Player,and in 2003–05 was named a three-time All-District,All-Metro,and All-Orleans teams player.[9] As a pitcher at Isidore Newman,he was profiled by author Michael Lewis in his short book Coach:Lessons on the Game of Life,published in 2005.
He played in the 2004 WWBA World Championships with the Cincinnati Reds scout team,and in the 2005 High School All-American Game,in Albuquerque,New Mexico.[9] He was rated the 97th-best prospect in the nation in 2005.[16]
As a sophomore in 2007,he was 10th in the Pac-10 in starts (16) and innings pitched (98.2).[9] As a junior in 2008 during which he missed two months with tendinitis in his elbow,he was 3–3 record with one save and a 2.09 ERA,leading the team in ERA,and earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic honors.[18][9]
Bleich had surgery to repair a torn glenoid labrum in his throwing shoulder,after starting 8 games for Trenton in 2010. He then missed part of the 2010 season,and all of the 2011 season.[18][25]
In 2012,he was 2–1 with a 2.76 ERA as he pitched in 16 games for the GCL Yankees of the rookie–level Gulf Coast League,the Staten Island Yankees,and the Tampa Yankees.[24] He was named the 2012 Minor League Comeback Player of the Year by Jewish Baseball News.[18] In 2013,he was again 2–1 with a 2.76 ERA,this time for Trenton in 27 games,4 of them starts.[24]
Bleich began the 2014 season pitching for Trenton,for whom he started 15 games,and was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week on May 26,2014.[18][24] He was promoted to Triple-A for the first time later that season,and pitched for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League.[26]
Pittsburgh Pirates
On November 18,2014,Bleich signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.[27] In 2015,he pitched in one game for the Bradenton Marauders of the High–A Florida State League,made 25 relief appearances and had 4 saves for the Altoona Curve of the Double–A Eastern League,and had a 2.60 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Indianapolis Indians of the Triple–A International League.[28]
On February 17,2017,Bleich signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[30][31] Bleich was released on the last day of spring training.[32] Bleich was signed again by the Somerset Patriots in April 2017.[32] He pitched 2+1⁄3 scoreless innings, over two games.
On April 29, 2017, Bleich signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was assigned to Oklahoma City of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League.[33] Mid-season, his fastball was up to 95mph, complemented by his curveball, changeup, and slider, and Oklahoma City pitching coach Matt Herges observed: "He's a strike machine, and he's fearless."[34] He pitched in 31 games for Oklahoma City (for whom he was 5–3 with a 3.22 ERA, allowing opponents a .261 average — .228 by right-handers — as his fastball was in the mid-90s) and seven for the Class Double-A Tulsa Drillers while in the Dodgers system, and had a combined 5–4 record with 3 saves and a 3.77 ERA.[35][36][13] On November 6, he elected to be a free agent.[18][37][38]
Oakland Athletics
On January 15, 2018, Bleich signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics organization and was invited to Major League spring training.[39] A's general manager David Forst said, "Jeremy proved with his performance last year that he can pitch at this level."[13] He began 2018 pitching for the Triple–A Nashville Sounds.[40] For the 2018 season with Nashville, he was 1–2 with one save and a 2.63 ERA in 51+1⁄3 innings over 38 games.[36]
Major leagues
On July 13, 2018, the Athletics selected Bleich to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time.[41] He made his major league debut that night against the San Francisco Giants, a decade after being drafted and after pitching for 14 different teams, at 31 years of age.[42][43] After he pitched in two major league games, he was designated for assignment on August 6.[44] He elected free agency following the year on November 2.[45] He faced 3,106 batters in the minor leagues, before facing just four in the majors.[46]
Boston Red Sox
On December 18, 2018, Bleich signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.[47] He pitched in spring training for the Phillies, and was released on March 21, 2019.[48]
On April 17, 2019, Bleich signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox organization.[49] He pitched in the 2019 season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, with whom he was 2–2 with a 5.59 ERA, and the Low–A Lowell Spinners, with whom in nine relief appearances he was 1–0 with an 0.71 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 12+2⁄3 innings.[18]
Minnesota Twins
Bleich was traded to the Minnesota Twins on July 25, 2019, in exchange for cash considerations.[50] Pitching for the Triple–A Rochester Red Wings in 2019, he was 1–1 with a 5.40 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13+1⁄3 innings.[51] Bleich elected free agency following the season on November 4.[52]
Post-playing career
Since 2020, Bleich has been a hybrid advance scout and analytics whiz for the Pittsburgh Pirates.[53] He has worked on the positioning and shifting of the defense, in part by combining tendencies gleaned from advance scouting and from the available statistics.[53]
International team experience
Team USA
Bleich was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team in 2005, as it placed second at the 2005 Pan American Championships in Mexico.[18]
Team Israel
Bleich pitched for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier, in September 2016.[54] Bleich first pitched during the second game of the series, throwing 23 pitches over 1+2⁄3 innings, giving up two hits while recording three strikeouts.[55] Bleich again pitched during the third and final game of the series, throwing 13 pitches over 2⁄3 of an inning, giving up two hits, an unearned run, and a walk.[56]
Bleich pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament, in March 2017.[57][58][59] He appeared in three games, and struck out two batters in 2+1⁄3 innings.[60] Bleich said: "It was an unbelievable experience.... Those guys will forever be like family. We battled together in a tough environment and we succeeded."[13]
He pitched for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.[63] He was 0–1 with a 3.86 ERA in three relief appearances, in which he limited opposing batters to a .125 batting average.[63]
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