Jeremy Bleich

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2008
A-:  0-0-0, 6.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 12.0 K/9

Bleich made one start after signing.  Baseball America ranked him 11th among the Yankees’ prospects after the season.

2009
A+:  6-4-0, 3.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 79.1 IP, 2.5 BB/9, 6.4 K/9
AA:  3-6-0, 6.65 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, 65.0 IP, 4.7 BB/9, 8.3 K/9

Bleich spent the first half of the season in the rotation in high A and pitched well, apart from a low K rate.  The Yankees moved him up to AA for the second half and he struggled, getting hit hard and also struggling to throw strikes.  On the year he had a fairly large platoon split.  BA ranked him 9th in the Yankees’ system.

2010
AA:  3-2-0, 4.79 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 41.1 IP, 6.1 BB/9, 5.7 K/9

Bleich struggled through eight starts in AA, walking more than he struck out.  Eventually he went out with shoulder problems and had surgery for a torn labrum.  BA still rated him the Yankees’ 26th best prospect after the season.

2011
INJURED

The shoulder surgery kept Bleich out all year.

2012
R:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 5.2 IP, 1.6 BB/9, 11.1 K/9
A-:  0-0-0, 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 1.7 BB/9, 5.9 K/9
A+:  1-1-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 2.8 BB/9, 5.5 K/9

Bleich wasn’t able to pitch until late June.  He rehabbed through three levels, getting in only 32.2 IP total.

2013
AA:  2-1-2, 2.76 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 65.1 IP, 5.4 BB/9, 7.9 K/9

The Yankees sent Bleich to AA, where he made only four starts out of 27 games and generally had a light workload.  He had trouble throwing strikes.

2014
AA:  5-6-0, 3.39 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 79.2 IP, 3.1 BB/9, 7.7 K/9
AAA:  0-4-0, 6.68 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 6.4 BB/9, 7.0 K/9

Bleich opened the season back in AA and mostly pitched well.  A mid-season promotion to AAA didn’t go well as he again struggled with the strike zone.

2015
A+:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 3.0 IP, 0.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9
AA:  0-2-4, 3.25 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 36.0 IP, 2.8 BB/9, 7.0 K/9
AAA:  0-0-1, 2.60 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 1.6 BB/9, 5.7 K/9

Bleich wasn’t ready to go until late April.  After one game in Bradenton, the Pirates sent him to Altoona, then promoted him to Indianapolis at the beginning of August.  He pitched effectively without dominating, holding opponents to a 249/300/329 line without a lot of strikeouts.  He was deadly against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .480 OPS.  Right-handed hitters had more success, with a .722 figure.

Bleich will be a free agent again after the season.