Marlins: JJ Bleday is a future National League MVP

He may be a neophyte in the world of Major League Baseball, but Miami Marlins prospect JJ Bleday could one day be a National League MVP.

From the moment the Miami Marlins chose former Vanderbilt outfielder JJ Bleday with the fourth pick in the MLB Draft this past season, the thought has been he has the tools to become one of the best players to ever put on a uniform in South Florida.

Once Bleday started hitting the baseball in Jupiter, those thoughts turned to from potential to answered prayers as a member of one of the greatest draft classes in Marlins history could also become an MLB MVP in the future. At least that’s what analysts from MLB.com believe.

While fans and the national media wait for the Marlins to grow up as a franchise, those of us who watch every day, seeing the development from Batavia to now Wichita, know things are getting better for this franchise. It starts with the planning of Derek Jeter and Michael Hill. It stops with Don Mattingly and his coaching staff. And in between everything, there are players like Bleday who are going to excel at the Major League level.

Per his scouting report, Bleday has a chance to become a more complete player as he develops and moves his way through Miami’s farm system.

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“A two-way player as a Florida high schooler, Bleday has a plus arm that adds to his right-field profile. While he’s a below-average runner, he has enough range to get the job done on defense. His keen instincts help compensate for his lack of quickness on the bases and in the outfield.”

There are other players to watch in the Marlins system who could be considered as possible MVP candidates down the line in Kameron Misner and Peyton Burdick, both of whom were part of this draft class. While the MVP is a topic of discussion for this article, we cannot forget the possible CY Young-type talent on the mound with Nick Neidert, Sixto Sanchez and Sandy Alcantara showing flashes of brilliance in the minors and in their young careers.

“Did you see this guy during the College World Series for Vanderbilt? He looked like he was ready to hit cleanup in the Majors right now,” Will Leitch of MLB.com writes. “The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 Draft is big enough (and old enough; he’s only two weeks younger than Juan Soto) to make his presence felt sooner rather than later.”

Bleday was the 2019 SEC Player of the Year for the Commodores. He signed for a franchise-record $6.67 million with the Marlins. He could be in the lineup in Miami as soon as the end of 2021 but figures to be an every-day player in 2022.