Former Stanford lefty is persevering
MESA, Ariz. — Jeremy Bleich, one of Stanford’s top pitchers in the mid-2000s, was a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2008.
Then he fell off the map.
Now the left-hander is in camp with the A’s as a nonroster invitee — and, after several years of struggling to come back from a shoulder injury, he is pitching like he did a decade ago.
“I know he was a highly touted prospect, and it’s really cool to see him back to being the kind of pitcher he was when he was a major prospect,” said former A’s outfielder Sam Fuld, a close friend of Bleich’s. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing him make his major-league debut in a green and gold uniform.”
Bleich, 30, did not falter in his comeback efforts, slogging through a long shoulder rehab, several organizations and a short stint in independent ball.
And if he ever needed inspiration when times got tough, all he had to do was look to his grandparents. George and Yolanda Bleich were Holocaust survivors, Jews from Czechoslovakia who were imprisoned in several concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
George Bleich died when Jeremy was 7, but Yolanda — who was among those who spoke to Stephen Spielberg for his 1996 documentary “Survivors of the Holocaust” — died just three years ago.
“It’s one of the things I don’t talk about much, but it’s something I feel like ... defines me and my image and what I stand for competitively, especially,” Bleich said. “She didn’t talk about it a ton because there is scarring, and you probably don’t want your grandchildren to worry about that or think about it, but as I got older, I tried to push the envelope and ask some questions, so I have some solid stories.
“It’s certainly inspiring. It gives you a foundation for some of the struggles you go through, gives you perspective in the moment. You always can get frustrated by something, but something like that keeps you grounded.”
Bleich (pronounced “BLY-sh”) was part of an inspiring moment himself last year, competing for Israel, which made the most surprising run of the World Baseball Classic, advancing to the second round despite being ranked 41st in the world and qualifying for the tournament for the first time.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Bleich, who allowed two runs in three games. “Going to Korea, we didn’t know what to expect. Obviously, the talent was there, but we just didn’t know what it would be like. The first night, we ended up beating Korea in the 10th inning and from that point on, we thought, ‘Hey, we could do something. We could make some noise,’ and we did. Those guys will forever be like family. We battled together in a tough environment and we succeeded.”
Bleich didn’t know Fuld before the team’s pre-tournament visit to Israel; they didn’t overlap at Stanford. They’re now fast friends who talk several times a week. Bleich describes Fuld as “a big brother to me.”
“We hit it off right away,” said Fuld, who now works in the Phillies’ front office. “Jeremy is a good, fun person, and it was great to have a chance to play with him. He’s aggressive, a competitor — I could see it from center field, and in the dugout. He wants the ball. I’m really pulling for him.”
After playing for Israel, Bleich was released by the Diamondbacks on the final day of camp. So he played for the independent Somerset Patriots for a few weeks in April before joining the Dodgers, who sent him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He turned in a strong season, posting a 3.22 ERA and allowing opponents a .261 average — .228 by righthanders. His fastball was consistently in the mid-90s.
“We saw a lot of him when he was in school and certainly followed him in the minor leagues, but the main thing is he had a fantastic year for the Dodgers last year,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “He rightly thought he was in line for a call-up with the way he pitched, but obviously, the Dodgers were stacked and weren’t in need of bullpen help, but Jeremy proved with his performance last year that he can pitch at this level.”