Fastball

Oakland Athletics Outfielder Makes Recent History with Major Accomplishment

The Oakland Athletics are building something exciting in 2024 and outfielder JJ Bleday is a major part of it.

Brady Farkas

Oakland Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday (33) prepares to bat against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sept 4.
Oakland Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday (33) prepares to bat against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sept 4. / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
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The Oakland Athletics lost on Thursday to the Houston Astros, but that didn't stop outfielder JJ Bleday from making some recent team history in the defeat.

The former top prospect went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. The double was his 40th of the season.

Per Martin Gallegos, who covers the A's, on social media:

JJ Bleday ropes his 40th double. First A's player to reach 40 doubles in a season since Marcus Semien (43) in 2019.

Bleday, who came up with the Miami Marlins, pairs with Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker to make up an exciting A's outfield. He's hitting .244 this season with 20 homers, 56 RBI and a stolen base. He has a .773 OPS.

Given the circumstances around the A's move to Sacramento for 2025, it would seem hard to attract free agents in the offseason. As a result, the A's will need to rely on homegrown players like Bleday to help keep the on-field product afloat next season.

Bleday debuted with Miami back in 2022 but has gained a foothold with the A's this year, playing in 144 games.

The A's will travel to Chicago this upcoming weekend to take on the lowly White Sox. Oakland enters play at 64-83, which is the third-worst record in the American League. That said, it's nearly double as many wins as the White Sox, who are 33-114. They are on their way to becoming the worst team in modern history.

First pitch from the South Side is set for 7:40 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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