Mets Draft - Pick 16 - RHP - Josh Blum - Southern Carolina

 

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Round 16, Pick No. 473: RHP Josh Blum, Southern California 

Blum had a sparkling 1.87 ERA and recorded 10 saves in 33.2 innings for the Trojans this year.

  

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Round 16, Pick No. 473: RHP Josh Blum, USC 

6-foot-1, 195-pound junior reliever who spent some time as USC’s closer in 2024. In 27 games he pitched to a 1.87 ERA with 10 saves. In 33.2 innings, he struck out 45 and only walked 11. Primarily threw a low-80s slider that he will get north of 2,500 rpm on and generate swings and misses. Also throws a low-90s fastball that has touched the mid-90s at times. 

 

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Josh Blum is a 2021 RHP/1B with a 6-2 205 lb. frame from Bellaire, TX who attends The Emery Weiner School. Big and burly build with good present strength. Very rotational delivery, swings his front leg around, lands open and spins off on release, mid 3/4's arm slot, delivery and arm work better from the stretch when he has less body rotation. 

Mid-80's fastball, toped out at 86 mph, gets some running action and good sink at times. Tends to get under his curveball, will flash some sweeping depth at times when he's more on top, might be better suited with a harder slider as a sinker/slider profile pitcher. Showed solid defensive actions at first base with good hands and technique picking throws. Right handed hitter, exaggerated short swing, hands driven with limited extension or lower half use, contact approach. Good student. 

 

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 After three years at the University of Southern California, right-handed relief pitcher Josh Blum, 21, could be headed to the New York Mets, who selected him in the 16th round of the draft. The Bellaire, Texas, native posted a 1.87 ERA in 27 appearances for USC this past season, with 10 saves and 45 strikeouts. 

For Blum’s bar mitzvah in 2016, held at his family’s Conservative synagogue in Houston, the then-seventh grader “collected baseball equipment for underprivileged children,” the local Jewish newspaper reported at the time. 

 

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 The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Region teams were announced today (June 11) and USC baseball's junior closer, Josh Blum, was named to the West's second team. 

It is Blum's first All-Region nod after putting up a career year on the mound for USC in 2024. He was also named to the All-Pac-12 first team earlier this season. 

Blum made 27 appearances on the mound for the Trojans, all out of the bullpen, compiling 10 saves, which is good for the ninth best single season total in USC history and the most by a Trojan reliever since Paul Koss' 16 saves in 2007. His 10 saves were the 14th most in the country this season and the third most in the Pac-12. 

In his 33.2 innings pitched, Blum struck out a remarkable 45 batters, while walking just 11, posting a 1.87 ERA and holding opponents to a .154 batting average. The Trojan righty gave up more than one earned run in an outing only once all season and had a streak of 12 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run from April 14-May 24.

 Blum's 1.87 ERA is the lowest of his career thus far, improving on his 3.34 mark in 30 relief appearances in 2023. In his last two seasons, Blum has 85 strikeouts to just 23 walks.

 

Mack – 

Am I missing something here? 

A 1.87 ERA from a college junior at a major school dropping to the 16^th round? 

Is there a signing problem here? 

I’ll take these kind of numbers from a college junior all night long and I wouldn’t mess with the arm. This kid could be a future Mets closer.