Milwaukee Brewers / Boilermakers in Pro Ball / Lindblom Player Page at MyKBOStats.com
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Josh Lindblom is returning to Major League Baseball and the Midwest as the 2019 Korea Baseball Organization MVP and Purdue baseball alumnus has signed a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Multiple media outlets reported Lindblom's contract is guaranteed for $9.125 million and can max out at $18 million if he reaches performance bonuses.
Lindblom's increased spin rate helped him enjoy an impressive two-year run for the Doosan Bears in his second stint in the KBO. While winning the Choi Dong-won (Cy Young equivalent) and Golden Glove (all-pro equivalent) awards the last two years, he compiled a 35-7 record with a 2.67 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 346 strikeouts vs. 67 walks. He was also honored as the KBO MVP in 2019 after the lone 20-game winner also led the league in strikeouts (189), innings (194 2/3) and WHIP (1.00). He was the first-ever repeat winner of the Choi Dong-won Award.
Lindblom joins a Brewers team that has made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his big league debut with LA in May 2011. Milwaukee will be his sixth MLB team. He has also pitched for Philadelphia, Texas, Oakland and Pittsburgh. Lindblom pitched for both the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 2017 before returning to the KBO in July of that season. He became an international free agent after helping lead Doosan to the Korean Series title in October.
The West Lafayette native and Harrison High School graduate will be the featured speaker at Purdue's First Pitch Dinner, set for Saturday, Jan. 25 at Holloway Gymnasium. Tickets are now on sale.
Linblom has made 108 of his 114 career appearances at the big league level as a reliever. He reportedly chose to sign with Milwaukee in part because the franchise offered him an opportunity to be part of its starting rotation. Eric Thames is another recent Brewer who became a productive major leaguer after the franchise signed him as an international free agent from the KBO. Thames was the KBO MVP in 2015 and signed with the Brewers for the 2017 campaign, hitting 72 home runs with 161 RBI over his three seasons with Milwaukee.
Milwaukee's international scouting operation features Bryan Bullington representing the organization in Asia. Bullington is an Indiana native who pitched at Ball State (2000-02) before being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. He pitched his final five seasons of pro ball in Japan.
Lindblom pitched for Purdue in 2007 and 2008. He was the opening day starter in 2007 and the closer in 2008. He helped the 2008 Boilermakers finish second in the Big Ten with a 21-10 league record. Lindblom made 30 appearances that season, joining teammate Andy Loomis (32) on a very short list of Boilermakers to pitch in 30 games. He recorded 12 saves that year, another total that ranked second in program history at the time. The right-hander recorded more strikeouts (44) than hits allowed (37) over 40 2/3 innings. For his two-year Purdue career, Lindblom registered 95 strikeouts vs. 19 walks. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.0 remains a record for pitchers with at least 75 innings.
The 2008 Boilermakers went 18-5 at Lambert Field, recording the most home wins during Doug Schreiber's 18-year tenure (1999-2016) as head coach. The 2008 team posted a 30-15 record after March 21 and was also the runner-up at the Big Ten Tournament.
BREWERS 2020 ROAD SERIES OF NOTE
• April 6-7 at Cincinnati Reds
• May 11-13 at Chicago Cubs
• May 15-17 at Cincinnati Reds
• June 29-July 2 at Chicago Cubs
• July 31-Aug. 2 at Chicago Cubs
• Aug. 27-30 at Cincinnati Reds
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Josh Lindblom is returning to Major League Baseball and the Midwest as the 2019 Korea Baseball Organization MVP and Purdue baseball alumnus has signed a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Multiple media outlets reported Lindblom's contract is guaranteed for $9.125 million and can max out at $18 million if he reaches performance bonuses.
Lindblom's increased spin rate helped him enjoy an impressive two-year run for the Doosan Bears in his second stint in the KBO. While winning the Choi Dong-won (Cy Young equivalent) and Golden Glove (all-pro equivalent) awards the last two years, he compiled a 35-7 record with a 2.67 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 346 strikeouts vs. 67 walks. He was also honored as the KBO MVP in 2019 after the lone 20-game winner also led the league in strikeouts (189), innings (194 2/3) and WHIP (1.00). He was the first-ever repeat winner of the Choi Dong-won Award.
Lindblom joins a Brewers team that has made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history. He was selected in the second round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his big league debut with LA in May 2011. Milwaukee will be his sixth MLB team. He has also pitched for Philadelphia, Texas, Oakland and Pittsburgh. Lindblom pitched for both the Pirates and Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in 2017 before returning to the KBO in July of that season. He became an international free agent after helping lead Doosan to the Korean Series title in October.
The West Lafayette native and Harrison High School graduate will be the featured speaker at Purdue's First Pitch Dinner, set for Saturday, Jan. 25 at Holloway Gymnasium. Tickets are now on sale.
Linblom has made 108 of his 114 career appearances at the big league level as a reliever. He reportedly chose to sign with Milwaukee in part because the franchise offered him an opportunity to be part of its starting rotation. Eric Thames is another recent Brewer who became a productive major leaguer after the franchise signed him as an international free agent from the KBO. Thames was the KBO MVP in 2015 and signed with the Brewers for the 2017 campaign, hitting 72 home runs with 161 RBI over his three seasons with Milwaukee.
Milwaukee's international scouting operation features Bryan Bullington representing the organization in Asia. Bullington is an Indiana native who pitched at Ball State (2000-02) before being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. He pitched his final five seasons of pro ball in Japan.
Lindblom pitched for Purdue in 2007 and 2008. He was the opening day starter in 2007 and the closer in 2008. He helped the 2008 Boilermakers finish second in the Big Ten with a 21-10 league record. Lindblom made 30 appearances that season, joining teammate Andy Loomis (32) on a very short list of Boilermakers to pitch in 30 games. He recorded 12 saves that year, another total that ranked second in program history at the time. The right-hander recorded more strikeouts (44) than hits allowed (37) over 40 2/3 innings. For his two-year Purdue career, Lindblom registered 95 strikeouts vs. 19 walks. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.0 remains a record for pitchers with at least 75 innings.
The 2008 Boilermakers went 18-5 at Lambert Field, recording the most home wins during Doug Schreiber's 18-year tenure (1999-2016) as head coach. The 2008 team posted a 30-15 record after March 21 and was also the runner-up at the Big Ten Tournament.
BREWERS 2020 ROAD SERIES OF NOTE
• April 6-7 at Cincinnati Reds
• May 11-13 at Chicago Cubs
• May 15-17 at Cincinnati Reds
• June 29-July 2 at Chicago Cubs
• July 31-Aug. 2 at Chicago Cubs
• Aug. 27-30 at Cincinnati Reds
| LINDBLOM'S LAST TWO SEASONS IN THE KBO | |||||||||
| Year | W-L | ERA | WHIP | GS | QS | IP | Hits | SO | BB |
| 2018 | 15-4 | 2.88 | 1.07 | 26 | 21 | 168.2 | 142 | 157 | 38 |
| 2019 | 20-3 | 2.50 | 1.00 | 30 | 22 | 194.2 | 165 | 189 | 29 |
| Total | 35-7 | 2.67 | 1.03 | 56 | 43 | 363.1 | 307 | 346 | 67 |
Belated congrats to @JoshLindblom52 on signing a 3-year deal with the #Brewers after his MVP season in the KBO.
— Purdue Baseball (@PurdueBaseball) December 12, 2019
Great to see Josh officially returning to #MLB & back in the Midwest.
ICYMI: Josh will be the featured speaker at our Jan. 25 First Pitch Dinner. #BoilerUp https://t.co/eMsRuFSE6A