JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Arizona Fall League’s 30-game regular season came to an end Thursday (11/17/2008). So how did its six Jewish players do?
Hitters
- 2B Josh Satin, Mesa Solar Sox (New York Mets). In 41 at-bats, Satin hit a blistering .390 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, a .479 on-base percentage (OBP), and .512 slugging percentage (SLP). He saw limited play because the Mets, feeling he already had played a lot in 2010, put him on the AFL’s “taxi squad,” which restricted him to 2 games per week.
- 2B Jason Kipnis, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). In 78 at-bats, Kipnis hit .295 with 3 HRs, 11 doubles (tied for 1st in the league), 3 triples (3rd/tie), 3 HRs, 19 RBIs (4th/tie), .337 OBP, .628 SLG (5th), and 2 stolen bases. Great figures no doubt, but the real story is about mental toughness. Kipnis began the season uncharacteristically struggling at the plate, his batting average just .159 through October. But in November, he rebounded by batting .471 with 8 doubles and 9 RBIs. And he did it while enduring day-to-day uncertainty about where he would play: 2B, 3B, or DH.
- C Ryan Lavarnway, Peoria Javelinas (Boston Red Sox). In 82 at-bats, Lavarnway hit .268 with 3 doubles, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs, .380 OBP and .415 SLG. His 16 walks tied for 3rd in the league.
- OF Ben Guez, Surprise Rafters (Detroit Tigers). In 57 at-bats, Guez hit .228 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, .302 OBP, and 4 stolen bases. Six of his 13 hits were for extra bases, leading to a healthy .456 SLG. But Guez’s power stroke came at the cost of a low batting average…and 21 strikeouts.
Pitchers
- SP Josh Zeid, Mesa Solar Sox (Philadelphia Phillies). Zeid went 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA. In 14 innings, he struck out 12 and walked just one batter. He held opposing teams to a .204 batting average.
- RP Eric Berger, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). Playing in a middle-relief role, Berger went 0-0 with an .082 ERA. In 11 innings, Berger struck out 12, walked 8, and held opposing teams to a .171 batting average.
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