Jewish Baseball News

Brad Ausmus

By Scott Barancik, editor

It looks like manager Brad Ausmus’s stay with the Detroit Tigers is coming to an end.

Citing an unnamed source with “knowledge of the front office’s plans,” the Detroit Free Press reported this morning that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch will fire Ausmus sometime after the the team’s final game of the regular season, on Oct. 4. The 46-year-old former catcher, who coached Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifiers and is the sixth Jewish manager in MLB history, is in the second year of a 3-year contract.

Expectations were high when the rookie manager took the helm in 2014. Detroit had finished in first place in 2013 with a 93-69 record and made it to the American League Championship Series, which it lost to the Red Sox four games to two. Under Ausmus, the Tigers again finished in first, this time with a 90-72 record, but was swept by the Orioles in the division series.

The 2015 season, by contrast, has been a major disappointment. The last-place Tigers are 64-75 with 23 games to go and have lost 15 of their last 20. According to the Free Press, “many fans have blamed the Tigers’ disappointing season in large part on the manager.” But despite strong play from 2B Ian Kinsler and others, Ausmus has been working with a denuded roster.

After four straight division titles, the Tigers were expected to be serious contenders again this season. But Dombrowksi traded stars David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria at the July trade deadline after it was decided that the team was too far out of the playoff race. Injuries to Miguel Cabrera and the offensive struggles of Victor Martinez didn’t give the Tigers optimism they could earn a wild-card berth.

It’s not all bleak for Ausmus. Minutes ago, USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightingale tweeted that the Connecticut native could end up in San Diego if the Padres let manager Pat Murphy go.

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Jason Marquis faces the Mets in New York on 9/21/2001" src="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marquis-screen-300x207.jpg" width="300" height="207" srcset="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marquis-screen-300x207.jpg 300w, http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marquis-screen-150x103.jpg 150w, http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marquis-screen.jpg 630w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Atlanta’s Jason Marquis faces the Mets in New York on 9/21/2001

By Scott Barancik, editor

It took 10 days after the horrific events of 9/11/2001 for baseball to resume in New York City.

On Sept. 21, the hometown New York Mets’ Bruce Chen faced off against the Atlanta Braves’ Jason Marquis, a 23-year-old righthander from Staten Island. Before the game, Marquis was asked how he felt about pitching that night.

“It’s nice being from New York to get the opportunity to do that,” he told the New York Post. “Maybe it’ll help a little. Hopefully people won’t be shy about coming. Hopefully it’ll be like an old Mets-Braves game.”

After a lengthy and emotional pre-game ceremony, the game was underway. (A video of the entire game is shown below.)

The starting pitchers proved well-matched. Marquis lasted six innings, giving up one earned run on 7 hits, no walks and 4 strikeouts. Chen stuck around 7 innings, yielding one earned run on 6 hits, a walk and 5 strikeouts.

The score stayed 1-1 until the 8th inning. RF Brian Jordan of the first-place Braves stroked an RBI double in the top half of the frame for a short-lived lead. C Mike Piazza followed in the bottom half with a 2-run HR to give the third-place Mets a 3-2 lead that stuck.

It was a much-needed win, and not just because the playoffs were nearing.

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Zack Weiss (MiLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

It has been a big week for Reds prospect Zack Weiss.

Weiss, a 23-year-old reliever drafted out of UCLA in 2013, began the season with the Daytona Tortugas (A+), where he quickly earned 5 saves before being promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA) in early May. Since arriving he has established himself as one of the country’s premier closers. 

Though nowhere to be seen on pre-season ‘top prospect’ lists, the 6’3″ righty recently set a Blue Wahoos franchise record with his 25th save. His 30 overall saves (in 31 attempts) rank 2nd among all 4,781 players who have pitched in the minor leagues so far in 2015.

The baseball world has begun to notice. Yesterday, he was named the Southern League’s relief pitcher of the month, thanks to a ridiculous August in which he recorded a 0.56 ERA, 12 saves in 12 chances, yielded just 5 hits and 5 walks over 16 innings, and struck out 24.

Also yesterday, Weiss was one of seven top Cincinnati prospects selected to participate in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, whose season begins Oct. 13. He and his fellow Reds farmhands will play for the Peoria Javelinas, alongside teammates from the Padres, Braves, Mariners and Orioles.

Yesterday marked beginning of the season’s roster expansion for MLB teams, which are permitted to grow from 25 players to 40. The reds called up three prospects, but Weiss was not among them.

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Richard Bleier (MiLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

On Tuesday, Major League teams can expand their rosters from 25 players to 40, an annual September ritual that allows top prospects a chance to take a swing at the big time.

Although there are no guarantees, two Jewish pitchers might make the leap.

One is Washington Nationals farmhand Richard Bleier, a starter for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA). A late bloomer, Bleier is enjoying his best season yet in the minors. The 6’3″ southpaw and Team Israel alum has gone a combined 14-5 with a 2.63 ERA this season for the Chiefs and the Harrisburg Senators (AA). Just this week he was named the Eastern League’s (AA) best left-handed starter.

Zack Weiss (MiLB.com)

Cincinnati Reds prospect Zack Weiss may be more of a longshot. The 6’3″ righthander hasn’t reached Triple-A yet, having split the 2015 season between the Daytona Tortugas (High-A) and, since May 6, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA). But Weiss has swiftly established himself as one of the country’s premier closers. Through games played Aug. 29, Weiss was 1-3 with a 2.10 ERA, had 83 strikeouts in 60 innings, and earned 29 saves — No. 2 among 4,774 minor-league pitchers. And he keeps getting better: so far this month, Weiss is sporting a 0.60 ERA with 11 saves, has held opposing teams to a .104 batting average, and has yielded only 0.67 hits/walks per innings.

No surprise, Weiss is one of the Blue Wahoos players whom Reds president and general manager Walt Jockett came to watch this week, according to the Pensacola News-Journal.

Bleier and Weiss have some things in common. Both are 6’3″, grew up and went to college in coastal states (Bleier at Florida Gulf Coast, Weiss at UCLA), and were 6th-round draft picks (Bleier by Texas, Weiss by Cincinnati). Neither one has rated a blip on ‘top prospect’ radars. When MLB.com assembled its 2015 Top 30 prospect watch lists for the Reds and Nats, for example, the names Weiss and Bleier were nowhere to be found.

A key difference is age. Weiss, drafted in 2013, is just 23 years old and has made quick work of the Reds’ minor-league ladder. Bleier, 28, was drafted in 2008, has played for three franchises over an 8-year professional career, and has had a winning record only once before — just barely so, in 2014, when he earned 6 wins against 5 losses. “I’m not a prospect by any means,” he admitted in a recent newspaper interview. “I was a prospect at one point and I was a little inconsistent and kind of got passed up. And now I’m just trying to hang in there.”

Bleier’s breakout 2015 season has opened many eyes in Cincinnati. Thru games played Aug. 29, his 14 wins were tied for third among all minor-leaguers, and his 164.1-innings made him the minors’ most durable hurler. By no means a power pitcher — he has fanned 61 batters this season, half as many as in 2009 — the native of Davie, FL, has been a marvel of control and consistency this year. Bleier has issued just 15 walks all season, an average of 0.82 per 9 innings, and hasn’t given more than 2 free passes in a single game.

In the article cited above, Bleier credited his turnaround to a bolder, more nuanced approach toward right-handed batters. Soon, he may get to test that new strategy against Major League hitters.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Here’s what’s happening in Major League Baseball.

Ryan Braun hit his 250th career home run Wednesday. Among Jewish players, only legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328) have hit more. The homer, Braun’s 20th of the season, came against the Cubs’ Jason Hammel, the same pitcher who gave up Braun’s 249th round-tripper on July 31. Unfortunately, it came in Wrigley Field, where the silence was audible.

Braun, who added two singles Wednesday, is the 19th active Major League player with 250 or more HRs and the second youngest next to Prince Fielder. He is one home run behind Brewers career leader Robin Yount.

Speaking of home runs, Oakland’s Danny Valencia hit a massive shot to center Wednesday against Toronto, his 10th home run of the season and third since joining the A’s on August 5. Meanwhile, teammate Sam Fuld made two highlight-reel plays in the field, throwing out the Blue Jays’ Troy Tulowitzki at home plate, and — in a classic Jew vs. Jew moment — makes a spectacular catch in left to rob Kevin Pillar of extra bases. (Pillar, who doubled earlier in the game, got the last laugh as Toronto won its 10th straight, 10-3.)

Houston’s Scott Feldman pitched six shutout innings Wednesday in a 2-0 win over the Giants, yielding just four hits and a walk while striking out four. It was the 6’7″ right-hander’s first win since May 26, having sat out nearly 2 months this season after getting knee surgery.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Ryan Braun is one shot away from becoming the third Jewish player to amass 250 career HRs, joining legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328).

Eighteen other active Major Leaguers already have 250-plus HRs. But when Braun joins their elite club, he will stand out in two ways.

A career Milwaukee Brewer, the 31-year-old left fielder will become the group’s second-youngest member, next to Prince Fielder, also 31. And as long as he homers within the next 35 at-bats, he’ll have the second-fewest overall at-bats of any member, next to Edwin Encarnacion.

Whether Braun will beat the 35 at-bat deadline isn’t certain. Though he had 19 home runs by the end of July — his last was a 395-foot shot to right field off the Cubs’ Jason Hammel on July 31 — Braun is homerless in his last 10 games.

Thanks to Jewish Ball News reader Jack for the tip.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Danny Valencia, who was as shocked as his fans were when the Toronto Blue Jays designated him for assignment on Saturday (8/1/2015), has been claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics.

The 30-year-old Florida native was hitting .296 with 7 HRs, 13 doubles, and 29 RBIs in 162 at-bats when the Blue Jays decided to move him off the team’s roster. A versatile utility man who spent most of his time in left field this season but also manned right field, third base, second base and first base, Valencia will join Ike Davis and Sam Fuld on what now will be this season’s most Jewish major-league team.

Valencia is losing a lot, too. In leaving Toronto, he gives up a clubhouse he loves, an exciting and highly-productive Jewish duet with teammate Kevin Pillar, and a 55-52 team whose playoffs chances rose with this week’s acquisition of ace pitcher David Price. The A’s, by contrast, are last in the A.L. West with a 47-60 record.

But Valencia is nothing if not resilient, having played for five teams since his 2010 debut with the Minnesota Twins, when he finished third in voting for A.L. Rookie of the Year.

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Game 2 hero Eitan Maoz

By Scott Barancik, editor

Israel’s senior national baseball team crushed its “C pool” competition in last year’s European Championship qualifiers. Now it’s cruising through the “B pool” qualifying tournament, which began Monday (7/27/2015) in Vienna and includes national teams from Austria, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.

In Game 1, Israel defeated Belarus 13-1 on 13 hits (including home runs by CF Aric Weinberg and 1B Simon Rosenbaum) and the pitching of starter Dean Kremer, who recently became the first Israeli citizen to be drafted by an MLB team. (Not coincidentally, Rosenbaum and Kremer were named tournament MVP and best pitcher, respectively, at last year’s “C pool” qualifiers.)

Game 2 was far more dramatic. Facing its first possible tournament loss, Israel trailed Poland 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, but three singles loaded the bases for C Eitan Maoz, who stroked a walk-off grand slam HR for an 8-6 win.

Israel returned to safer territory in Game 3 with a 10-1 victory over host Austria. Maoz again led the offense, this time with four singles and an RBI in six at-bats. Shlomo Lipetz delivered a complete-game gem, yielding just 5 hits while striking out 8.

Israel faces Lithuania later today (7/30/2015) and Sweden on Friday (7/31/2015). The championship game will take place Saturday (8/1/2015).

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By Scott Barancik, editor

In one of the strongest Jewish draft classes in years, 11 amateurs were chosen in the first 20 rounds of the 2015 draft, and one of them (the Astros’ Alex Bregman) was selected #2 overall. The total Jewish head count was no fewer than 15.

Who signed? And who decided to stay in school a while longer? The answers are in. Eleven players have signed with the franchise that drafted them, and four — shown below in red — have chosen to extend their education at least a year and improve their baseball skills.
1. Alex Bregman, Astros (1st rd, #2 overall)
2. Rhett Wiseman, Nats (3rd rd, #103)
3. Justin Cohen, Marlins (6th rd, #176)
4. Garrett Stubbs, Astros (8th rd, #229)
5. Jake Drossner, Brewers (10th rd, #301)
6. Dalton Blumenfeld, Angels (12th rd, #375)
7. Scott Effross, Cubs (15th rd, #443)
8. Kenny Koplove, Phillies (17th rd, #504)
9. Jason Goldstein, Dodgers (17th rd, #522)
10. Jason Richman, Rangers (18th rd, #528)
11. Adam Walton, Orioles (20th rd, #613)
12. Kyle Molnar, Cardinals (25th rd, #761)
13. Alex Katz, White Sox (27th rd, #802)
14. Jake Thomas, Blue Jays (27th rd, #812)
15. Dean Kremer, Padres (38th rd, #1137)

The University of Illinois tempted two players back to campus. Jason Goldstein, a 21-year-old catcher out of Highland Park, IL, told the Chicago Tribune it was a “dream come true” to be drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers but he wanted one more season to hone his skills and, hopefully, get drafted higher in 2016. “I need to work on my consistency,” he said. “The first three years we [had] a great pitching staff with great talent. Next year we’re going to be younger and I can prove my leadership skills and hopefully take an inexperienced staff and maybe make them comparable to what we had the last three years.”

Also returning to Illinois is redshirt sophomore Adam Walton, who was picked by the Baltimore Orioles. A 21-year-old shortstop from Buffalo Grove, IL, the Illini’s leadoff hitter led the team in runs and was second in hits this year, but he told Orange & Blue News it was “a good season, not great.” “I’m going to graduate next year; that was a big thing” Walton said. “I also feel like I have a lot to work on as a player. It would have been great going to pro ball. I feel like I could have been successful. But choosing to go back to school, I’m going to be even better.”

Kyle Molnar, an 18-year-old out of Aliso Niguel High School who was considered one of the best pitching prospects in southern California before having a subpar senior year, decided to honor his commitment to UCLA, his mother’s alma mater. A pretty good decision, as it turns out. Pitching for the Walla Wala Sweets in a collegiate summer league game yesterday (7/27/2015), Molnar tossed a complete-game no-hitter, yielding 3 walks while striking out 8.

Also staying in school is 19-year-old junior college pitcher Dean Kremer, who will transfer to the University of Nevada Las Vegas on a scholarship. The first Israeli citizen ever drafted by an MLB team — the son of Israeli parents, Kremer is fluent in Hebrew and a dual citizen — at the moment he’s competing for Israel at the European Championship qualifiers in Austria. “Half my family, I can tell you that they still don’t know what baseball is,” Kremer told the Associated Press earlier this month. “They don’t understand the game. Israeli guys like upbeat tempo things where they can’t get bored.”

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[Editor’s note: Havana Curveball is not yet available for individual purchase or rental. To screen the film at a school, library, synagogue, or local theater, contact Leah Lamb at leah@patchworksfilms.net.]

By Stuart M. Katz, correspondent

Havana Curveball, a new documentary by filmmakers Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, tells the tale of a bar mitzvah boy’s innocent and initially naïve efforts to complete a community service project as part of his traditional rite of passage. 

Thirteen year-old Mica, the filmmakers’ son, lives in the San Francisco area, where he attends public school, takes piano lessons and plays sports – especially baseball. As he approaches his bar mitzvah, he begins collecting baseball equipment that he intends to send to Cuba, where his grandfather lived for two years after escaping from Austria during World War II. “Cuba saved my grandfather’s life,” he says. “And I wanted to repay a sort of debt.” 

Mica’s project is well-received, at least in his community, where donations of equipment pour in. His excitement builds as the donations arrive and he packs them up to transport to Cuba, where he understands that kids are playing baseball with sticks for bats, cardboard mitts, and balls made of rocks covered with tape. The first curveball he faces, though, is when his attempts to ship the equipment to Cuba are met with rejection by various representatives of the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS, who thwart Mica’s project with phrases like “economic sanctions” and “trade embargo.” [pullquote]“Cuba saved my grandfather’s life,” Mica says. “And I wanted to repay a sort of debt.” [/pullquote]

Narrated by Mica, the film chronicles his education about U.S.–Cuba diplomatic relations, creative alternatives, disappointment, and his efforts to see the project through to conclusion. In the film, Mica grows up a great deal, both literally and figuratively, as his three-year journey plays out, both in the U.S and abroad. 

Produced by Mica’s prescient filmmaker parents – who began filming before the first curveball was thrown – Havana Curveball will touch the heart of any parent who has witnessed a child coming of age without necessarily anticipating all of the obstacles on that path. Kids approaching beyond bar/bat mitzvah age and beyond will appreciate the film, too, as they see a peer navigate his way through daily life and the adventure of a lifetime.

But the film strikes a broader and deeper chord, too, as Mica gains a fuller appreciation of his grandfather’s relationship with Cuba, the effects of the trade embargo on Cuban baseball lovers, and the responsibilities accompanying Jewish adulthood. Along the way, Mica gets to see and play baseball in a new way.

# # #

Stuart M. Katz is a die-hard Yankees fan. An attorney at Cohen and Wolf in Bridgeport, Conn., he chairs the firm’s Litigation Group, practicing mainly employment law, and represents employers as well as executives.

By Scott Barancik, editor

Nu, so what’s going on in the Minors?

Cody Decker — the San Diego Padres’ all-time minor-league HR leader and a participant in this month’s Triple-A Home Run Derby — has hit three HRs since the All-Star break, including Thursday’s solo shot (7/23/2015). The El Paso Chihuahuhas star has 18 HRs, and he’s hitting them at a league-leading pace of one in every 14 at-bats.

Jeff Urlaub is back from Tommy John surgery, albeit in a rehab assignment with the rookie-league AZL Athletics. In his first game in more than 14 months, the 28-year-old reliever pitched a scoreless inning of relief Thursday, striking out two batters and walking one. Mazel tov, Jeff!

At age 28 and in his first season with the Washington Nationals franchise, 2012 Team Israel member Richard Bleier is enjoying his best season yet. Check out this write-up in the Nats’ hometown paper, a modest rag called the Washington Post. And if you wish, check out JBN’s recent article on the lanky southpaw, too.

Diamondbacks prospect Zach Borenstein continues to tear-up Double-A pitching. Yesterday, he smashed his 10th HR in 220 at-bats, a 2-run shot that ran his RBI total to 50. The 25-year-old left fielder is hitting .318 with a .408 OBP and .958 OPS.

Charlie Cutler, who was batting .380 for the Salt Lake Bees (AAA) when the Angels released him earlier this month, remains unsigned. Why? Insiders agree the 28-year-old can hit. Owner of a .306 career average and .393 on-base percentage, the 2008 draftee is tough to strike out and walks as often as he whiffs, a rarity these days. But Cutler’s catching skills are uneven (he nixed only 2 of 23 stolen-base attempts in Triple-A this year), and with no more than 5 home runs per season, he lacks the power expected of a first baseman or designated hitter. Rough game, baseball is.

Dave Rosenfield, who served as general manager of the Norfolks Tides (AAA) from 1963 to 2011, hasn’t retired just yet. Among other duties, the 86-year-old vice president still creates the International League’s (AAA) entire season schedule by hand. You can learn about Dave’s storied baseball career in his 2013 book, Baseball: One Helluva Life.

SUNY-Purchase alum Mike Skoller has signed to play in the independent Ozarks Pro Baseball League, a newly-formed league that has a unique plan for moving players onto MLB-affiliated teams.

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Richard Bleier pitches at Metro Bank Park, home field of the Harrisburg Senators (Mick Reinhard/Special to PennLive)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Richard Bleier pitched 7 shutout innings Wednesday for the Harrisburg Senators (AA), giving up just four hits and not a single walk in a 13-0 win.

So what else is new? In 103 Double-A innings this year, the 28-year-old Washington Nationals prospect has walked only nine batters, or 2.2% of those he has faced — the best walk percentage among ‘qualified’ pitchers in all three Double-A leagues, according to FanGraphs. His 2.45 ERA is fifth-best in the Eastern League, and he’s given up just one earned run in his last 44 innings at Harrisburg’s home field, Metro Bank Park. Earlier this season Bleier pitched 15 innings in Triple-A, where he yielded but one free pass.

No wonder the 2012 Team Israel member from Florida is earning rave reviews from publications like the Naples Daily News and Washington Post. The timing of Bleier’s rise is something of a surprise. Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, the lanky Florida Gulf Coast alum began as a starter but was demoted to the reliever ranks in mid-2011. He had a brief stint with the franchise’s Triple-A team in 2013, spent 2014 in Toronto’s farm system after being picked up in the Rule 5 draft, and was signed by the Nationals in the offseason. Credit the Nats with recognizing that the 6’3″, 195-pound southpaw belonged outside the bullpen.

The Post’s Chelsea Janes says Bleier’s accuracy forces batters to make contact. “He gets two ground ball outs for every out he gets in the air, which helps him compile ‘stress-free innings’ completed on a handful of pitches — sometimes fewer than he threw in warm-ups,” she writes. “The result is extended effectiveness. Without lighting up radar guns or fitting on top-prospect lists, Bleier earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors in late May.”

Bleier is aware that his age makes him something of a long shot to reach the Majors. “Being 28 in Double A never really helps. There’s no trajectory,” he told the Post. “When there’s four starters on the 40-man in Triple A, it’s kind of tough for me to get called up. I just do what I can, and hopefully it will eventually work out. Maybe not this year, maybe next year. Who knows.”

One thing is certain, though. Whoever faces him, Richard Bleier is no walk in the park.

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Rhett Wiseman, right, is congratulated after hitting his first pro HR on July 12, 2015 (Jeremy Houghtaling, The Citizen)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Well, that didn’t take long.

Washington Nationals prospect Rhett Wiseman, a 3rd-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt who made his pro debut July 10, has been named the New York-Penn League’s Player of the Week for the week of July 13-19. A centerfielder for the Auburn Doubledays (A-short season), he hit .360 with 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 walks and 2 stolen bases.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts native was the second-highest Jewish pick in June’s amateur draft. He was the 103rd overall selection, earning a $554,100 bonus.

In his first 11 games as a pro, Wiseman is hitting .324 with a team-leading 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 stolen bases, a .407 on-base percentage, and a .953 OPS. He has recorded at least one hit in all but 2 games.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Detroit’s Ian Kinsler hit 2 home runs Sunday, and he made sure the second one counted.

Seattle was leading the Tigers 4-3 when Kinsler came up with a man on and two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Down 1-and-2 in the count to reliever Mark Lowe, who entered the game with a 0.62 ERA and no home runs yielded this season, Kinsler pounded a 96mph fastball into the left-field stands. The score stood as Detroit won the game 5-4.

Kinsler also hit a solo HR in the 1st inning. (You can see both home runs here.) Yesterday’s was his 13th multi-HR game but the first since 9/7/2011.

After the game, Kinsler joked about Lowe, his former Texas Rangers teammate. “He’ll probably send me a text,” Kinsler said. “He’ll probably send me something nasty because that’s just the way he is. He’s a jokester. He’s a great teammate to have. But tonight we’re on different teams, and we have to compete.”

Kinsler, 33, told MLB.com he hoped Sunday’s win sent a message to his teammates and Detroit’s front office that a playoff run was still possible. At 46-46, the Tigers are in third place in the A.L. Central, 9.5 games behind the division-leading Royals.

Yesterday’s game came amid a season-long power drought for Kinsler, who averaged 23 HRs per 162 games through the first nine years of his career but has just 5 round-trippers in 91 games this season.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Matt Holliday’s misfortune has proved opportune for two Jewish ballplayers.

Thanks to the Cardinals outfielder’s injury — sorry, Matt — Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson will replace him in the National League’s starting lineup at Tuesday’s All-Star Game (7/14/2015), and Brewers veteran Ryan Braun will replace Holliday as a reserve on the roster. It’s Braun’s sixth career All-Star nod, but his first since his a 2013 drug suspension. The 31-year-old LF celebrated Sunday with his 16th HR.

Might Braun and Pederson end up in the outfield together sometime Tuesday night?

The All-Star Game isn’t the only occasion for a Pederson/Braun mash-up. In the 6th inning of Friday’s Dodgers-Brewers game, Pederson dropped a single in front of Braun to break up a Milwaukee no-hitter. Pederson’s RBI double in the 7th proved the game-winner.

Dynamic Jew-o: A 6th-inning defensive replacement Saturday, Blue Jays 3B Danny Valencia went 1-for-2 with a 3-run HR. Teammate Kevin Pillar singled, walked twice, and swiped a base in Toronto’s 6-2 win over Kansas City.

The Valencia/Pillar show resumed Sunday. Pillar tripled, doubled in Valencia, and tossed out Eric Hosmer when the Royals 1B tried to stretch a single into a double. Valencia singled and smacked a 2-run double.

Atlanta’s Ryan Lavarnway walked and hit a solo HR Saturday, his first round-tripper since Sep. 4, 2013.

Ian Kinsler, third in career doubles among MLB Jews, hit two Friday to give him 20 for the season. On Sunday, he stroked three singles.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Lots of news to report in the minors today.

Cody Decker (Padres, AAA)

Cody Decker, the San Diego Padres’ all-time minor-league HR leader, has been chosen to participate in this year’s Triple-A Home Run Derby, along with five other All-Star sluggers. The 28-year-old infielder has 15 HRs this season and leads all Triple-A hitters in home-run frequency, averaging one round-tripper every 15.4 at-bats through games played yesterday (7/9/2015). The Derby will take place Monday, July 13, at 8:35pm EST. Decker will play in the Triple-A All-Star Game the following night.

Beloved by El Paso Chihuahuas fans both for his hitting and his quirky sense of humor, Decker was lionized Tuesday (7/7/2015) by El Paso Times. “”I’ve never seen, in my 21 years in Minor League Baseball, a player connect to the community and the community connect to the player — two-way street — like Cody has to El Paso and El Paso has to Cody,” Chihuahuas’ General Manager Brad Taylor told the newspaper. “And I think it’s for two good reasons. He’s a good guy, and he connects to them outside game time.” The newspaper’s editorial board piled on Tuesday. “In addition to being a very skilled baseball player — and Decker is playing the best ball of his life right now — he also is a filmmaker, actor and social media figure. He is selling T-shirts right now to raise money for El Paso’s From the Heart Rescue, particularly to help a dog named Scooter, who was born with deformed front paws,” the board wrote.

Rhett Wiseman (Nationals, short-season A)

Vanderbilt star Rhett Wiseman, a third-round pick of the Washington Nationals in last month’s amateur draft, has signed with the franchise. The Nats paid him a $554,100 bonus and have assigned him to play for the short-season Auburn Doubledays.

Zack Weiss (Reds, AA)

Cincinnati Reds prospect Zack Weiss, who’s taken on the role of closer since being promoted to Double-A, recorded his 8th save in 9 tries for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos yesterday (7/9/2015). In his past 10 appearances, he’s 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA, 6 saves, 16 strikeouts, and just 2 walks in 10.2 innings. The 23-year-old recorded 5 saves in as many opportunities earlier this season for the Daytona Tortugas (High-A).

Rob Kaminsky (Cardinals, High-A)

Rob Kaminsky, a 1st-round draft pick in 2013, continues to improve. In his past five starts, the 20-year-old southpaw pitched at least six innings per outing, allowed just 4 earned runs in 33 innings (a 1.09 ERA), and struck out 14 while walking just 3 batters. It’s no wonder Baseball America’s midseason update ranks him the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect.

But like a number of his Jewish peers, Kaminsky also has a gift for writing, which he showcases in a blog called 22’s Two Cents. Particularly compelling is a July 2 post about life in the minors, titled Bus Rides and PB&Js. Be sure to share it with any high-school or college ballplayers you know who are considering going pro.

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(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

By Scott Barancik, editor

The sports world is taking note of Kevin Pillar, the Blue Jays CF who has impressed not only with his glove (he is considered a strong Gold Glove candidate) but his bat.

Sports-radio god Jim Rome interviewed Pillar earlier this week about his record setting 54-game hitting streak in college, being selected deep in the amateur draft (32nd round), and how he spent his $1,000 draft bonus.

The Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted him Toronto’s Player of the Month for June. Pillar hit .365 (tied for 2nd-best in the A.L.) with four HRs and four doubles, swiped five bases, had an 11-game hit streak, and made a number of stellar plays in the field.

An article in the Toronto-based National Post last week said Pillar was “making his detractors eat their words, one stat at a time.” It credits Pillar for simplifying and shortening his swing as well as tightening up his pitch selection.

The 26-year-old California native appeared earlier this week on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk.

Pillar ranks 9th among all A.L. position players in Uultimate Zone Rating (UZR), a measure of defensive prowess favored by many Sabermetricians.

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(MLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Dodgers CF Joc Pederson has been named to the National League All-Star team as a reserve. He is one of just two rookies picked for the Tuesday, July 14 game, the other being Cubs 3B Kris Bryant. He is the first Dodgers rookie to be named to the team since P Hideo Nomo in 1995.

ESPN.com says Pederson will replace Matt Holliday in the starting lineup if the Cardinals outfielder’s injured quadriceps doesn’t heal in time. The 23-year-old Pederson finished sixth overall in voting among N.L. outfielders, but injuries among the top 5 vote-getters has opened a door for him.

Whether Pederson will be invited to participate in the Home Run Derby is unclear, as participant names have not yet been revealed. Pederson is tied for 5th in the N.L. with 20 HRs.

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“King of Jewish Baseball” Nate Fish

By Nate Fish, special to Jewish Baseball News

Are you a baseball player? Do you want to come to Israel?

The Israel Association of Baseball (IAB), in partnership with Masa Israel and Destination Israel, has created a program for baseball players with high school, college, or professional experience to travel to Israel to play and coach. The five-month program is called the Israel Baseball Experience. The goal of the program is to give participants the opportunity to continue their playing careers while also coaching kids and helping to develop baseball in Israel.

The IAB is looking for a select group of players to arrive in Israel in September 2015 as a pilot group for a larger program called the MASA Sports Initiative that seeks to bring hundreds of athletes from all sports to Israel in coming years.

In addition to their baseball schedules, Israel Baseball Experience players will have housing, language, travel, and cultural experiences with Destination Israel, an organization that specializes in providing long-term internship experiences in Israel for thousands of young people. IBE players will live in Tel Aviv and join other MASA groups for regular trips around Israel. [Editor’s note: Full tuition is $8,300, but partial grants are available.]

If this program had existed when I was coming out of college baseball, I would have done it. It’s a chance to get involved in Israel Baseball on the ground level and have a real impact.

To apply or find out more about the Israel Baseball Experience, click here.

_________________

Nate Fish is national director of the Israel Association of Baseball, a former teammate of Kevin Youkilis at the University of Cincinnati, and the self-proclaimed King of Jewish Baseball. Read his blog here, and follow him on Twitter.

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Steven Matz’s Twitter page points to a New Testament passage

By Scott Barancik, editor

Of course we wanted Steven Matz to be Jewish. The New York Mets rookie practically threw himself onto our collective doorstep last week with an improbable MLB debut, not only striking out six batters in a 7-2 win but going 3-for-3 with 4 RBIs.

He was from New York. His middle name was Jakob. His parents were Ron and Lori. His last name sounded Jewish. Why couldn’t he be a Member of the Tribe?

Alas, we contacted our friends at Jewish Sports Review, who had vetted the 24-year-old pitcher years ago. And the news was not good. As if further confirmation were needed, we glanced at Matz’s Twitter feed and saw that it referenced a passage from Thessalonians, a book of the New Testament.

Our finding?

Steven Matz: not a Jew.

Click here for our list of baseball players thought to be Jewish who aren’t.

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