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Prince Fielder

By Scott Barancik, editor

Ian Kinsler, a 32-year-old second baseman who has spent his entire 8-year career with the Texas Rangers, is being traded to the Detroit Tigers for slugger Prince Fielder.

Detroit will pay the Rangers an additional $30-million to help cover Fielder’s massive contract. The 29-year-old first baseman “has seven years remaining on his $214-million, nine-year contract while Kinsler has four years on his $75-million, five-year contract,” according to CBSsports.com.

A three-time All-Star and fan favorite in Texas, Kinsler’s move to Detroit comes on the cleats of news that retired All-Star catcher and Team Israel manager Brad Ausmus will succeed Jim Leyland as the Tigers’ helmsman. He is one of only a handful of major leaguers to twice hit 30 or more home runs and steal 30 or more bases in the same season. In 2013 he hit .277 with 13 HRs and 72 RBIs while stealing 15 bases.

CBSsports.com says the trade will open up second base for Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar and will allow MVP Miguel Cabrera to move back from third base to first.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Earlier today we announced the arrival of the Jewish Baseball News ball cap. “Just in time for Chanukah!” we proclaimed.

Alas, taking a cue from the Obamacare School of Product Rollouts, we gave you an ordering system that did not work. Would-be customers were left wandering around PayPal like, well, Jews in the desert.

We’re relieved to tell you that our ordering system is up and running. And as a modest bribe, we’re offering a free Jewish Baseball News bumper sticker to anyone who orders a hat during the month of November 2013.

To order your baseball caps, please click here. Thank you for your patience.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Racking your brain for Chanukah gifts? Consider our new Jewish Baseball News caps.

Made in Bangladesh and embroidered in good ol’ St. Petersburg, Fla., the headquarters of minor-league baseball, our one-size-fits-most caps will cover all but the bushiest Jew-fros.

The hats are priced at $21.99 apiece, although volume discounts begin when you order as few as three. Shipping is free.

Questions? E-mail us at sbarancik at jewishbaseballnews.com.

And don’t forget to treat yourself to a cap! Click our Gifts tab for details.

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Tigers CEO Dave Dombrowski presents new manager Brad Ausmus with a team jersey (ESPN.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Until yesterday, Brad Ausmus‘s only experience at the helm of a baseball team was managing Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifiers.

But that didn’t stop the Detroit Tigers from hiring the 44-year-old former catcher to replace Jim Leyland as manager. Much is at stake for the team, which made the 2013 postseason and is expected to be a leading contender in 2014.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for me,” Ausmus said at a news conference. “I’m well aware that you don’t generally get dropped into a situation like I will be this coming season…Very rarely is there a managerial change when a team is coming off a post-season appearance.”

Ausmus is hardly inexperienced. A former Tiger — he played three seasons in Detroit, one of them as an All-Star — the Connecticut native caught more games during his 18-year career than all but six catchers in MLB history (1,938) and won three Gold Glove awards. His cerebral approach to the game led the San Diego Padres to name him Special Assistant to Baseball Operations after his retirement in 2010.

“Frankly, when we interviewed, we were taken aback at how impressive he was,” Tigers CEO Dave Dombrowski said.

In addition to managing Team Israel, Ausmus holds Jewish records for most MLB seasons (18) and games played (1,971).

At least five other Jews have managed MLB teams. They include:

  • Lipman “Lip” Pike. Baseball’s first home-run king, Pike served as player-manager of the Troy Haymakers (1871), Hartford Dark Blues (1874), and Cincinnati Reds (1877), with an overall record of 20-51. He was just 26 years old when he took on the Haymakers’ job.
  • Andy Cohen. A former New York Giants infielder and minor-league manager, Cohen was coaching for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960 when manager Eddie Sawyer stepped down after the season’s first game. Cohen managed one game before permanent replacement Gene Mauch arrived; the Phillies’ 5-4, extra-inning win gave him a perfect 1-0 record.
  • Lefty Phillips. Though he didn’t play Major League ball, Phillips coached the California Angels from 1969-1971, earning an overall record of 222-225. His best season was 1970, when the Angels finished in third place in the A.L. West division with an 86-76 record.
  • Norm Sherry. Like Ausmus a former MLB catcher, Sherry coached the California Angels from 1976-1977, finishing a combined 76-71.
  • Jeff Newman. A former catcher who played nine MLB season, Newman was the second of three Oakland A’s managers in 1986 and coached the team to a 2-8 record.

Click here to see a video excerpt of the Tigers’ news conference.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Aaron Poreda, a 6-foot-6-inch pitcher whose rapid rise to the Majors was matched by a swift decline, has signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers after a long layoff for “Tommy John” surgery.

Poreda, 27, told Jewish Baseball News that Texas was one of 8 to 10 teams that sent scouts to watch him work out at a recent showcase in Arizona. “An hour later, we get a call from John Daniels, the G.M. of the Texas Rangers. He said, ‘We’re very interested in Aaron. Don’t sign with any other team until you talk with us first,'” Poreda recalled. “I was on cloud nine.”

Under the deal, Poreda will participate in the Rangers’ major-league spring training camp and fight for a spot on the team’s starting rotation. If Texas decides he needs a bit more polishing — it will have been two years since he last played competitively, for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Double-A squad — he’ll start the season with the Rangers’ Triple-A team, the Round Rock Express. Either way, he’ll be accompanied by his wife of one year, Melissa.

An avid football player in high school, the northern California native was lightly recruited by college baseball teams before ending up at the University of San Francisco. Three years later, in 2007, he was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox. Two years after that, at the raw age of 22, he made his Major League debut.

But later that season, Chicago surprised Poreda by sending him and several others to the San Diego Padres for Jake Peavy. Before long, the fastball pitcher known for his control was walking batters left and right. “When I got traded is when the wheels started to come off,” he said. Part of the problem was mental. What Poreda didn’t know at the time was that the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing elbow was starting to tear.

Fast forward to the 2012 season. After several attempts to heal his elbow without going under the knife, Poreda agreed to let noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews replace the torn ligament in his elbow with a tendon from his hamstring. Several months later, the Pirates released him. When no one picked him up, many fans — including this website — assumed Poreda had retired.

But in an interview with Jewish Baseball News, Poreda said he never gave up on his baseball career, and in fact has spent the 13 months since Tommy John surgery painstakingly returning to form, as well as adding a new pitch or two to his repertoire.

Below is an edited transcript.

JBN: You were a first-round draft pick in 2007. What do you think the Chicago White Sox saw in a young Aaron Poreda?

Poreda: Well, they saw a big, left-handed guy with a plus-plus fastball with depth and a lot of movement. A lot of people said I was a raw guy who could be molded into whatever they wanted. I saw myself as more polished. I didn’t have the change-up I have today, but I had a fastball, and I was able to get ahead with that and finish people with the slider, keep them off balance, and throw the change-up periodically when it was on. The rule of thumb, they say, for Major League starters is you need three pitches. Except for a couple of exceptions, like Randy Johnson and a couple others that had such a great fastball, they were able to get away with two. I was actually throwing a curveball back in college, it was just a fastball-curveball, but I probably threw 90-95 percent fastballs. I think they saw that upside to me, they saw a big, strong guy that threw hard and threw strikes, and they wanted to move me up quickly.

JBN: And your fastball at that point was topping out at what?

Poreda: When I got drafted, I topped out at 97 [mph].

JBN: You were picked in the first round. How much pressure did you feel to perform?

Poreda: Actually, it fueled my fire, it made me more focused. It was exciting, I’d never had that kind of publicity and the amount of scouts and the attention ever in my life. So it was a lot of fun…Once you cross the white line, it’s game time…You see the radar guns once or twice, and I might’ve pumped-up a little bit extra, but for the most part I just went out there and did my thing. My bread and butter was throwing into righties and away to lefties, and just going with a glove-high fastball in-in-in until they could hit it, and then once they proved they could hit it, start going outside, start mixing offspeed, and stuff like that.

JBN: How heavily recruited were you — or weren’t you — out of high school?

Poreda: There was a little interest, but not too much. Back in high school, I was throwing, in my senior year, mid-80s. And I loved playing football too, so growing up, through my senior year in high school, I actually wanted to be a professional football player. So instead of going to showcases and playing baseball year-round, I was playing football. I was a defensive lineman, offensive lineman, and tight end. I grew up playing quarterback, but I just didn’t think I was going to get the starting job. I actually regret not even trying out [in high school]…But I enjoy pitching a lot more than I did blocking. I loved the contact, I miss the contact and the physical exertion in football, but in the end, I like having the ball in my hand.

JBN: Did college football programs try to recruit you?

Poreda: I got some interest from UNR [University of Nevada-Reno]. We used to go up there during the summers, and they’d have a huge football camp with 10, 20 different high schools, so I won some tight-end awards up there. And if I would’ve pursued it, I probably would’ve gone there. But I had a lot more success in baseball, and my mom also didn’t think highly of me pursuing a career  in football.

JBN: You began in the minors in 2007, had a very good couple of years, made your Major League debut in 2009. And then midyear, the White Sox traded you and a few others to San Diego for Jake Peavy. How did you feel?

Poreda: I was actually a little disappointed that the White Sox let me go. When you get drafted, you think that they really think highly of you, and you can’t help but think about your future in Chicago, or whatever big-league team you’re with. So when you get traded, it feels like you really don’t mean much to the franchise. I found out, and a lot of people find out through their careers in professional baseball, that everyone can be traded, everyone can be cut, everyone can be used as a chess piece to better the organization. You can’t take it personally…

JBN: Did it prove to be a good move for you?

Poreda: Actually, when I got traded is when the wheels started to come off a little bit. It was hard for me to go back and forth from bullpen to starter …My fastball had too much cut and was almost uncontrollable, so my walks went up…and something wasn’t right. And the Padres really weren’t giving me any answers. They were just letting me struggle, and I really didn’t know which way was up. [Laughs] They called me up in September just as a formality, I think, to show the fans who they traded for…I didn’t do too bad there, but I was still wild. I wasn’t the same Aaron Poreda that worked his way up to the minors and was throwing all those innings and putting up all those numbers in minor-league ball.

JBN: Looking back, why do you think you began to have control problems? 

Poreda: I think my elbow was starting to get tight. And I didn’t even know it, but my body was compensating. It didn’t feel like it was hurt. But I stopped bending my elbow as much as I usually did, and I think the pressure of the big leagues and getting traded and all those variables mixed into it got my mechanics off. I really didn’t know how to fix it. I started trying to throw harder and harder, instead of using my whole body…For me, pitching-wise, I’m really smooth and nice and easy, and it looks like it’s effortless. Eventually, my elbow just gave out.

JBN: Did you have anyone you could turn to for help?

Poreda: For the remainder of that year, I didn’t. There was a Triple-A guy, and I talked to Buddy Black, the G.M. with the Padres, and they didn’t have really have any answers for me. So I ended up going back to my old high-school coach, who had really taught me to be mechanically sound…He helped me to straighten out my fastball and get a little more accurate. But once the season started, I saw the same cut and the same kind of uncontrollable pitching that I was never accustomed to. And that snowballed, and it just ended up giving me the yips. So I was tentative to throw because I didn’t trust my body, and I was probably at the lowest point of my career, so much so that I contemplated giving it up. I was not myself.

JBN: You ended the 2009 season on the Major League roster, but 2010 was a different story.

Poreda: They brought me down to Double-A, in the bullpen. I was a long-relief, mop-up guy. I still was putting up pretty good numbers, but the walks were still up. I was pitching my butt off, trying to do everything I could to keep throwing strikes and have some success…I was doing a little bit better, but still, there was no consistency. They really just put me in the back of the pack, and I got innings when the score was just out of control, whether we were losing by 10 runs, up by 10 runs…

JBN: Is that when you realized there was something wrong with your elbow?

Poreda: It wasn’t until I was with the Pirates [in 2012] that I really started to figure out my body and everything I was doing wrong. And by the time I did that, my arm was already falling off, and I knew it was just a matter of time until it gave out.

JBN: Did you opt for Tommy John surgery right away?

Poreda: No. They said it was a partial tear and there was a chance I could recover from it without surgery…so I rehabbed [the elbow] for a couple months and got all the way back to the mound, and when I really started to let it go, it was too painful. So I went back to the doctor…It’ll be almost two years since I’ll have pitched competitively going into next year’s Spring Training, because there’s five or six months of trying to rehab without surgery, then I get the surgery, then it’s another 13 months post-op. I’m ready to get back.

JBN: Was there any doubt in your mind that you’d resume playing baseball?

Poreda: I was 100% determined. I knew that I had a really good chance going into it, and I’d seen a lot of guys a lot smaller than me come back. I’ve always thought that I was a big guy, that my body would bend but never break. I was confident in my work ethic and my rehab and the trainers that were helping me out…But sometimes, you do question it, because you keep on pushing the envelope and you get to a certain plateau and your arm gets sore and it just continues to stay sore, and you can’t really push through to the next barrier. And then you give it some time off and some rest and take some anti-inflammatories and get stretched out a little bit more and just be patient, and eventually you break through that barrier and get to the next barrier…

JBN: Recently you and your agent invited Major League scouts to watch you work out in Arizona. Was there a good turnout?

Poreda: There were probably 8 to 10 different teams there.

JBN: And the team that showed the most interest was the Texas Rangers.

Poreda: Yeah. They were pretty interested before the workout, and then after the workout, their scout stayed a bit longer to talk to us and ask me questions about my rehab…So we knew they were very interested. And then, an hour later, we get a call from John Daniels, the G.M. of the Texas Rangers. He said, “We’re very interested in Aaron. Don’t sign with any other team until you talk with us first.” And my agent was telling me it’s very unusual for a G.M. to call — especially on a Saturday afternoon when he’s hanging out with his kids — to talk business about a potential minor-league guy that’s coming back from Tommy John surgery.

JBN: That must’ve felt incredibly good.

Poreda: I was on cloud nine…I was originally thinking that I might be able to sign with a Bay Area team. I thought that’d be really cool, because [I’m from the area]…The Giants showed a little bit of interest, and they said, “You might be able to be a bullpen guy, we’re not sure if we’ll give you a big-league invite,” and yadda yadda. And Texas was saying, “We see him as a starter, we’re gonna let him compete for a job, we see him up with Texas next year, and we’re really excited, and we want him”…My whole career, I’ve followed the advice my parents gave me, which was, “Go with the team that wants you the most.”

JBN: So you’re going to be with the Major League squad for spring training, and hopefully you’ll stick on with the team, but if they decide you need a little bit more polishing, they’ll send you to Triple-A for a while?

Poreda: That’s what I’m expecting.

JBN: When you pitched for the scouts, how did your arsenal of pitches differ from when you were drafted?

Poreda: I basically was hoping to put on the same workout that they saw 4 or 5 years ago. But this time I had a good change-up, and it really was just to show them I’m a completely different guy from what you’ve seen the last couple of years, with the cut to the fastball and the erratic location and the velocity going down…I wanted to show them I was strong, healthy, poised, and that I can handle the pressure of a bunch of scouts watching me and being back up in the big leagues. So location and accuracy was the most important, and right from the get-go, I was throwing strikes, I was keeping the ball low — which is very important for the scouts — and my offspeed was working as well. My change-up and slider command could still get a little better, especially the slider…but I only started throwing that the past month or so, because it puts a lot more strain on your elbow than a fastball. So that’s one of the things in my rehab process that I’m still working on overcoming. I’m not 100% yet. I’m still critiquing some of the small details.

JBN: Were any family members at the showcase?

Poreda: My wife was there…She could tell as soon as I walked up next to her that I had done well because I had a huge smile on my face. This is only the first step to accomplishing my goal of being a big league starter. Now I need to compete when it counts.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

According to research by our friend Ron Kaplan at his excellent Kaplan’s Korner blog, Boston reliever Craig Breslow will be just the 24th Jewish player to appear in a World Series when he appears in the upcoming Red Sox-Cardinals finale.

The New Haven, Conn., native is expected to be a key piece of Boston’s pitching puzzle. Breslow finished the 2013 regular season with a 5-2 record and a 1.81 ERA across 61 games.

The other active Major Leaguers with World Series experience are Scott Feldman (Texas Rangers, 2011), Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers, 2010-11), Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox, 2007), and Jason Marquis (St. Louis Cardinals, 2004).

Two Jewish players have been named MVP of a World Series. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Larry Sherry had a hand in all four Dodger victories over the Chicago White Sox in 1959, earning two wins and two saves on the strength of a 0.71 ERA. Just 23 at the time, he also went a nifty 2-for-4 at the plate. Sherry’s teammate, a kid named Koufax, pitched excellently in the series but lost his only decision, a 1-0 squeaker to the Sox. Still, Sandy went on to be named World Series MVP twice, in 1963 and 1965.

Another Dodger, Steve Yeager, was named co-MVP of the 1981 World Series. He converted to Judaism after his playing career ended.

See Kaplan’s article for a complete list of World Series veterans and how each one performed.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Zach Borenstein had a monster season in 2013, and he has the MVP award to prove it.

The 23-year-old Los Angeles Angels prospect led the California League (Class A-advanced) in average, home runs, and several other statistics. His league-leading nine RBIs during the postseason helped the Inland Empire 66ers become league champions.

But when Baseball America published its list of the California League’s Top 20 prospects earlier this month, the Illinois native’s name wasn’t on it. The snub begged an explanation, and assistant editor Jim Shonerd provided one in an article accompanying the list. “Borenstein nearly won the Cal League triple crown, leading the way in average (.337) and homers (28) but finishing third in RBIs (95). However, doubts about the outfielder’s athletic ability kept him from making the top 20,” he wrote.

In an an e-mail to Jewish Baseball News, Shonerd defended the decision.

“Borenstein had a fantastic season, but we make these lists based on more than just statistics,” he wrote. “I talked to managers, coaches and scouts who watched the Cal League all season, and not enough of them believed in Borenstein’s ability enough to warrant putting him on the list. He was in the conversation, and some of those observers did believe in him. But there were doubts about his swing and how well it would translate against better pitching as he moves up in the minors, as well as his athletic ability as an outfielder.”

Count Borenstein’s family among those who think Baseball America got it all wrong. They expressed outrage in e-mails and in posts on our Facebook page.

“Doubts about Zach’s athletic ability? There is a player in Shonerd’s list who hit .233 and struck out [in] 33% of his at-bats,” wrote father David Borenstein, a prosecutor by trade. “Put a basketball in Zach’s hands and he would be able to score at will against any of the other members of the Cal team. The trainer for the low-A team (Cedar Rapids) said Zach could make any special-teams squad in the National Football League. [Zach] came back from a hip flexor tear and hit .367 in his last 45 games. You don’t dominate the California league like Zach did unless you have athletic ability.”

Borenstein’s brother also took Baseball America to task. “Even if Shonerd’s pitiful argument that Zach isn’t athletic were true – which is a patently absurd pretense – what would it matter?” Josh Borenstein wrote. “Is Paul Konerko athletic? Prince Fielder? David Ortiz? Kevin Youkilis? I’ve read that Hank Greenberg was slow and lumbering. Does their lack of athleticism diminish any of these great ballplayers?”

You needn’t have Borenstein blood running through your veins to find the Top 20 list puzzling. Consider Inland Empire teammate Alex Yarbrough. A second baseman, he finished behind Borenstein in nearly every batting category. Shonerd described the 21-year-old as “not especially athletic or fleet afoot.” But there he is, ranked 9th on the list of top California League prospects.

Inland Empire didn’t respond to a request for comment on the snub. But it’s worth noting that when the Los Angeles Angels chose eight top prospects to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League this year, Borenstein was one of them.

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ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 30: Tampa Bay’s Sam Fuld steals third base against Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning of the American League Wild Card tiebreaker game at Rangers Ballpark.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

By Scott Barancik, editor

When defensive replacement Sam Fuld singled to open the 9th inning of Monday night’s tiebreaker against the Texas Rangers, you just knew he wasn’t going to passively run the bases.

It was a perfect Fuldian storm. With the Rays up by a slim 4-2 margin and a Wild Card slot on the line, the stakes were huge. And the Rays needed a morale boost: hostage to a boisterous Texas crowd, facing a team that had beaten them in the 2011 A.L. Wild Card game, Tampa Bay had lost at least one run in the 7th inning when umpires wrongly ruled that Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin had fairly caught rather than trapped a fly ball off the bat of Delmon Young.

Fuld‘s psychology also was at play. A 31-year-old utility player with a .199 batting average, the Stanford alum and father of two knows he remains a Major Leaguer primarily because of his stellar defense and heads-up, aggressive baserunning.

But no one could have predicted what “Super Sam” ended up doing next.

After the Rays’ Wil Myers advanced him to second base on a groundout, Fuld waited until the count on teammate Ben Zobrist was 2-and-2 and then headed for third base while Rangers pitcher Tanner Scheppers was still deciding which pitch to throw. Fuld was halfway down the line before the reliever realized what was happening. (See the video here.) After Scheppers’ off-balance toss went wide, the runner scrambled to his feet and ran home to score.

As usual, Fuld’s seemingly instinctive risk-taking was based on solid research.

“I knew [Rangers third baseman Adrian] Beltre was nursing a bad hammy, so I thought he might be slow to cover at third,” Fuld told MLB.com. “It was loud all night, and with the noise, it might take Scheppers longer to hear that I was going. And I had heard and I’d seen that he had trouble throwing to bases. I had that all working in favor for me. So I figured, why not take a chance?”

The Rays face Cleveland in the Wild Card game on Wednesday (10/2/2013).

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Mason Katz celebrates his 9th-inning HR in the championship series finale (ABBY DREY — CDT photo)

Mason Katz celebrates his 9th-inning HR in the championship series finale (ABBY DREY — CDT photo)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in June, former LSU star Mason Katz underperformed during the regular season, hitting a modest .249 for the State College Spikes (Class A-short season) while striking out once in every 4 at-bats. His trajectory looked even worse: in the final 10 games, the 5-foot-10-inch second baseman managed to hit just .184.

Apparently, Katz was saving his energy for the playoffs.

Leading all batters with a .435 average, 2 HRs (tie) and 9 RBIs in just 23 at-bats, he carried the Spikes to the brink of the New York-Penn League championships. The team lost to the Tri-City ValleyCats 4-3 in the finale despite Katz’s heroic 2-run HR in the bottom of the ninth.

State College defeated the Jamestown Jammers 2-games-to-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The ValleyCats beat them by the same margin in the second and final round.

Katz was picked in the 4th round of the 2013 draft, 125th overall. A 23-year-old native of Harahan, La., he received a $95,000 signing bonus. He is one of 38 Cardinals farmhands who will be participating in the franchise’s three-week-long instructional league, which begins tomorrow (9/20/2013) in Jupiter, Fla. Among the others attending is 2013 first-round pick Rob Kaminsky.

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(railcatsbaseball.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Gary RailCats left fielder Adam Klein has been named MVP of the American Association championship series.

Klein, 30, hit .533 with two doubles, 5 RBIs, five runs, and four walks as the Indiana-based RailCats defeated the Wichita Wingnuts 3 games to 1. A former Oakland Athletics farmhand, the 5-foot-11-inch Los Angeles native is best known for his baserunning, ability to draw walks, and excellent arm. He hit .288 during the 2013 regular season with seven triples (tied for 6th in the league), 40 RBIs, 78 walks (1st), 21 stolen bases, a .416 on-base percentage (5th), 10 outfield assists (1st), and 207 putouts (1st).

In an article in the Times of Northwest Indiana, Klein expressed admiration for Shawn Green, the former Los Angeles Dodgers star who sat out a game for Yom Kippur during the 2001 pennant race. Faced with a similar choice last week — Game 3 of the championship series took place on erev Yom Kippur — Klein made a different decision, if not lightly. “I haven’t strictly adhered to my religion, or let’s say it’s been quite challenging to do so throughout my playing career,” he said. “Obviously the holidays that I am around, I’m able to celebrate with family and be there, and adhere to the principles of the religion. My primary focus right now is to be here and take care of the task at hand.”

Led by Klein, the RailCats won Game 3 by a score of 7-6. The leadoff hitter went 4-for-4 with a walk, stolen base, and four runs, including Gary’s first and last of the game.

The American Association is considered the most competitive among all independent professional baseball leagues.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

For some Jewish baseball fans, Yom Kippur isn’t just the holiest day on the calendar. It’s also a litmus test of a ballplayer’s commitment to Judaism.

That’s not so true here at Jewish Baseball News, a secular website that holds no grudge against a ballplayer for choosing to swing a bat during the High Holidays (although we take pride when a player like Sandy Koufax or Shawn Green elects to pray rather than play).

Some players find ways to bridge the gap. Consider reliever Craig Breslow, who told Boston’s Jewish Journal:

“In previous years, I have participated in online Passover seders and High Holy Day services, and have fasted as best as I could, even on game days. ‘Typically, I try to observe the holidays in a way that is meaningful to me and indicative of my commitment to Judaism, but also honors and acknowledges the commitment that I have made to my teammates.”

So without further ado, here’s a breakdown of who played last night, and who didn’t.

Played

Six Jewish major leaguers played last night, and five of them emerged victorious:

  1. Nate Freiman, Oakland A’s.Went 1-for-2. Result: defeated the Texas Rangers.
  2. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers. Went 0-for-2 but drew three walks, drove in a run, and scored 2 more. Result: lost to the Oakland A’s.
  3. Danny Valencia, Baltimore Orioles. Went 1-for-4 with an RBI single. Result: defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.
  4. Craig Breslow, Boston Red Sox. Of the three batters faced, struck out one, walked another, and gave up a two-run double, leading to a blown save. Result: defeated the New York Yankees.
  5. Josh Zeid, Houston Astros. Pitched a scoreless 8th inning, giving up a walk and a hit but no runs, and earning a hold. Result: defeated the Los Angeles Angels.
  6. Sam Fuld, Tampa Bay Rays. Was brought in as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning. Result: defeated the Minnesota Twins.

Did not play, for one reason or another 

Four major leaguers didn’t play last night even though their teams did, and three of the teams won anyway. With the exception of Baltimore’s Scott Feldman, Baylawsuits doesn’t know whether it was the players’ decision not to play or their managers’.

  1. Scott Feldman, Baltimore Orioles. A member of the team’s starting rotation, he’d pitched 2 days earlier. Result: defeated the Toronto Blue Jays.
  2. Ryan Lavarnway, Boston Red Sox. A back-up catcher, he hasn’t played since Sept. 7. Result: defeated the New York Yankees.
  3. Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays. A back-up outfielder, he’d started seven of his team’s past 10 games and played part of one other. Result: lost to the Baltimore Orioles.
  4. Josh Satin, New York Mets. A versatile infielder, he’d started six of his team’s past 10 games and played parts of two others. Result: defeated the Miami Marlins.

Unable to play

Four players were on the disabled list, and one was on suspension for violating baseball’s anti-drug policy.

  1. Ike Davis, New York Mets. On disabled list.
  2. Ryan Kalish, Boston Red Sox. On disabled list.
  3. Jason Marquis, San Diego Padres. On disabled list.
  4. Kevin Youkilis, New York Yankees. On disabled list.
  5. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers. Suspended.

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Danny Valencia celebrates in the dugout after his 3rd-inning home run (Rob Carr/Getty Images via MLB.com)

Danny Valencia is greeted in the dugout after his 3rd-inning home run (Rob Carr/Getty Images via MLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

The surging Baltimore Orioles needed a solid start from Scott Feldman on Friday (9/6/2013) to advance their playoff hopes, but the 30-year-old right-hander gave them even more.

In the 127th start of his nine-year MLB career, Feldman pitched his first-ever shutout and second complete game as the O’s beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 (see video). He needed just 106 pitches to win, giving up 5 hits and one walk while striking out three. Feldman is 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts.

According to MLB.com, the shutout was Baltimore’s first in nearly 15 months.

Half of Feldman’s run support came from DH Danny Valencia, whose solo home run and RBI single gave the O’s their first two runs. The home run was Valencia’ 7th in just 98 at-bats this season.

Both men are relative newcomers to Charm City. The 6-foot-7-inch Feldman was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in a July trade, and Valencia from the Boston Red Sox in the off-season.

 

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(www.jlongphoto.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

With one game left in the regular season, Zach Borenstein‘s numbers are stellar.

His .335 batting average is tops in the California League (Class A-advanced). He has 27 home runs, tying him for 1st place.  He leads the league in slugging percentage (.625) and OPS (1.026), and he ranks 3rd in on-base percentage (.401/tie).

Borenstein won’t win the triple crown this year. With 94 RBIs, the Los Angeles Angels prospect trails league leader Andrew Aplin by 10. If he hadn’t spent nearly a month on the disabled list with a strained hip flexor, the crown likely would have been his. Through Saturday’s games, Aplin had 589 plate appearances to Borenstein’s 456.

Nothing can take away from the 23-year-old left fielder’s remarkable year, however. A 23rd-round pick in the 2011 amateur draft, Borenstein hit a combined .268 with 13 HRs and 71 RBIs in 406 at-bats during his first two years as a pro. Decent, certainly, but no comparison to his breakout performance in 2013.

Prospect-rating services have struggled to catch up. At the beginning of the season, Borenstein wasn’t listed among MLB.com’s Top 20 Angels prospects nor Baseball America’s Top 30. By mid-season, MLB.com had pushed the Buffalo Grove, Ill., native up to the No. 15 slot.

“Borenstein has never been considered much of a prospect,” said MLB.com’s mid-season report. “But he has hit everywhere he’s gone, from college to the Minor Leagues, and his breakout season at Class A Advanced Inland Empire has been too much to ignore.”

At seven games under .500, the Inland Empire 66ers are not playoff bound. Borenstein won’t be idle this Fall, though; he’s one of two Jewish prospects selected to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which commences Oct. 8. He and Oakland A’s prospect Jeff Urlaub, a relief pitcher, will play for the Mesa Solar Sox.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

A couple of minor-leaguers we didn’t know about until recently have been added to our roster of Jewish players.

As they used to say on Law and Order, here are their stories:

Jeremy Rathjen, 23

A 6-foot-5-inch, 195-pound outfielder out of Rice University, Rathjen was chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2012 amateur draft. He spent the 2012 season with the rookie-league Ogden Raptors, where he excelled, ranking among team leaders with a .324 average (4th), nine HRs (1st/tie), 53 RBIs (3rd), 17 doubles (2nd/tie), 16 stolen bases (2nd), a .443 on-base percentage (1st), and a .943 OPS (1st).

This year Rathjen’s playing for the Great Lakes Loons (Class A). Through Sunday’s games he was hitting .239 with 7 HRs, 60 RBIs (1st), 29 doubles (1st), 14 hit-by-pitches (1st), and a .347 on-base percentage (3rd).

Rathjen was the valedictorian of his high-school class in Houston, Tex. He turned down the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had selected him in the 45th round of the 2008 draft, to attend Rice. He was selected first team All-Conference USA his senior year and led the Owls with 9 home runs, 14 doubles, and a .525 slugging percentage.

Baseball America predicted he would be chosen within the first five rounds of the 2012 draft, but he dropped to the 11th round, possibly because of an ACL tear in his right knee. Improbably, he was one of three Jewish players chosen in the 11th round that year, the other two being Maxx Tissenbaum (San Diego Padres) and Eric Jaffe (Chicago White Sox).

Greg Zebrack, 22

Greg Zebrack went undrafted in 2013, but he didn’t escape the attention of the Washington Nationals, which signed him shortly after. Since then the 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound outfielder has played 37 games for the Auburn Doubledays (Class A-short season), hitting .236 with 1 HR, 14 RBIs, 7 stolen bases, and a .336 on-base percentage. He’s hit significantly better with men in scoring position (.290) and against lefties (.310).

Zebrack’s path to the pros was serpentine. After starring on the baseball team at his North Hollywood high school, he rejected a 43rd-round draft bid by the Los Angeles Dodgers in favor of playing for the USC Trojans. But scant playing time his freshman year led him to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania, where he became a legitimate star after sitting out his sophomore season.

After graduating from Penn, Zebrack returned to USC for an MBA and another shot at baseball there. In 2013 he hit .345 with 3 HRs, 15 doubles, a .422 on-base percentage and a .495 slugging percentage for the Trojans.

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Kevin Pillar makes diving catch of a ball hit by Boston Red Sox' Jonny Gomes during the sixth inning on 8/14/2013 (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

Kevin Pillar makes a diving catch to rob Boston’s Jonny Gomes of a hit on 8/14/2013 (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Toronto Blue Jays prospect Kevin Pillar made his MLB debut Wednesday (8/14/2013) in a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Called up to replace the injured Colby Rasmus on the Jays’ roster, the 24-year-old outfielder was held hitless in four at-bats but impressed with his glove, turning the first line drive he faced into a diving catch that made the nightly highlight reels.

“Thanks to all my friends and family that believed in me,” Pillar tweeted earlier in the day. “Today is the first day on that #roadtotheshow. Can’t wait to be in Toronto.”

Pillar’s ascent through the minors was unusually swift, and surprising. Selected in the 32nd round of the June 2011 draft, he went from rookie league to the Majors in only 2 years and 2 months while maintaining a cumulative .321 average. He split the 2013 season between Toronto’s Double-A and Triple-A teams, hitting a combined .307 with 9 HRs, 6 triples, 39 doubles, 57 RBIs, and 74 runs. His on-base percentage was .353, and his slugging percentage .461.

The last Jewish player to breeze as quickly through the minors was pitcher Aaron Poreda, who spent 2 years in the Chicago White Sox’s farm system before making his MLB debut in 2009 but never made it back after that season. A more favorable comparison might be Ryan Braun, who debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 after just under 2 years in the minors.

Kevin Pillar lined out to right in his first MLB at-bat, on 8/14/2013 (Nathan Denette/AP)

Kevin Pillar lined out to right in his first MLB at-bat on 8/14/2013 (Nathan Denette/AP)

Unlike Pillar, both Poreda and Braun were first-round draft picks. Of the 30 amateurs selected in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft, only Pillar has made it to the Majors, and just 16 remain in professional baseball. San Francisco Giants prospect Mike Mergenthaler is the only other player to reach Triple-A so far (see table).

Two other Jewish players — Oakland’s Nate Freiman, and Houston’s Josh Zeid — have made their MLB debuts in 2013.

(Click here to see Jewish Baseball News’ interview with Pillar from earlier this year.)

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Astros call-up reliever Josh Zeid

http://wapc.mlb.com/hou/play/?c_id=hou&content_id=20088195&tcid=tw_video_20088195

(MLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Josh Zeid, a 6-foot-4-inch reliever who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers last year, has been called-up from Triple-A by the Houston Astros.

It’s the 26-year-old New Haven native’s first time on a Major League roster since the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 10th round of the 2009 draft. Zeid earned his way to Houston by going 4-1 with a 3.50 ERA in 43 games for the Oklahoma City RedHawks. He struck out 53 batters across 43.2 innings while walking 27 and gave up just 3 HRs. In 15 games since becoming the RedHawks’ closer, he earned 13 saves.

“It’s a whole mix of emotions,” Zeid told the New Haven Register on Monday night (7/29/2013). “It’s something I’ve been working for my entire life. Not just my professional career, but since I was old enough to put on a Mets jacket when I was four years old. It’s surreal.”

Zeid will be the second Jewish player to make his MLB debut this season, preceded only by Oakland A’s 1B Nate Freiman. He was one of three players the Phillies traded to Houston in July 2011 for RF Hunter Pence. In college, he pitched for Vanderbilt and Tulane.

According to MLB.com (see video), Zeid “has a plus fastball which touches the upper-90s in shorter stints, as well as a nasty slider.”

The Astros face the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards tonight at 7:05pm ET.

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Jon Moscot pitched 8 shutout innings in a 10-0 win Saturday night (Ricky Bassman/Bakersfield Blaze)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Cincinnati Reds prospect Jon Moscot has put together some pretty impressive stats this season. The 21-year-old Pepperdine alum has struck out 112 batters, third most in the California League (A-advanced), while walking just 36. After posting an ERA of just 3.76 over his past 10 starts, his season ERA of 4.59 is trending downward.

One stat has threatened to shroud these bright spots, however: his 2-and-14 record. Sure, Moscot‘s Bakersfield Blaze are the league’s worst team, but even so, the former 4th-round pick has five more losses than any other pitcher.

So imagine how good it must have felt Saturday night when the 6-foot-4-inch righthander shut down the Lake Elsinore Storm 10-0 for his second win of the season after 8 straight losses, giving up just 3 hits over 8 innings and striking out six while walking none.

“It’s been a little frustrating. I won’t lie,” he told MiLB.com after the game. “It was probably the best I felt in a long time. Everything seemed to be working for me — they couldn’t get a bead on anything.”

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Jason Marquis faced the Cardinals on 7/19/2013 (MLB.com)

In his final season appearance on 7/19/2013, Jason Marquis faced the Cardinals (MLB.com)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Tough news today for Padres fans: starter Jason Marquis is done for the season after suffering “significant damage” to the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.

A 34-year-old righty who has played for seven teams during his 14-year career, Marquis reportedly will undergo so-called Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament. Whether he will pitch again, or for whom, is unknown. Marquis had a one-year deal with the Padres this season.

The Staten Island native began 2013 strong, going 9-2 with a 3.63 ERA in his first 14 starts before finishing 9-5 with a 4.05 ERA. The nine wins were his most since 2009, when Marquis went 15-13 for the Colorado Rockies and was named to the N.L. All-Star Team.


Jason Marquis: career pitching stats, MLB

Year Tm Lg W L ERA IP H ER BB SO
2000 ATL NL 1 0 5.01 23.1 23 13 12 17
2001 ATL NL 5 6 3.48 129.1 113 50 59 98
2002 ATL NL 8 9 5.04 114.1 127 64 49 84
2003 ATL NL 0 0 5.53 40.2 43 25 18 19
2004 STL NL 15 7 3.71 201.1 215 83 70 138
2005 STL NL 13 14 4.13 207.0 206 95 69 100
2006 STL NL 14 16 6.02 194.1 221 130 75 96
2007 CHC NL 12 9 4.60 191.2 190 98 76 109
2008 CHC NL 11 9 4.53 167.0 172 84 70 91
2009 COL NL 15 13 4.04 216.0 218 97 80 115
2010 WSN NL 2 9 6.60 58.2 76 43 24 31
2011 TOT NL 8 6 4.43 132.0 154 65 43 76
2011 WSN NL 8 5 3.95 120.2 132 53 39 71
2011 ARI NL 0 1 9.53 11.1 22 12 4 5
2012 TOT MLB 8 11 5.22 127.2 146 74 42 91
2012 MIN AL 2 4 8.47 34.0 52 32 14 12
2012 SDP NL 6 7 4.04 93.2 94 42 28 79
2013 SDP NL 9 5 4.05 117.2 111 53 68 72
14 Yrs 121 114 4.56 1921.0 2015 974 755 1137
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/23/2013.


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Ian Kinsler races home on a single, shortly after recording his record-setting 163rd stolen base (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Ian Kinsler races home on a single shortly after recording his record-setting 163rd stolen base (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

By Scott Barancik, editor

Ian Kinsler became the career leader in stolen bases among Jewish players Monday night (7/22/2013) with his 163rd theft in 200 attempts (box score).

The 31-year-old Texas Ranger drew a first-inning walk off of New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova, promptly stole second off of catcher Chris Stewart, and then scored on a single by Adrian Beltre. The steal nudged Kinsler ahead of retired slugger Shawn Green, who dropped to 2nd on the career leader list (see below).


[table “21” not found /]


Kinsler climbed the career leader list with relative efficiency, reaching the top spot in his 8th MLB season (compared to Green’s 15th), his 4,502th plate appearance (Green had 7,963), and his 200th attempted steal (Green attempted 214), giving him a success rate of 81.5 percent (Green’s was an admirable 75.7 percent) .

Although there is video of Kinsler stealing his record-tying 162nd base — he tied the record on July 13 — MLB.com did not post video of the 163rd theft. By coincidence, Kinsler’s 162nd stolen base made him the Texas Rangers’ career leader.

Kinsler had attempted to steal his 162nd base on July 8 against former teammate (and fellow Jew) Scott Feldman, but Orioles catcher Matt Wieters tossed him out. The Arizona State alum had spent a month on the disabled list earlier this season.

Kinsler is one of only a dozen players in MLB history to twice hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in the same season (2009, 2011), making him a two-time member of the “30/30 club.”

Year Tm AB HR RBI SB CS
2006 TEX 423 14 55 11 4
2007 TEX 483 20 61 23 2
2008 TEX 518 18 71 26 2
2009 TEX 566 31 86 31 5
2010 TEX 391 9 45 15 5
2011 TEX 620 32 77 30 4
2012 TEX 655 19 72 21 9
2013 TEX 285 9 36 6 6
8 Yrs 3941 152 503 163 37
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/23/2013.


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By Scott Barancik, editor

Ryan Braun, the Jewish slugger who won the National League MVP award in 2011 and vehemently denied using performance-enhancing drugs thereafter, has been suspended for the rest of 2013 for violating baseball’s drug policy (see MLB.com article).

“As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said in a statement. “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.”

That was as close as Braun — the 29-year-old son of an Israeli immigrant — came to admitting he had used steroids, human growth hormone, or some other pharmaceutical forbidden by Major League Baseball.

The suspension includes the final 65 games of the Milwaukee Brewers’ regular-season schedule as well as the playoffs, which the last-place Brewers (41-56) are unlikely to make. The team is owned by MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

Braun’s half-hearted admission, coming as it did after nearly two years of indignant claims of innocence, is unlikely to win him many admirers. Many will see his written statement as revisionist, his apology as forced. Indeed, ESPN and other sports outlets were spilling over with vitriol for the southern California native today.

The Jewish community is likely to respond similarly. To be sure, there will be supporters, among them some Jewish ballplayers. Cincinnati Reds prospect Jon Moscot tweeted this afternoon that he was “Wishing RB [Ryan Braun] all the best right now. Despite what anyone says I know his work ethic on a personal level and have the utmost respect for him.”

But as Tablet magazine pointed out last week, the Jewish community has never shown the sort of giddy idolatry for Braun that it did for Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, or even modern stars like Kevin Youkilis.

Some of that may have to do with Braun’s lukewarm embrace of us. In a 2010 interview with USA Today, Braun claimed to be “really proud” to be Jewish but went on to express skepticism about the Jewish community’s support. “I don’t want groups claiming me now because I’m having success,” he said.

When Braun apologized today to “anyone that I may have disappointed,” he mentioned the Brewers organization, its fans, and his teammates, but he did not mention the Jewish community.

On Jewish Baseball News’ Facebook page, a commenter was unequivocal about today’s greatest Jewish player. “He is a cheat, plain and simple.”

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