Jewish Baseball News

Max Fried in a post-game interview (WANE-TV, Fort Wayne)

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Talk about pressure.

Max Fried was a mere 18 years old when the San Diego Padres offered him a cool $3-million signing bonus in 2012. Hype followed the No. 7 draft pick everywhere. Even now, with only one full year of Minor League ball under his belt, he’s ranked the Padres’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com.

On Thursday (5/9/2013), the lanky southpaw delivered on that investment, pitching the first 5-and-2/3 innings of what would become just the second no-hitter in the 20-year history of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the Padres’ Single-A club. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said in a television interview (see below), and then heaped praise on the three relievers who shared the victory.

Fried struck out eight batters and walked four in the 1-0 victory over the Great Lakes Loons. He didn’t even rely on the curveball he famously picked up from years of watching rare Sandy Koufax footage. “I was really confident and able to throw my changeup in any count, I really relied on that,” he told MLB.com. “There were times that I didn’t have body command with my fastball and curveball.”

Caps Tally First Nine Inning No-Hitter

Five starts into the 2013 season, Fried — who did not get the win Thursday — is 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 24-and-2/3 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .200 against the 6 foot 4 inch hurler and have yet to hit a home run off him this year.

There to share in Thursday’s celebration was roommate and teammate Maxx Tissenbaum, who watched Fried’s dominating performance from one of the best seats in the house: second base.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Cody Decker is many things, but “average” is not one of them. Neither is “normal.” That seems to suit the 26-year-old San Diego Padres prospect just fine.

The southern California native  played a lead role in The Music Man and other productions in high school. A Dr. Who fan, he watches movies around the clock, poses for photos as his favorite characters (see pics below), and tends bar during the off-season. A constant barrage of clever one-liners has earned Decker more than 16,000 Twitter followers, an almost unheard-of number for a Minor League player.

Cody Decker, in superhero pose (c/o Cody Decker)" src="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Decker-diving-for-ball.jpg" width="614" height="407" srcset="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Decker-diving-for-ball.jpg 1024w, http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Decker-diving-for-ball-150x99.jpg 150w, http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Decker-diving-for-ball-300x198.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px" /> Padres prospect Cody Decker, in superhero pose (photo courtesy Cody Decker)

He also plays a little baseball. Before joining Team Israel for last year’s World Baseball Classic qualifiers, the 5-foot-11-inch, 220-pound slugger hit 29 home runs, the second-most  among all Padres prospects. Twenty-five of them came with the San Antonio Missions (AA), where he and Jewish teammate Nate Freiman (24 HRs) terrorized opposing pitchers.

Jewish Baseball News recently e-mailed Decker a handful of questions. He’re how the UCLA alum responded.

JBN: According to Baseball America, you were the lead in a school play your senior year of high school and had to quickly change into baseball gear after one performance in order to get to a game on time. Is that true? And if so, what was the play?

Decker as Magnum P.I.

Decker: I was in every play in high school. Starred in several. As for getting to the game on time, it was the other way around. Had a crowd of 1,200 at the theater, but my game went into extras. The second the game ended, had to sprint to the theater to get into wardrobe and get into character. The show [The Music Man] opened 45 minutes late.

JBN: Were you the inspiration for High School Musical? 

Decker: Doubtful, but yes….

JBN: True or false: you recently let your Twitter followers pick your walk-up song from a list you’d created, and they chose the theme song from the British television show Dr. Who.

Decker: True.

JBN: Do fans look at you funny when the song comes on?

Decker as Prince

Decker: I’m too busy getting all charged up by the song to notice.

JBN: In your first four seasons of Minor League ball, you played nearly every game either at First Base or in the outfield. Last month (4/21/2013), you played catcher for the first time. Is this something we should expect to see more of?

Decker: Yes. [Editor’s note: Padres staff recently decided to try Decker out at catcher after seeing him work a bullpen session.]

JBN: You’re 5-foot-11-inches tall. With the exception of Prince Fielder, who’s also 5’11”, all current Major League first basemen are taller. Is your height a disadvantage at that position?

Decker: So I’m told…. But I’ve yet to see any proof of that.

JBN: Last year, you and San Antonio Missions (AA) teammate Nate Freiman were among Texas League leaders in home runs with 25 and 24, respectively. Did you feel like Jewish superheroes?

Decker: We were Jewish superheroes…..We still are.

JBN: You played for Team Israel in 2012. What was it like to play with a whole team of Jews?

Decker: Best baseball experience of my life. It was a special bond we all had.

JBN: You have more than 16,000 Twitter followers, far above than the average Minor League. Your unique sense of humor has a lot to do with it. Are you just clever, or did someone accidentally swing a bat at your head when you were young?

Decker: Both?

JBN: During the off-season, you’ve been known to tend bar. What’s your favorite drink to make, and your favorite one to imbibe?

Decker: I enjoyed making an Old Fashioned…. The problem was I was the only one that would order it. I hated making shots.

Decker in “Bane” mask

JBN: According to your Tweets, you love watching movies. What is the dumbest baseball movie ever made?

Decker: Toss up between The Slugger’s Wife and The Rookie…. Both unwatchable.

JBN: Of the thousands of websites following Jewish baseball players, which one is the most fabulous?

Decker: There are other websites following Jewish baseball players?

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Scott Feldman hugs Dioner Navarro after earning the first complete-game win of his nine-year MLB career (MLB.com)

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By Scott Barancik, editor

During his nine years in the majors, Scott Feldman has never pitched a complete game. He has struck out more than 7 batters only once, an 11-strikeout performance with the Texas Rangers, back in 2009.

That is, until Wednesday night (5/1/2013).

In perhaps the most dominant performance of his career, the 30-year-old Chicago Cub struck out 12 batters and retired 18 in a row early on to cap a 6-2, complete-game victory over the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field (see video). Feldman not only limited the Padres to two earned runs on three hits and one walk, he helped his own cause by smashing an RBI double into the right-field corner (see video). It was just his second double and second RBI in 29 MLB at-bats.

Despite his towering height, the 6-foot-7-inch right hander has never been a strikeout artist. Wednesday night’s dozen matched his total output from all four prior starts this season.

Feldman debuted with the Rangers in 2005 and stayed in Texas until joining the Cubs this season. Wednesday’s complete-game win improved his record to 2-3 with a 3.34 ERA.

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(MiLB.com)

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By Scott Barancik, editor

If California League (High A) pitchers weren’t paying much attention to Zach Borenstein before, they certainly are now.

The 22-year-old outfielder hit not one but two 3-run HRs Sunday night (4/28/2013) in the Inland Empire 66ers’ 12-7 victory over the Lancaster Lugnuts. The day before, Borenstein went 3-for-5 and provided the winning margin with a 10th-inning HR. His two-day totals? Five hits in 10 at-bats, including 3 HRs and 8 RBIs.

The Los Angeles Angels prospect also hit 2 HRs on April 16. Borenstein‘s recent power barrage gives him an impressive 7 HRs in just 73 at-bats — 2nd most in the league — and 17 RBIs, along with a .288 batting average, .316 on-base percentage, .630 slugging percentage (6th highest) and .946 on-base plus slugging.

It’s a big step up in power from 2011, when the 6-foot-tall, 205-pounder hit .266 with 11 HRs, 50 RBIs, and a .485 slugging percentage in 293 at-bats for the Cedar Rapids Kernels (A). The Angels plucked Borenstein out of Eastern Illinois University in the 23rd round of the 2011 amateur draft.

The 66ers play a home game against the Lugnuts tonight (4/30/2013) in San Bernadino, Calif.

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Editor’s note: Maxx Tissenbaum is a 21-year-old prospect with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the San Diego Padres’ Single-A team, and an honest chronicler of life in the minor-leagues. Click here to see Maxx‘s past blog entries, and click here to join our mail list.

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By Maxx Tissenbaum/Special to Jewish Baseball News

It has been a while since I last posted, and a whole bunch of things have happened since my last entry so I’ll try and catch you up on the good stuff.

Friday night (4/19/2013) was the start of our last home stand, a quick 3-gamer against the Lansing Lugnuts, the Blue Jays’ affiliate. I knew a lot of the guys on their team from last summer, when we played against each other as Eugene Emeralds (us) and Vancouver Canadians (them). We always seemed to have exciting games against Vancouver last summer, so I was excited heading into the series. I found out that my parents were also making the trip to Fort Wayne for the last two games of the series and that was extremely exciting for me. Friday night we had a great crowd, something we’ve come to expect from Fort Wayne in spite of the horrible weather. We took the field and it felt like it was 15 degrees (that’s a Fahrenheit reference, so for the Canadian readers it would be -9.4). This feeling was soon the least of our worries as midway through the game we had our first blizzard of the season. No, not a Dairy Queen promotion, an actual, full on BLIZZARD, complete with blowing snow. At one point in the game I joked with Dalton Pompey, Lansing’s CF who is from Oakville, that we should be used to playing in snow because it’s always snowing in Canada. This is a question I’ve found surprisingly common when I meet new teammates. We finally were able to beat Taylor Cole, who had our number last summer. We knocked off Lansing 7-3 and sprinted up the tunnel in search of the warmth of our clubhouse. I had another unimpressive night, leaving way too many runners on base and not capitalizing on big opportunities. I spent most of the night after I got back to the apartment talking to my sister, mostly complaining about how I couldn’t hit. I still didn’t feel right at the plate and that really bothered me.

Saturday was another cold day, again I was forced to wear four undershirts to try and combat the deep freeze. We did early front toss on the field with Burkie and then batting practice on the field and I felt better. I wasn’t 100% sure what felt better, but something felt closer to my normal. As we ran off the field at the end of BP I saw my parents standing at the top of the section behind our dugout. I ran inside, put on my Padres toque (Canadian word here, also known as a Beanie in the USA) and an extra fleece to come out and talk to them. I spent 20 minutes or so standing in the seating bowl talking to them, which was awesome. It’s incredible what a calming influence having my parents around is. I just relaxed, I knew that I’d get it together and get back to being me at the plate. Our team absolutely went off at the plate, scoring 17 runs on 21 hits, and collecting runs in 5 of our 8 trips to the plate. We faced Roberto Osuna, a top Blue Jays prospect who we all had been told was a major power arm. I assume the cold had something to do with it, but we didn’t really see his “plus fastball” on display. I managed to collect three hits for the first time all season, and it was one of those games that I just laughed my way through. It was an ugly three-hit night, but when you’re not hitting ugly hits are beautiful too. I had a hit-and-run ground ball just out of the reach of their SS, a line drive that went into and out of the pitcher’s glove, and then a 15 hopper through the middle. What a difference a day makes, I went from feeling like I totally didn’t belong to laughing at how stupid a three-hit game I had and suddenly my numbers weren’t so ugly. I picked up about 50 points on the average, helped my team win with 3 RBIs and finally felt like I was in each at bat. I felt locked in.

We finished the Lansing series in our Sunday reds, a special uniform we wear at home only. We played a 3:05 game, and finally had some really nice weather. I finally got to wear my 3/4 sleeves under my jersey, and didn’t have to feel like the Michelin man buried under four layers. It was a nice way to go into the game, with everyone excited about the early start, the good weather, and the ability to “swag out.” Sunglasses, wrist tape, and cut-off undershirts were on full display as we again jumped out to a big early lead. We were up 5-0 through 5 innings and it seemed we were well on our way to a series sweep. With Hancock on the mound we are always pretty much certain that if we score once we should win, he’s just that dominant. All of a sudden however, we found ourselves in a dogfight, tied 5-5. Rodney Daal, who made the play at the plate to save a game last homestand, came to the plate and CRUSHED a home run to left field to give us the lead again, and we didn’t give that one up. Roman came in and slammed the door, completing our first sweep of the year. I felt awesome at the plate, I hit pitches hard, I took pitches that were borderline, and finally felt like myself again. I have to tip my hat to my parents, they both noticed that my set up in the batters box was totally different from how I normally dug in. They suggested that I try to widen my base like I did all through college to see if I felt more comfortable. I absolutely did, so their trip down was more important to me than just as a visit, having not seen them in a while. It was great to have extra sets of eyes that have seen me grow up as a hitter to make a small suggestion that made such an impact. After the game we had our Sunday autograph session in right field, fans pouring onto the field in droves. My parents came down, said goodbye and took some pictures of me signing before leaving me my Toronto Maple Leafs blanket, giving me a hug and leaving for home. We signed for a while, making sure to talk to the kids and fans as they walked around. The autograph sessions are a lot of fun for me because I love (big surprise here) interacting with all the kids and the fans.

We then went on the road, driving down to Bowling Green, Kentucky. In our first game against the Hot Rods, the Tampa Bay Rays’ affiliate, I got hit by pitch and taken out of the game. It was a major bummer to not get to play, or be in the dugout cheering for my teammates while I was stuck inside doing stuff to help get the welt healed. I sat in the clubhouse alone with the little “zappy” machine before heading back to the dugout for the late innings. We ended up getting beat pretty badly, only to turn around and do it again the next day. Today is the finale of this series, and we’ll drive back north to Fort Wayne after the game. Hopefully I’ll be able to play tonight, because there is no feeling as helpless as not being able to contribute to the team. Sitting in the dugout watching the game was a major letdown, and certainly is something I don’t want to do again.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Joc Pederson is living up to his billing.

Ranked the Los Angeles Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, the Chattanooga Lookouts outfielder celebrated his 21st birthday Sunday (4/21/2013) by being named the Southern League (AA) Offensive Player of the Week. Pederson earned the honor by going 11-for-27 with four walks during the week ended 4/21/2013 and extending his hitting streak to 15 games.

The highlight was Wednesday’s  5-4 victory over the Birmingham Barons, when he went 3-for-4 with two HRs and four RBIs (see box score).

Pederson ranks among Southern League leaders with 5 HRs (1st/tie), 5 doubles (2nd/tie), 12 RBIs (3rd/tie), 6 stolen bases (3rd/tie), a .682 slugging percentage (1st), and an on-base plus slugging of 1.052 (1st).

Selected out of Palo Alto High School in the 11th round of the 2010 amateur draft (352nd overall), Pederson earned a signing bonus of $600,000. He played for Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifiers.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

At least three players recently released by their Minor League teams have taken jobs in independent baseball leagues. All three played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers last year.

Adam Greenberg has rejoined the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League, a team the 32-year-old center fielder last played for in 2011. Greenberg had been attempting to return to the Major Leagues but recently was released by the Baltimore Orioles.

Relief pitcher Jeff Kaplan signed a contract earlier this month with the Quebec Capitales, the reigning champion of the independent CanAm League. Kaplan, 27, had been released last month by the New York Mets’ Double-A affiliate. 

Designated hitter Casey Haerther has joined the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent American Association. Haerther had been released by the Los Angeles Angels’ Double-A affiliate..

A list of all independent league players known to be Jewish is available here. We thank Jewish Sports Review for helping us assemble it.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Here are highlights for minor-league games played from April 14-16, 2013:

• Los Angeles Angels prospect Zach Borenstein is on a power trip. The 22-year-old first baseman hit a HR on Monday (box score) and two more on Tuesday (box score) for a combined five RBIs. Unfortunately, his latter two HRs came against Jewish pitcher Jon Moscot, a 21-year-old Cincinnati Reds prospect. Borenstein plays for the Inland Empire 66ers (A-advanced).
• Robbie Widlansky, another Los Angeles Angels prospect, went a combined 5-for-8 on Monday and Tuesday with a HR, double, two walks, and 4 RBIs. A 28-year-old outfielder, Widlansky plays for the Arkansas Travelers (AA).
• Ben Guez went 2-for-3 on Monday with a bases-clearing double, a single, and a walk (box score). Guez plays for the Toledo Mud Hens (AAA) and was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2012.
• Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum pitched masterfully Monday, giving up one run on 2 hits and no walks over 6 innings and inducing 15 groundouts (box score). Rosenbaum has a 0.82 ERA after two starts this season and has held opponents to a .162 batting average. He plays for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA).
• New York Yankees prospect Jeremy Bleich pitched 4 scoreless innings Tuesday to maintain his perfect 0.00 ERA (box score). A 25-year-old reliever with the Trenton Thunder (AA), Bleich has given up 8 hits and no earned runs over 12 innings this season while holding opposing teams to a .195 batting average.
• Houston Astros prospect Josh Zeid lowered his ERA to 1.80. After giving up his only earned run of the season Sunday, the 6-foot-4-inch reliever returned to form Monday with a scoreless one-inning performance (box score). Zeid plays for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA).
• Seattle Mariners prospect David Colvin pitched 2 scoreless innings Tuesday to lower his ERA to 2.00, giving up 2 hits while striking out 4 of the eight batters he faced. Colvin plays for the High Desert Mavericks (A-advanced).
• St. Louis Cardinals prospect Corey Baker pitched a combined 3 scoreless innings on Monday and Tuesday, giving up only one hit and no walks while striking out five. Baker, who plays for the Peoria Chiefs (A), has a 0.00 ERA after five games.
• Justin Schumer‘s first appearance of the season was a success. The San Francisco Giants prospect pitched 3 scoreless innings in a relief role Monday (box score), giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two. Schumer plays for the Augusta GreenJackets (A).

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Nate Freiman hits his first MLB home run, a 3-run shot off Erik Bedard of the Houston Astros (video still courtesy of mlb.com)

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

It took Oakland A’s rookie Nate Freiman just 14 MLB at-bats to smash his first home run (see video), a 3-run shot off Houston Astros starter Erik Bedard that landed in the upper-level left-field bleachers before a cheering hometown crowd on Monday (4/15/2013).

ESPN’s Home Run Tracker estimated the ball traveled 396 feet. The A’s went on to defeat the Astros in a lopsided 11-2 win.

Freiman said hitting the home run was an “amazing feeling” but that the day was “bittersweet,” given the explosions that marred Monday’s running of the Boston Marathon. The 26-year-old first baseman grew up in nearby Wellesley, Mass., where many family members remain.

A’s manager Bob Melvin praised Freiman after the game, according to MLB.com. “He’s produced for us, and it’s in limited action, which is really difficult for a younger player,” Melvin said. “He works really hard. It’s awfully rewarding to see a guy come up with a big hit like that, and against a former club too. To get his first home run and it be the big blow of the game really, I’m sure he’ll go home with a smile on his face tonight.”

After the 2012 season, Jewish Baseball News named Freiman the top minor-league power hitter. The Astros acquired him in December’s Rule 5 draft, months after the 6-foot-8-inch slugger starred with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. But when the Astros placed Freiman on waivers in March, Oakland grabbed him. He opened the 2013 season on the A’s roster but has seen limited action, serving Monday as designated hitter. Interestingly, the A’s are 6-1 in games where Freiman has played, and 4-3 otherwise.

Freiman’s homer off former teammate Bedard came on a 1-2 count. After seeing three fastballs, he crushed the next pitch, a 73 mph curveball. Security persuaded a fan to give up the home-run ball in exchange for one signed by Freiman (see video).

Oakland is scheduled to play Houston again tonight (4/16/2013) at 10:05 pm ET.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Here are highlights from minor-league games played on Saturday, April 13:

• Max Fried, a 19-year-old starter ranked the San Diego Padres’ No. 2 prospect by MLB.com, earned his first professional win, and in dominant fashion. Fried pitched 5 scoreless innings for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Single-A), giving up just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out eight (see article and box score). Chosen 7th overall in the 2012 amateur draft — for which he received a $3-million bonus — the 6’4″ Californian walked the first batter of the game but then picked him off first base. Providing support was Jewish teammate and roommate Maxx Tissenbaum, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and drew his Midwest League-leading 10th walk of the season. (Click here to see Tissenbaum‘s excellent blog.)
• Double-A players Jack Marder and Jake Lemmerman both hit their first HRs of the 2013 season. Marder, a Seattle Mariners prospect who went 2/4 and added a walk, was Jewish Baseball News’ 2012 minor-league rookie of the year. Lemmerman plays shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization.
• Red-hot New York Mets prospect Josh Satin had a perfect day at the plate, going 2/2 with a home run, 3 RBIs, and 3 walks for the Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A). Satin is hitting .474 (3rd highest in the Pacific Coast League) with 4 HRs (1st/tie), 12 RBIs (3rd/tie), 12 runs (2nd/tie), a .545 on-base percentage (3rd/tie), and an on-base plus slugging of 1.440 (3rd).
• Baltimore Orioles prospect (and former Major Leaguer) Danny Valencia went 3/4 and drove in a run, raising his batting average to .333. Valencia plays third base for the Norfolk Tides (Triple-A).
• In his second start of the 2013 season, Tampa Bay Rays prospect Sean Bierman earned his second consecutive shutout. Bierman gave up five singles and no walks while striking out four batters for the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Single-A).

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Editor’s note: Maxx Tissenbaum is a 21-year-old prospect with the San Diego Padres organization and an honest chronicler of life in the minor-leagues. Click here to see Maxx‘s past blog entries, and here to join our mail list.

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By Maxx Tissenbaum/Special to Jewish Baseball News

There are very few days in a calendar year that I find to be as important as Opening Day. Sure, baseball is a marathon of a season and the first game rarely, if ever, has a real outcome on the season. I understand that, but there is something about Opening Day, and a team’s Home Opener, that just make an early April day so much more than just an early April day. As you can imagine, April 11 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, isn’t necessarily going to be the most wonderful weather day of the year, but it was the night of our Home Opener at Parkview Field.

Now let me backtrack just so you get the whole Minor League Baseball experience. My team started the season on a 7-game road trip, of which we played only 6 because rain washed out our middle game against West Michigan. We finished our series in the cold and the rain of Grand Rapids around 9:30 p.m on April 10. We all packed up our own lockers, showered and brought our stuff out to the bus. I was in charge of making sure the trainer’s equipment also made it to the bus, so I had to make three trips back and forth to get everything loaded. Yes, players do have to carry things in the Minor Leagues, and no, the bags on wheels don’t always have a handle (it shattered into a million pieces en route to Grand Rapids). We left Fifth Third Field shortly after 10 p.m and made the 3-and-a-half-hour DRIVE back to Fort Wayne, arriving at the ballpark around 1:30 a.m. We all threw our bags into our lockers (and the trainer’s bags into his office) before running to our cars to drive back to our apartments. All told, I think I finally made it into bed around 2:15 a.m. after our quick Taco Bell stop, and taking time to (Mom and Dad, get this) put my laundry in the bucket and fold up my clothes and put them back in my closet!

So, 7 hours of sleep later, I was awake and back at it. Walker Weickel, one of my roommates, and I woke up early to go and do the grocery shopping. Now, I do consider myself a pretty decent grocery shopper. I can always take a list based on a recipe Mom or Dad is going to work from and I can come home with everything we need. I have NEVER had to shop to stock a completely EMPTY apartment that has four male athletes between the ages of 19-22 living in it.

I had a bit of a panic attack and decided to call in the expert. I spent most of my time in the store talking it through with my Mom, making sure that I got what I needed and avoided the ingredients for Pizookies and other desserts that I really can’t afford to be messing around with just yet. Walker and I each had a shopping cart filled to the top, and we attempted to guess each of our bills. We were both off by around $40 but I was closer, so by Price is Right rules I won. We came home and unpacked everything into our fridge, cupboards and drawers making sure to keep everything incredibly organized. We then quickly made brunch, as it was almost time to leave for the stadium. I fried up some eggs, cut in some (ADVERTISING here) Bumpercrop Beer Sweet Peppers and made some toast. I had Brian Adams and Dane Phillips, two of my teammates from last summer, come over to the apartment because we were all going to the stadium for early hitting. I crushed my lunch, rinsed the dishes and the frying pan, and grabbed my keys to head to the field.

Arriving at the stadium I began to get butterflies, not the nervous UH OH ones, but the excited I CAN’T WAIT ones. We headed down to the clubhouse and I flipped on the TV by my locker and put The Masters on. We all quickly changed into a pregame outfit, some guys wearing shorts over their spandex pants, others wearing game pants. The great thing about being at home is that we get to set the schedule pregame and do whatever we want. Burkie, our hitting coach, has made a schedule that allows us up to an hour of open cage time to get loose, then a full hour of on-field soft toss all before batting practice. Dane, BA and I went upstairs to the cage and hit for about 15 minutes inside to get loose before heading to the field for front toss. At 2 o’clock when we started there were 10 guys, so we split into two groups, lefties hitting first and the righties in the outfield retrieving the balls. I got the majority of my pregame work in during this on field session. I love being able to see the ball travel, and take mental notes of how my swing feels, how the wind is playing, even how the field itself is playing. I know it sounds like I’m searching for things to make this seemingly mundane pregame prep work seem more interesting but it really is invaluable both offensively and defensively. I get to see how the ball reacts in the air and on the ground, which can give me some hints about how I’ll need to position myself defensively during the game. We finished our soft toss session after chasing down the balls hit by the right-handed hitters, and I remember saying to Corey Adamson, our Australian outfielder, how lucky I felt to be running around chasing down baseballs.

It occurred to me as I took in the sight of our stadium decked out in Opening Day bunting that I am extremely blessed to call this my job, and to not have to be in Tuesday night classes like I was almost every semester at Stony Brook. We headed back inside to get ready for BP [batting practice], but I was asked to go do an interview for WFFT, the local Fox station. I ran back to the dugout, sat up on the top of the bench like all the Big Leaguers do it, and fielded questions about our road trip, team bonding and, of course, our Home Opener.

I hurried back inside to get ready for our team pregame, which started at 3:30. We stretched, ran the bases for conditioning, and then threw to get our arms loose. We took an “infield” (because it’s sacrilegious in pro ball to call it In and Out like we do in college) and then went back upstairs to the cages for batting practice, as the grounds crew didn’t want us to mess up the field with the inclement weather on its way. We hit for our usual 12-minute groups and then headed to the clubhouse for our pregame snack/meal. We had pulled pork as our hot meal item, and then the usual spread of peanut butter, jelly, fruit, yogurt and of course Oreos. I sat in my locker watching the NCAA Frozen Four game between Yale and UMass Lowell and eating before heading to the gym for a quick workout. BA and I knocked out our lift in about 25 minutes, and then headed back to our lockers to kill the rest of the pregame time.

When it was finally time to hit the field we were all pretty excited, we got to see our faces on the scoreboard and those awkward videos of us waving the bat in front of the camera for the lineup introductions.

Just before 7 o’clock we had our team introductions, jogging out to the first-base line and giving high fives to each other, just like you see on TV every year during the Big League openers. When Joe Ross was finally ready to go we hit the field. I immediately was blown away by how many people were at the game. It was foggy, rainy and cold, but somehow we had over 5,000 fans packed into the ballpark. Apparently we not only have the best ballpark in MiLB but we also have the best fans, so shout out to Fort Wayne for the support on Opening Night! Joe was dominant, and we put together enough offense to score 4 runs in the first 5 innings. I had a double in my second at bat, and it felt great to get the first one out of the way. It’s nice to show well on Opening Day so the crowd’s first impression of you as a player is positive. An “0 for” in your Home Opener is a great way to start pressing and to forget about the process of hitting.

The game lasted only 6 innings before being called on account of rain. We won 4-0 and snapped our 3-game losing streak. The only thing we had left to do was give away our red game jerseys to the fans that had won them. We all lined up in front of the dugout and proceeded to find the person or family with our number on their card. We shook hands, posed for pictures and autographed the jerseys, and then a few of us stuck around to sign for some kids that had stayed through the game and post-game. We signed hats, shirts, a bat and several baseballs before heading inside to get changed. We passed on eating in the clubhouse as Max’s dad had invited the four of us (roommates) out for dinner at Champions, a sports bar in the hotel we stayed at during our first three days in Fort Wayne. Finally, around midnight we got home and watched parts of the game on our DVR which I had set in the morning. It was really cool to watch a telecast of a game I played in, in my own apartment, on my own DVR.

Looking back on the evening I can’t even describe how cool it was to finally be a part of a true Opening Day ceremony. Getting to jog out to the line and high five teammates and then just take in the atmosphere was truly a cool experience. My other memory was of a conversation me and our SS Stephen Carmon had during the 4th inning. He remarked that he was impressed by the crowd on such a gross night weather-wise. That got me thinking, how awesome is it going to be when Parkview Field is absolutely packed out on a sunny July afternoon? I’ll have to wait for that dream to become reality, however, because once again I woke up and found that it is 39 degrees and cloudy. Oh well, a man can dream, right?

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

One of the minor leagues’ most intriguing (and proudly Jewish) young players today is Maxx Tissenbaum, a 21-year-old prospect with the San Diego Padres. And not just because he’s a sure-handed infielder, tough out, and base-on-balls machine.

The switch-hitting Toronto native is an excellent writer, too. It’s our good fortune that Maxx has agreed to start blogging at Jewish Baseball News. As you can see from prior entries on his WordPress site, he offers a peek into the world of minor-league baseball that only a player can, and frequently .

Below is a short note to you from Maxx, plus his first blog entry. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. If you do, please leave Maxx a comment and share his blog with a friend.# # #

By Maxx Tissenbaum/Special to Jewish Baseball News

Hi, I’m Maxx Tissenbaum and I’ll be posting here on Jewish Baseball News now, as I’ve been invited to share my stories with this new audience. I began keeping a blog last summer because my mother, Lisa Taerk, told me it would be a good way for me to keep track of the stories, memories and lessons learned along my journey through the Minor Leagues.

Baseball and Judaism have long been intertwined in my family and my life. I grew up going to synagogue during High Holidays knowing I would miss parts of all the playoff games I wanted to watch. I would sit with my Zidie, with all of his friends at our synagogue and after services we would discuss our favorite topic, baseball.

When it became time to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah, I figured there was no place on earth I’d rather have the reception than at a Blue Jays game, so technically speaking I had the 2004 Blue Jays and Yankees rosters celebrate with me and my family.

I was lucky enough to participate in a Maccabiah when I was 16, which was an experience I’ll never forget. The week we spent in Los Angeles was lots of fun, and a very cool way for me to connect my religion and baseball once again.

I’m currently playing in my first full professional season after being drafted by the San Diego Padres 345th overall (11th Round) in June. I currently play for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Class A), where I actually am teammates with another Jewish Max, Max Fried. We have become good friends and his name will also pop up a lot in my writing as we live together in Fort Wayne.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories, and following this journey that I love so much! Feel free to comment on any of my posts and I’ll do my best to answer as quickly and thoroughly as I can!

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Maxx Tissenbaum’s blog (April 9, 2013)

The last two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind, between the end of Spring Training and the start of the regular season there are too many things for a person to actually process at one time. I’ve written this post from notes that I wrote myself either in my phone or on my Ipod because quiet frankly as the stories unfolded they changed, and changed again and then finally became something solid. That being said, bear with me if some of this seems like disjointed mumbo-jumbo.

As Spring Training drew to its final week we were reassigned to our likely Opening Day rosters. We began to play as a unit that would eventually fly north together to get a feel for each other on the diamond. Our team got a huge boost when Scooter (Stephen Carmon, from my Eugene team last summer) was taken off the rehab roster and given the go-ahead to participate in full. Scooter and I developed very solid chemistry last season and turned a lot of big double plays as the season wound down. I was really excited to have him back because knowing my shortstop’s tendencies becomes a major issue when a giant first baseman is barreling down on me as I try to turn two. We started talking half jokingly that we were going to try and break the league record for double plays turned. I say half jokingly because he is very sarcastic in his nature, and we’re both very confident in each other up the middle.

Then there were the last minute cuts, which obviously were a major bummer. Again, the last four days had proven to be a similar series of highs and lows. Guys we were pulling for to make our team going both ways, some making the team and others being reassigned to Extended Spring Training. We saw Ronnie Richardson, who lead us on so many huge comebacks last summer. slide off our roster, but he handled it like a true professional and I have no doubt that he’ll be up here soon doing his patented walk-off home run trot.

As this whole juggling act went on we began to form groups of players that would eventually become roommates once we arrived. I originally was going to live with Dane Phillips, Brian Adams and Scooter, but when Baltz got moved back to our team from the Lake Elsinore roster he had been playing with all spring, that changed. Rosters then began to dictate living arrangements. Matt Shepherd and I agreed to live together, and had talked to Matt Chabot from our Eugene team about joining us. When he was reassigned the plan changed again and we chose to get an apartment with Walker Weickel and Max Fried. We had all discussed rooming together earlier in the spring, and somehow had come full circle.

The last day of Spring Training we played a morning game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch and we got no-hit. The game seemed to be totally secondary as everyone seemed to be more focused on our flights north the next morning. We showered back at the complex and then emptied our lockers. The garbage cans were overflowing with half empty bags of sunflower seeds, empty cans of dip, old cleats, batting gloves and broken bats that had managed to stick around for locker room games. I went to sleep at 8:30 pm because we were scheduled to leave the hotel at 2:30 am for our 5:00 am flight. We flew in typical Minor League fashion, hopping between cities on connecting flights from Phoenix to Houston to Chicago and finally Fort Wayne.

We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and were told that the ballpark/clubhouse would be closed. As soon as Shepherd and I dropped off our bags we headed to the ballpark to walk around and take in our new home. To say the ballpark blew us away is the understatement of the century. Walking up to the center field gate we immediately were able to see our new stadium’s most notable feature. In right field there is a parking garage beyond the outfield seating, and built onto the side of the building is the scoreboard and a seating area called “The Treetops.” We each pulled out our cameras and began snapping pictures of everything.

I wish I knew how to post a bunch of pictures in an album because I have about 30 that really show every part of the ballpark, from its intricate angles in the outfield to the seating bowl and everything in between. We eventually made our way down to the dugout where we met up with Mallex Smith and Joe Ross. Right as we were about to leave, our trainer Ricky showed up to drop his stuff off in the “closed” clubhouse. We followed him into the clubhouse knowing it would be open for him and so we piled into the labyrinth beneath the stadium. We got our first glimpse of the locker room, weight room, players lounge and training room. We met AJ, who is our clubhouse manager, and got to discuss the important things like jersey numbers and pant sizes. We immediately got a good vibe from AJ, who was quickly joking around with Joe, picking up on stories from last year when Joe made his debut here. I picked a locker that would give me optimal access to one of the TV’s on the wall of the locker room. I avoided corner lockers, because as I found out last year they always become overcrowded. We threw some of our stuff that we had shipped to Fort Wayne into our lockers and then went back to the hotel for dinner. Our next few days consisted of practices, media day and an autograph session which were all a lot of fun. We got to do those TV introductions that the big league guys always do, staring into the camera and giving our best “Hi I’m ____ and this is Fort Wayne TinCaps baseball on Xfinity!” We goofed around like we always do when any of us is in front of a camera. Before we knew it we were packed and on the road for our first trip of the year.

Opening Day was in Michigan at the home of the Great Lakes Loons, the Class A affiliate of the Dodgers. We played a four-game series in freezing cold weather which included wind, rain and even a little bit of snow. We took the first three games, including one awesome 9th-inning comeback in which we went from down 2-0 to winning 6-2 in what seemed like a matter of 30 seconds. The final game was a bad one: we didn’t hit, pitch or defend the way we are clearly capable, and we got thumped pretty bad. The highlight of the series for me was having my Dad there to finally get to see me play in a professional uniform. When I signed, I immediately went to Arizona and then off to Oregon for the summer so I had never been anywhere close enough for him to make the trip. It was really cool for me to be able to leave him tickets at Will Call (even though I totally forgot the 2nd time to rewrite the pass list) and to have him see me play. It was interesting that just 5 years earlier we had stumbled across the exact stadium en route to a recruiting visit at Central Michigan University. Baseball has a funny way of writing stories that all end up tying together. This was a pretty special one for me, and I am incredibly thankful that he was able to come down for the weekend. Hopefully, next time the weather won’t be so awful and there might be a better crowd to have a little atmosphere.

We’re currently in Grand Rapids, Michigan, finishing up this 7-game road trip tomorrow night with another game against the West Michigan Whitecaps (Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers). We will then hop back on the bus and head home to Fort Wayne, where we open up our home schedule Thursday night at Parkview Field. I put a reminder in my phone to write every third day starting Friday, when I’ll recap our trip home and our Home Opener! Until then, it’s back to waiting out the rain here in Grand Rapids, as our middle game has been washed out for the day. Back at it tomorrow, Go TinCaps!

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Here are highlights from minor-league games played on Monday, April 8:

• Toronto Blue Jays prospect Kevin Pillar, the 2012 Midwest League MVP, went 1/4 with a single, two walks, one RBI and a run scored (box score). Pillar plays for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
• New York Mets prospect Josh Satin extended his torrid April pace, going 3/4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored (box score). Satin, who plays for the Las Vegas 51s (AAA), is hitting .476 with one HR, two doubles, and 4 RBIs in 21 at-bats.
• San Diego Padres prospect Maxx Tissenbaum didn’t get any hits, but he didn’t get any outs, either. Playing for the Fort Wayne Tin Caps (A), Tissenbaum walked four times and scored once (box score).
• St. Louis Cardinals prospect Corey Baker still hasn’t allowed a run this season. In his third relief appearance for the Peoria Chiefs (A), Baker gave up two singles over two innings while striking out four and walking none (box score).
• Danny Rosenbaum‘s first Triple-A start was a success. The Washington Nationals prospect pitched five shutout innings for the Syracuse Chiefs, yielding 4 singles and 2 walks while striking out two (box score).

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Here are highlights from minor-league games played on Sunday, April 7:

• Joc Pederson, ranked the Los Angeles Dodgers’ #4 prospect by Baseball America, went a combined 3-for-7 with two HRs, a double, and 3 RBIs. Pederson is an outfielder with the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA).
• New York Mets prospect Josh Satin went 2-for-4 with a double to raise his average to .412. Satin plays for the Las Vegas 51s (AAA).
• In his first start of the 2013 season, Tampa Bay Rays prospect Sean Bierman pitched 5 innings of one-hit ball. Bierman plays for the Bowling Green Hot Rods (A).
• Seattle Mariners prospect David Colvin pitched two and 1/3 perfect innings. Colvin plays for the High Desert Mavericks (High-A).

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Here are highlights from minor-league games played on Saturday, April 6:

• Toronto Blue Jays prospect Kevin Pillar, an outfielder with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA), went 4-for-5 with 2 stolen bases. Pillar also tossed out a runner at third base (box score).
• In his 2013 debut, Detroit Tigers prospect Ben Guez homered and walked twice (box score). Guez is an outfielder with the Toledo Mud Hens (AAA).
• In his first game at the Triple-A level, Houston Astros reliever Josh Zeid pitched a scoreless inning for the Oklahoma City RedHawks (box score). Zeid yielded no hits and one walk while striking out two.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

With the regular season now underway, we’re taking a quick look back at how Jewish players performed in spring training.

The sheer number who played was impressive: a total of at least 24 Jews — 18 position players and six pitchers — got on the field for at least one MLB game this spring.

BATTING

Collectively,  position players hit .255 with 14 HRs and 64 RBIs in 384 at-bats (see table below). Several stood out:

• Kevin Youkilis had an eye-popping debut with the New York Yankees. He led all Jewish players (as well as all Yankees) with 6 HRs, 6 doubles and 14 RBIs in just 50 at-bats, along with an .800 slugging percentage and a 1.139 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
• New York Mets prospect Josh Satin made the most of his 16 plate appearances, cobbling together 3 singles, 2 doubles, 5 walks, and 3 RBIs to amass a .455 batting average and .647 on-base percentage.
• Ike Davis, another Met, showed great poise at the plate, hitting .327 with 4 doubles, 1 HR, and 4 RBIs. Davis’s 9 walks boosted his on-base percentage to a healthy .431.
• Danny Valencia lost his fight for a spot on the Baltimore Orioles’ opening-day roster but made a good impression on his new team, hitting .323 with 1 HR, 4 RBIs, and a .417 on-base percentage.
• Maxx Tissenbaum, a 21-year-old San Diego Padres prospect with one minor-league season under his belt, knocked in 3 runs in just 4 at-bats.
• St. Louis Cardinals prospect Adam Ehrlich walked in both of his plate appearances, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Charlie Cutler singled in his only appearance of the spring, and San Diego Padres prospect Cody Decker went 3-for-6 with a double.

Final hitting stats, 2013 MLB Spring Training

PITCHING

Among the six Jewish pitchers who played in at least one spring training game (see below), these ones stood out:

• Houston Astros prospect Josh Zeid went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances, held opposing players to a .235 batting average, and drew 3.33 times as many groundouts as flyouts.
• San Diego Padres veteran Jason Marquis went 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in six starts and held opponents to a .239 batting average.
• Toronto Blue Jays prospect Michael Schwimer earned a 3.00 ERA in three relief appearances and limited opposing teams to a .182 batting average.
• Scott Feldman stood out for less desirable reasons. The newly-minted Chicago Cub went 0-3 with an 11.25 ERA, gave up nearly 2 hits per inning, yielded 7 HRs, and got lit up by opposing batters to the tune of a .396 average.

Final pitching stats, 2013 MLB Spring Training

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Nate Freiman (mlb.com)

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Nate Freiman has made the opening-day roster of the Oakland A’s.

The 26-year-old slugger told the San Francisco Chronicle he was “shaking” when A’s manager Bob Melvin let him know during batting practice. He is expected to platoon at first base along with 7-year MLB veteran Brandon Moss.

The assignment caps a dizzying off-season for Freiman. After starring with Team Israel in September’s World Baseball Classic qualifiers, he was acquired by the Houston Astros in December’s Rule 5 draft after the San Diego Padres left him unprotected. The A’s picked him up last week after Houston placed him on waivers.

Despite hitting .241 with 11 strikeouts and only one walk during a Spring Training split between Houston and Oakland, Freiman was characteristically productive at the plate, driving in 9 runs in 54 at-bats.

That Freiman made the Majors without playing a single game of Triple-A ball is unusual. He hit .298 with 24 HRs, 105 RBIs, and a .370 on-base percentage last season for the San Diego Padres’ double-A team.

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Danny Valencia (mlb.com)

Nate Freiman (mlb.com)

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

A flurry of roster moves is taking place as Spring Training player evaluations near an end.

The Oakland A’s picked up Nate Freiman on Saturday (3/23/2013) after the Houston Astros put him on waivers. The 26-year-old first baseman, who dominated opposing pitchers during Team Israel’s World Baseball Classic bid last year, hit .278 for Houston during Spring Training, with 1 HR, two doubles, no walks and 7 whiffs in 36 at-bats.

According to MLB.com, the A’s are considering Freiman for a potential platoon job at first base. Acquired by the Astros in the Rule 5 postseason draft, the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder hit .298 with 24 HRs and 105 RBIs  for the San Diego Padres’ double-A team in 2012.

As Jewish Baseball News contributor Zev Ben Avigdor points out in his minor-league Twitter feed, Freiman joins a franchise rich in Jewish players, including pitchers Max Perlman and Jeff Urlaub and catcher Nick Rickles.

Danny Valencia‘s bid to start the 2013 season on the Baltimore Orioles’ roster ended Thursday (3/21/2013) when he was reassigned to the Norfolk Tides, the franchise’s triple-A team. The move came despite a strong Spring in which the 28-year-old third baseman hit .323 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs in 31 at-bats and had a .417 on-base percentage. He hit a game-winning HR in Tuesday’s (3/19/2013) 8-7 win over the Boston Red Sox.

According to the Baltimore Sun:

The 28-year-old Valencia entered camp as a possible right-handed designated hitter because of his .316/.359/.472 career batting line against right-handed pitching. He also competed for a utility infield spot this spring, playing both third base and first base.

The Sun also noted that during the offseason, Valencia‘s name “appeared on a list tied to a Miami-area anti-aging clinic that is being investigated by MLB for supplying major league players with performance-enhancing drugs. Valencia addressed the report on the first day of camp, denying that he’s ever used PEDs.”

Pittsburgh Pirates prospect (and one-time Major Leaguer) Aaron Poreda was released earlier this month by the club’s double-A team, the Altoona Curve. The 26-year-old hurler started three games for the Curve in 2012, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Poreda played briefly in 2009 for the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox.

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Kevin Pillar (Scout.com)

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Kevin Pillar is the best Jewish player you’ve never heard of.

In college he set an NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak. Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, he led his rookie league with a .347 batting average and in one game went 6-for-6 with a 9th-inning grand slam. In 2012 he hit a combined .323 with six HRs, 91 RBIs, and 51 stolen bases for two teams, good enough to be named MVP of the Midwest League. Later that year he starred in the invitation-only Arizona Fall League, where he hit a fifth-best .371 and stole 8 bases in just 62 at-bats.

Baseball America’s 2013 Prospect Handbook rates Pillar the Blue Jays’ No. 21 prospect. It says his “quickness and savvy also serve him well in the outfield, where he can play all three positions.”

Somehow, Pillar flew beneath our radar. That is, until a former high-school teammate wrote to say he was Jewish.

The 24-year-old Pillar confirmed it in a recent interview. Though his father is Christian and their southern California home was not “super religious,” Pillar and older brother Michael both were Bar Mitzvah’d, inspired in large part by love and respect for their maternal grandparents.

Jewish baseball fans may not have known Pillar, but Pillar knows plenty of Jewish ballplayers. He told Jewish Baseball News he played little-league ball with Seattle Mariners prospect Jack Marder, high-school ball with Los Angeles Angels prospect Casey Haerther, minor-league rookie ball with fellow Blue Jays prospect Ian Kadish, and sees San Diego Padres prospect Cody Decker during offseason workouts.

Pillar was careful to avoid burning-out on baseball early on. While some kids focused all their athletic energies on one sport, he and his parents decided it would be healthier to mix things up. Thus Pilllar excelled in football, basketball, and baseball at his Catholic high school, where monthly Mass was mandatory but religious- studies electives included Hebrew and Judaism.

Speed was the common thread. Pillar played point guard on the basketball team, outfield on the baseball team, and running back, receiver, outside linebacker, and kick- and punt-returner on the football team. “I had a good basketball I.Q.,” he said.

Two factors persuaded Pillar to focus on baseball at college. One was his modest size; he finished high school 6-feet-tall and weighing 180 pounds. The other was baseball’s vexing failure rate, where even the finest players rarely hit successfully more than 30 percent of the time. “The fact that you fail more than you succeed was more of a challenge,” he said. Pillar enrolled at Cal State — Dominguez Hills, where he majored in business and set the Division II hitting-streak record.

Click photo to buy Kevin Pillar baseball cards

Major-league scouts were not particularly wowed. By the time the Blue Jays selected Pillar in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft, 978 other amateurs already had been picked. Playing the way he has his first two years in the minors undoubtedly has been the best revenge. Baseball America projects him as “at least a fourth outfielder in the big leagues.”

Not that Pillar is content. Last year he compensated for a frustrating lack of extra-base hits by following his singles with stolen bases (his 51 ranked 2nd among Blue Jays farmhands). During the offseason, he decided that to do better in 2013 — he’ll most likely open with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA) — he’d need not only to “get bigger, faster and stronger” but also change the mechanics of his swing, and learn to swing more freely.

“I’ve always been a contact hitter,”he said. “It’s just about being a little more aggressive, not that passive at the plate.”

The 2013 season already is off to a good start. Though currently participating in Toronto’s minor-league spring training camp in Dunedin, Fla., Pillar has made his way into four big-league games to date. The highlight so far? Coming off the bench to replace Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista in right field and then stroking a 7th-inning single off Baltimore Orioles reliever Daniel McCutchen.

Pillar shared only one regret in his recent interview: that news of Team Israel’s talent search for last year’s World Baseball Classic qualifiers reached him too late. “I wish that I’d known about it,” he said.

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(milb.com)

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Adam Greenberg made the most of his appearance in Wednesday’s (3/6/2013) exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and Spain.

Inserted in center field in the 6th inning, the 32-year-old walked on four pitches, scored a run, and stroked an RBI single on the first pitch he saw from right-hander Jose Cruz to help the O’s triumph 19-7. Greenberg last saw Spain play in September, when its squad defeated Team Israel to qualify for the World Baseball Classic.

Wednesday’s game didn’t count as an official Spring Training game. That’s too bad; if it had, Greenberg would have been the 18th Jew to play in MLB Spring Training so far this season. Greenberg signed a minor-league contract with the O’s in December and currently is rostered with its Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. He last played in the minors in 2008, followed by several seasons in independent-league ball.

The O’s 19-7 victory wasn’t as lopsided as it may seem. Spain managed 14 hits, only four fewer than Baltimore. But the Orioles were far better in the clutch, going 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position versus Spain’s 2-for-9.

Danny Valencia, Greenberg’s teammate and fellow Jew, started at third base for the O’s and went 1-for-3 with a first-inning single. Valencia played for the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox last season before Baltimore acquired him in November.

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