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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Is minor-league pitcher Brett Lorin a hidden gem?

The Arizona Diamondbacks seem to think so. As part of Major League Baseball’s “Rule 5” draft today, the D’Backs plucked the 24-year-old hurler out of relative obscurity from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system and placed him on its own active roster.

Asked what the Diamondbacks saw him Lorin, general manager Kevin Towers told MLB.com he liked the 6’7″ starter’s size, arm strength, and changeup.

“Any time you see guys with a strikeout-to-walk ratio like his (99 to 19), it catches your attention,” Towers added. “We think, if not a starter, he could become a long reliever for us.” The annual Rule 5 draft was created to prevent teams from hoarding promising players in their farm systems.

Lorin’s talents have not stayed hidden from Jewish fans. In September, Jewish Baseball News named him the second-best starting pitcher among Jewish minors leaguers. The Cal State Long Beach alum finished the 2011 season with a 7-6 record and 2.84 ERA for the Bradenton Marauders, Pittsburgh’s A-advanced squad. Lorin got better as the season progressed, going 5-2 in the second half while holding opposing batters to a .210 average.

Jewish Baseball News thanks reader Michael L. for the tip on Lorin’s selection.

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2011 N.L. MVP

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Milwaukee Brewers RF Ryan Braun was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player today, earning 20 of 32 first-place votes from the country’s top baseball writers.

The prestigious award comes just 4 years after the southern California native was named N.L. Rookie of the Year, and 6 years after the Brewers drafted him.

Braun’s victory over 2nd-place Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers also marks the end of a 48-year-old drought. The last Jewish player to earn the honor was Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax, who won the MVP and Cy Young awards in 1963.

By coincidence, Koufax too is a “Braun.” Born Sanford Braun, he was renamed after his stepfather, Irving Koufax.

2011 was a stellar year for Ryan Braun. The 28-year-old hit .332 with 33 HRs and 111 RBIs, leading the league both in slugging percentage and OPS (on-base-percentage plus slugging). He became the 36th player (and third Jew) of all time to record at least 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases in the same season. And although postseason play is not part of the MVP calculus, Braun ranked 3rd among N.L. players in playoff doubles (7), 5th in RBIs (10), and 4th in both average (.405) and on-base percentage (.468).

Asked why baseball writers chose him over Kemp, Braun was humble. He told MLB.com it probably was because the Brewers made it to the N.L. championships, while the Dodgers finished the regular season 11.5 games out of first place in the N.L. West division.

“That’s probably the one thing that separates us,” Braun said. “If you honestly assess our seasons individually, (Kemp’s) numbers are probably slightly better than mine. I just feel fortunate to have been on the better team.”

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler finished 11th in voting for the 2011 American League MVP, Major League Baseball said Monday.

The two-time All-Star came in just behind Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria and received one 4th-place vote, according to MLB.com. Detroit Tigers P Justin Verlander won the award with 13 first-place votes.

A number of columnists (see example) had observed that the only thing holding back Kinsler, 29, from a stronger finish in the Most Valuable Player race was his .255 batting average. He excelled behind the plate in 2011, joining the elite “30-30” club (at least 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases) for the second time, drawing 89 walks, scoring 121 runs, and finishing among league leaders in multiple categories. He was above-average in the field. And he excelled during the playoffs, including leading all World Series batters with a .360 average and .500 on-base percentage.

Rangers teammate Michael Young finished 8th in the MVP voting.

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Source: Israel Association of Baseball

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Ex-major leaguers Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus, and Gabe Kapler are joining the effort to make Team Israel a contender at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Peter Kurz, secretary general of the Israel Association of Baseball, told the Associated Press that one of the three Jewish players is likely to become the team’s manager, and all three will aid in coaching, recruiting, and fundraising. Green, a lanky outfielder whose 328 career HRs place him a close second among Jews behind icon Hank Greenberg, said he would consider playing if the team thought he could help.

“I’m pretty confident that it wouldn’t be too huge a mountain to climb to get back and play,” he told AP. “I feel a strong connection to Israel and it would be an honor to put on the uniform.”

The agreement grew out of a historic meeting this week between the players, Israeli baseball officials, pro and college coaches, two Israeli ballplayers, and others. Next year, Israel will have its first-ever chance to join the WBC competition via a new qualifying round. Kurz said he expects to recruit former Jewish major leaguers and current minor-league and college players for the qualifying round, and even current major leaguers if Israel makes it past the qualifying round.

“My gut says they would consider playing,” Ausmus said.
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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –Now that the 2011 season is officially over, let’s review how Jewish players did during the playoffs:

• Ian Kinsler (2B), Texas Rangers. Playing in the postseason for the 2nd time in his 6-year career, Kinsler performed his leadoff-man magic, finishing 1st among A.L. players in walks (14), 3rd in hits (20/tie), and 6th in on-base percentage (.438). He was even hotter during the World Series, leading all hitters in average (.360) as well as on-base percentage (.500). But the power (32 HRs) and speed (30 stolen bases) Kinsler displayed in 2011 escaped him during the playoffs. Though he did finish with 11 RBIs, Kinsler hit just 1 HR during the postseason and was caught stealing in 4 of 7 attempts — as many times as he was caught the entire regular season.
• Ryan Braun (LF), Milwaukee Brewers. A candidate for the N.L. MVP award this year, Braun was nearly as impressive during the playoffs. Despite getting only 42 at-bats — the Brewers lost in the N.L. Championship Series — he ranked 3rd among N.L. players in doubles (7), 5th in RBIs (10), and 4th in both average (.405) and on-base percentage (.468). Less impressive were his stolen bases (1) and strikeouts (9).
• Scott Feldman (P), Texas Rangers. The 6-foot-6 pitcher, converted to a relief role after spending the first half of 2011 on the disabled list, was like two different men during the playoffs. Through Game 1 of the World Series he was almost untouchable, giving up no runs, no walks, and just 4 hits over 10-and-a-third innings while striking out 10.
  But Feldman was abysmal in the rest of the World Series. Over 4 games and 3-and-a-third innings he had a 13.50 ERA, giving up 4 hits, 6 walks, hitting a batter, and striking out just one.
• Sam Fuld (LF), Tampa Bay Rays. In his first-ever postseason, the second-string outfielder went 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Jewish duo Ian Kinsler and Scott Feldman helped lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-3, extra-inning win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the A.L. Championship Series.

Texas was down 2-0 in the 6th inning when second baseman Kinsler hit an RBI double to cut the deficit in half. Moments later, the two-time All-Star stole 3rd and then scored on an Elvis Andrus single.

Feldman, a 6-foot-6″ right-hander sporting a positively rabbinic red beard, pitched one inning of no-hit relief in the 10th to earn the win. Though Feldman did make one mistake, hitting Tigers CF Austin Jackson with a 94 mph sinker, Kinsler erased the baserunner moments later when he tagged Jackson out on an attempted steal.

After spending the first half of 2011 on the disabled list while recovering from knee surgery, Feldman has had a remarkable postseason (see ESPN.com article). In three bullpen appearances spanning a total of 8-and-a-third innings, the 28-year-old has held opposing batters to a .111 batting average, struck out 9, and has yet to give up a walk or a run. His appearance in Game 2 of the A.L.C.S. marked the first time since 1999 that an MLB reliever pitched more than 4 innings of scoreless ball in a post-season game.

Kinsler is hitting .258 in the playoffs with 1 HR, 3 doubles (2nd highest among Rangers players), 6 RBIs (2nd), 2 stolen bases (1st/tie), and a .378 on-base percentage (2nd)

Texas’ victory left it one win away from a second straight World Series berth. Game 5 takes place today (Thursday) at 4:00pm ET on Fox.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS —Ryan Braun continued his miraculous post-season play Sunday, smashing a 463-foot HR and hitting a two-run double to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the N.L. Championship Series.

The Brewers were down 1-0 in the first inning when Braun hit a two-run HR deep into the left-center field bleachers (see video). And they were down 5-2 in the 5th inning when the 28-year-old righty smacked a two-run, ground-rule double to the right-field corner (see video).

Braun, considered a front-runner for the N.L.’s Most Valuable Player award, is having a monster post-season. He is batting .500 (11 for 22) with 5 doubles, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs, 7 runs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage. (Figures shown in bold are  highest or tied for highest in the MLB.) During the regular season he hit a career-high .332 with 33 HRs, 111 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases.

Brewers teammate Prince Fielder also homered Sunday. According to MLB.com, Braun and Fielder have homered in the same game 37 times since 2007, more than any other MLB pair. The total includes regular-season and post-season games.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Last year, Jewish Baseball News published an op-ed by editor Scott Barancik about playing baseball on the High Holidays. Because the topic remains controversial, we are reprinting his piece below in its entirety, along with a 2011 addendum.

Please feel free to share your comments.

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Opinion: Yom Kippur, or Yom Baseball?

September 16, 2010 5 comments

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Every year around this time, Jewish sports fans take out their yardsticks and measure the Jewishness of their favorite players with one simple question: Are you going to play ball on Yom Kippur?

This year is no different. The newswires were abuzz this weekend with a report that Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis had decided to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night (9/17/2010), a time when observant Jews will be reciting Kol Nidre at synagogue. “Your team expects you to do your job and not let your teammates down, and that’s the approach I take,” Marquis said.

Earlier today (9/16/2010), ESPN.com reported that New York Mets rookie 1B Ike Davis still hadn’t decided whether to play on Yom Kippur.

Holy as Yom Kippur is, it strikes me as a little unfair to judge a player’s commitment to Judaism and the Jewish community by his willingness to sit out a game or two once a year.

Nobody talks about it, but thanks to baseball’s packed schedule, Jewish ballplayers already have to miss countless Shabbat dinners with their families during a season. Can you imagine a Jewish pro asking his manager for permission to skip all Friday night and Saturday afternoon games?

The fact is, team sports and religious observance are mostly incompatible. If you want to be a great baseball player — or simply avoid getting kicked off the high-school team — you’ll probably have to skip religious school in favor of batting practice. Anyone who has reached the pros must have made peace with that trade-off long ago. It’s why you see very few observant Jewish athletes.

I do love it when a Jewish athlete honors his tradition, whether by proudly declaring his religion, or skipping a game on Rosh Hoshana. When Koufax and Greenberg sat out, they honored us all. It takes guts.

But whether to play on Yom Kippur is no easy decision.

Imagine you are Jason Marquis. Your tradition, your conscience, your mother, perhaps — all of these may tell you to skip the game. There are other considerations, though, other constituencies.

You agreed to a two-year, $15-million contract with the Nationals in late 2009. Instead of contributing to the team’s ‘win’ column in 2010, you began the season abysmally before being diagnosed with bone chips in an elbow and spending months on the disabled list. Now, back just one month, you have a chance to pay back the fans and teammates, and to resurrect your career. Is that a prudent time to ask your employers for a day off?

The decision is Jason Marquis’. Let’s leave the judging to the umpires.

– Scott Barancik, Editor

October 7, 2011 addendum:

Why put all the High Holiday onus on Jewish players when it is Major League Baseball — an organization with strong Jewish representation, including commissioner Bud Selig and several other team owners — that sets the playing schedule?

One option would be for MLB to reduce the league’s 162-game schedule to, say, 152 games and declare 10  holidays from across the religious spectrum, such as Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, Rosh Hoshana, Yom Kippur, Eid Al-Fitr, and Laylat al-Qadr. No doubt such a change would elicit howls from many fans, including baseball purists and foes of so-called political correctness. Indeed, it’s unlikely to happen.

But if it is fair for Jewish fans to ask whether Ryan Braun will be playing tonight when the Milwaukee Brewers open their playoff series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, erev Yom Kippur, it seems just as fair to ask whether Brewers owner Selig will be on hand to watch.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Some pro ballplayers shine during the regular season but wilt under the pressure of playoff games.

So far, Milwaukee Brewers RF Ryan Braun isn’t one of them. Two games into the 2011 playoffs, the MVP candidate is 6-for-8 with two doubles, a HR (see it here), and 3 RBIs. His .750 batting average is the MLB’s highest.

Braun’s only other playoff stint came in 2008, when the Brewers battled the Philadelphia Phillies for a division championship. He hit .313 that series, 28 points higher than his .285 season average.

Texas Rangers P Scott Feldman showed similar grit in Friday night’s pitched 9-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Coming in for starter C.J. Wilson, who surrendered 6 earned runs on 8 hits (including 3 HRs) over 5 innings, Feldman shut down the Rays, giving up just 2 hits over 3 stellar innings while striking out 4.

Also participating in the 2011 playoffs is Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, who is hitting a more modest .250 with 1 double, 1 walk, and two RBIs. Rays OF Sam Fuld flied out in his sole playoff at-bat to date, a pinch-hit opportunity.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Late season call-up Ryan Lavarnway won the hearts of Boston Red Sox fans Tuesday night with a two-HR performance that secured an 8-7 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Lavarnway, a catcher recently named 2011 Minor-League MVP by Jewish Baseball News, drove in half of the Red Sox’s runs in the crucial victory, which kept the team tied with the Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. wild-card race and one game left to play. He also played well in the field, throwing out one potential base-stealer and tossing out Orioles C Matt Wieters’ soft grounder in the 9th inning.

Not bad for a rookie making his first MLB start as catcher (he has started six games as DH). Lavarnway played in place of starters Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek.

Click here to see Lavarnway’s two HRs. The first, a 3-run job, put the Red Sox ahead 5-1 in the 4th inning. The second, a solo shot, came in the 8th inning and gave Boston its 8th run, which ultimately proved the difference in the win.

The Red Sox play the final game of the regular season tonight in Baltimore. It will be interesting to see whether Lavarnway is asked to start.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Lower back strain. Hip bursitis. A hernia that will require off-season surgery.

Much like last year, injuries have kept slugger Kevin Youkilis out of the Boston Red Sox lineup for a good chunk of 2011. Through Wednesday, the 32-year-old infielder had sat out 36 games and was on pace to have his second fewest at-bats since 2005.

Evidence of the strain has been greatest on his batting average. A career .289 hitter who topped .300 each of his past three seasons, Youkilis currently is batting a career-low .258 and already has grounded into a career-high 14 double plays.

But a statistical review suggests the three-time All-Star’s performance is more a function of injuries than age, though the two certainly are related.

Consider these points made by Jewish Baseball News reader “AK”:

• At the All-Star break, Youkilis was hitting .285 with a .399 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage, on par with his career averages.
• He has fallen off dramatically since then, batting .199 with an OBP of .314 and SLP of .346. As AK says, “One doesn’t get old suddenly. So something is up.”
• Youkilis is hitting far better at Fenway Park — “where presumably he has his trainer/chiropractor/etc.,” AK says — than on the road. At home, he’s batting .320 with a .426 OBP and .563 SLP this season. Away, he’s hitting a mere .191 with a .317 OBP and .349 SLP.

Even ailing, Youkilis has driven in more runs this season (80) than any MLB player with 450 or fewer at-bats. If his body is willing, 2012 could be a great season.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun clubbed 2 HRs in Friday night’s 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds — and launched himself into the record books.

Braun’s HRs (see video) were his 29th and 30th of the season. Combined with his 31 stolen bases, Braun now joins one of the most exclusive groups in baseball history: the 30/30 club. He is just the 36th player in MLB history, and the second Brewer, to have at least 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases in a single season.

Remarkably, three of the 36 club members are Jewish. RF Shawn Green had 35 HRs and 35 stolen bases for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998, while Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler had 31 HRS and 31 stolen bases in 2009. Jewish fans will also appreciate that Braun is the 36th club member — 36 being double ‘chai.’

Speaking of Kinsler, the 29-year-old is threatening to become a 2-time member of the 30/30 club. With 11 games remaining in the 2011 season, he has 29 HRs and 25 stolen bases.

The 30/30 club’s 36 members have accomplished the feat a total of 55 times. The all-time leaders are father/son duo Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds, who had five 30/30 seasons apiece. The leader among active players is Chicago Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano, who has accomplished the feat four times for three different teams.

Soriano belong to an even more exclusive club. He is one of just four players in MLB history with at least 40 HRs and stolen bases in the same season, having accomplished the feat in 2006 with the Washington Nationals. The three other members Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez.

Also joining the 30/30 club this season is Los Angeles Dodgers CF Matt Kemp.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — More than 50 Jewish athletes played minor-league baseball in 2011, and Jewish Baseball News has identified the very best.

Here is our 2011 list of the top Jewish minor-leaguers:

 A 21-year-old in his first pro season, Linsky was 3-0 with 3 saves, a 1.23 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and just 7 walks in 29-and-1/3 innings. He held opposing batters to a .204 batting average.

Perlman’s story is among the season’s most interesting. Selected by Oakland in the 35^th round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 23-year-old played just 13 games of rookie-league ball before the franchise’s AAA squad called him up. In his first AAA start, Perlman gave up only a single and a walk in five innings. For the season he went a combined 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 13 walks, and an opposing-batter average of .187.

The 21-year-old rookie hit .310 this season with 2 HRs, 11 doubles, 2 triples, and 35 RBIs in 168 at-bats. Rickles had an on-base percentage of .370 and stole 6 bases in 7 attempts.

A first-year pro, Borenstein accomplished a lot in just 113 at-bats, hitting 2 HRs, 4 triples, 6 doubles, and driving in 21 runs. Although the 21-year-old hit a relatively modest .274, he hit .315 with runners in scoring position and had an on-base percentage of .397. Borenstein also stole an impressive 12 bases in 13 tries.

Cutler fared so poorly with the Springfield Cardinals early last season that the franchise demoted him. His bad luck continued into the 2011 season, with injuries keeping him out of action much of the first several months. But the 25-year-old returned with a vengeance, ending the year with a team-high .333 average as well as 5 HRs, 34 RBIs, and a .404 average with runners in scoring position.

Rosenbaum amassed a 9-6 record and a 2.52 ERA while striking out 135 batters and walking 52. The 23-year-old was particularly effective against lefties, whom he held scoreless across 10-and-2/3 innings.

Lorin finished the year with a 2.84 ERA, 99 strikeouts, and just 19 walks. Though thin run support left him with a middling 7-6 record, the 24-year-old went 5-2 during the season’s second half and held opposing teams to a .230 batting average.

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this year, Schwimer baffled AAA batters, going 9-1 with 10 saves and a 1.85 ERA. The 25-year-old averaged 1.25 strikeouts per inning versus just 0.32 walks.

Urlaub finished the 2011 season with a 4-3 record, 5 saves, and a 2.41 ERA. The 24-year-old held opposing teams to a .217 batting average and struck out 7 times as many batters as he walked.

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this year, Lavarnway had career highs in batting average (.290) and HRs (32) while driving in 93 runs. The 24-year-old’s combination of plate discipline and power resulted in a .376 on-base percentage and .563 slugging percentage.

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this season, Satin hit a career-high .323 with 12 HRs, 43 doubles, 2 triples, and 76 RBIs. The 26-year-old struck out 124 times but also drew 71 walks, giving him a .411 on-base percentage.

In his third year as a pro, Freiman batted .288 and led the Storm with 22 HRs and 111 RBIs. The 24-year-old’s RBI total was third-highest in the California League.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Birthright Israel, the charity that provides free group tours of the Holy Land to Jews ages 18 to 26, has scheduled a unique trip for just baseball and softball players and their fans.

Ballplayers who participate in the inter-semester trip will not only get to experience Israel but compete against the Israeli national teams and teach the finer points of the game to local youths.

The all-expenses-paid trip was first proposed by the Israel Association of Baseball and is one of several niche trips organized by Birthright Israel, including separate tours for students of fashion, technology, or the culinary arts, and another for lesbian and gay young adults from New York.

Not coincidentally, the Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) is assembling a roster of Jewish minor-league and college-level ballplayers to play for Israel in the qualifying round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The new, 16-team qualifying round will take place in the Fall of 2012 and represents Israel’s first opportunity to play in the WBC tournament.

Birthright Israel co-founder Charles Bronfman, a Canadian liquor magnate, was majority owner of the Montreal Expos from the team’s debut in 1968 until 1990.

Click here for sign-up information from Birthright Israel, and here for an invitation from the IAB.

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Ian Kinsler

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler continued his recent HR tear, belting two more Wednesday in a 10-inning, 5-4 heartbreaker to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Kinsler’s 2nd dinger of the night sent the game into extra innings. Wednesday’s barrage left him with 28 HRs, tied for 5th highest in the American League and the most among MLB Jews. Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun has 27.

Like grapes, Kinsler’s HRs come in bunches.

The 29-year-old has 7 round-trippers in his past 7 games, including two multi-homer games. His five multi-homer games this season are tops in the Majors; 7 other players have had four multi-homer games in 2011, including MLB home-run leader Jose Bautista.

With 18 games left on the first-place Rangers’ regular-season schedule, Kinsler is a legitimate threat to join the 30/30 club — players who have reached 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases in the same season — for the second time. In 2009, he hit a career-high 31 HRs and stole 31 bases.

Dodgers CF Matt Kemp is the only player to reach the 30/30 plateau so far this season, with 32 HRs and 37 SBs. Braun, who has 27 HRs and 31 SBs, also is on target to join the club. The only other Jewish player in the 30/30 club is Shawn Green, who became a member in 1998.

The 30/30 club is highly exclusive. Only 35 of the roughly 17,000 players in MLB history are members.

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Josh Satin (MiLB.com)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets infielder Josh Satin singled in his first MLB at-bat Sunday as the Mets dispatched the Washington Nationals 6-3 in D.C.

Satin, 26, led off the 3rd inning by smacking a 2-2, 63-mph curveball from Nationals P Livan Hernandez into left field (see video). He later scored on a single by Mets SS Ruben Tejada.

“It was great to be out there,” Satin told MLB.com. “To get a hit on my first at-bat was definitely more relaxing. It was awesome. It’s hard to describe.”

The University of California-Berkeley alum struck out in his next at-bat and was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning with the score tied and the bases loaded. Mets manager Terry Collins’ decision was vindicated when pinch-hitter Willie Harris hit a two-run single.

Selected by the Mets in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, Satin began the 2011 season with the Binghamton Mets (AA) before being promoted to the Buffalo Bisons (AAA) in July. Between the two he hit a combined .323 with 12 HRs, 76 RBIs, 43 doubles, a .411 on-base percentage, and .495 slugging percentage.

Satin is the 13th Jewish player to take the field with a major-league team this year. The Mets’ regular first baseman, fellow Jewish ballplayer Ike Davis, left the lineup in May with a season-ending injury.

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Josh Satin (MiLB.com)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The New York Mets made their first two September call-ups today (9/1/2011), and one of the lucky players is Jewish.

Josh Satin, a 26-year-old infielder in his 4th season with the Mets franchise, began the year with the Binghamton Mets (AA) before being promoted to the Buffalo Bisons (AAA) in July. Across the two teams he hit a combined .323 with 12 HRs, 76 RBIs, 43 doubles, a .411 on-base percentage, and .495 slugging percentage.

Satin is versatile with the glove. He played 57 games at 3B this season, 44 at 2B, 20 at 1B, and another 12 as designated hitter. Though this will be the Hidden Hills, Calif., native’s first stint on an MLB roster, he had 6 at-bats with the Mets during Spring Training this year, going 2-for-6 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs.

Satin will be the 13th Jewish player to take the field with a major-league team this year, and the second on the Mets. 1B Ike Davis was hitting .302 with 7 HRs and 25 RBIs as of May 10 when he collided with Mets P David Wright on a fly ball.

Jewish Baseball News reader Esther was the first of several fans to notify us about the decision to promote Satin, who will wear the number “3” on his jersey. The Mets also promoted P Josh Stinson today.

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Kevin Moscatel (MiLB.com)

Will Krasne (MiLB.com)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Time to add two names to your list of Jewish minor-leaguers.

Thanks to information provided by Jewish Baseball News reader Bill R., we now know that C Kevin Moscatel and P Will Krasne are Members of the Tribe.

Krasne, a 23-year-old rookie out of Stanford University, is 3-4 with a 4.22 ERA for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Cleveland Indians’ “A short season” team. A former National Merit Scholar Finalist at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., Krasne had “Tommy John” surgery in 2007.

Though just 20 years old, Moscatel — a native of Miranda, Venezuela — is a baseball veteran, having been signed by the St. Louis Cardinals at age 16. The light-hitting catcher is batting .211 with 1 HR and 8 RBIs in 90 at-bats this season with the “A short season” Batavia Muckdogs.

He’s in good company in Batavia, where at least two teammates are Jewish: P Corey Baker, and SS Garrett Wittels.

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Ryan Braun, shown on cover of Aug. 29, 2011 issue

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It’s good to be Ryan Braun.

This week’s issue of Sports Illustrated features the 27-year-old outfielder on its cover, along with Milwaukee Brewers teammates Prince Fielder and Nyjer Morgan. The headline refers to Braun and Fielder as “two wallbanging MVP candidates.” (Braun was 3 years old the last time SI devoted a cover to the Brewers, in 1987.)

Braun’s Brewers are 78-54 and lead the N.L. Central division by 10 games over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals, the largest cushion in baseball.

What’s more, Braun is closing in on one of baseball’s most exclusive fraternities, the 30/30 club. Since 1901, only 34 MLB players have had one or more seasons in which they tallied at least 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases (see table). With 30 games remaining in the 2011, Braun has 25 HRs and 29 stolen bases.

The only Brewer so far in the 30/30 club is Tommy Harper, who joined in 1970. If successful, Braun would join two other Jewish members: Shawn Green (1998), and Ian Kinsler (2009).

Calling Braun an MVP candidate may be premature, but it’s not a huge stretch. The fifth-year player is among N.L. leaders in multiple categories, according to baseball-reference.com:

• 1st in slugging percentage (.586)
• 1st in on-base plus slugging (.985)
• 1st in runs scored (90)
• 1st in offensive win percentage (.798)
• 2nd in batting average (.328)
• 2nd in wins above replacement (6.2)
• 2nd in power/speed number (26.4)
• 3rd in doubles (31)
• 3rd in fielding percentage among left fielders (.995)
• 5th in RBIs (85)
• 5th in on-base percentage (.399)
• 7th in stolen bases (29)

Braun, the 2007 N.L. Rookie of the Year, has been here before. In 2008 he finished 3rd in the MVP vote, behind Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Philadelphia Phillies P Michael Schwimer should be proud.

The 6’8″ reliever pitched admirably in his MLB debut Sunday, a three-inning stint in relief of two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay in which he retired 9 of 11 batters faced, yielding just 2 hits, walking none, and striking out 4, including fanning the side in the 7th inning.

But one of the 2 hits — coming on what was only his 2nd pitch of the day — was a solo HR by Washington Nationals 2B Danny Espinosa that tied the game at 3-3 in the 6th inning.

So despite retiring 9 of the last 10 batters he faced, Schwimer’s first MLB appearance will be recorded as a blown save. According to MLB.com, he entered the game in the 6th inning after a 1-hour-and-11-minute rain delay — the second rain delay of the game — knocked out starter Halladay.

Schwimer’s gopher ball was not the sole reason the Phillies lost 5-4 on Sunday. After the Phillies re-took the lead 4-3 in the top of the 9th inning, reliever Antonio Bastardo allowed a game-tying HR with two outs in the bottom of the inning. In the 10th, reliever Brad Lidge hit Nationals LF Jonny Gomes with a bases-loaded pitch to end the game.

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