Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Last summer, catcher Matt Kramer‘s brief minor-league career looked pretty much finished.

After batting just .178 with the “Class A” Rome Braves (Atlanta Braves) in 2010, he was released. Kramer spent the rest of the season with the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association, where the Harvard alum batted a healthy .346.

But the Boston Red Sox weren’t interested in this bat, or his glove. They liked the 24-year-old righty’s arm.

“Last week, Kramer was in Florida and threw so well that the (Red) Sox decided to make a move,” Harvard’s web site reported Monday (2/14/2011). “Confirmed reports out of Fort Myers had Kramer consistently throwing 93-94 and touching 95 MPH on his fastball with an 87 MPH slider.”

No word yet from the Red Sox on Kramer’s signing, or where he may end up playing.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Star infielder Garrett Wittels will play in Florida International University’s 2011 season opener on Friday (2/18/2011), the Miami school said in a news release.

The game — which starts at 7:00pm EST and will be broadcast on ESPN3 — was a guaranteed spectacle even before the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year was charged with raping two 17-year-old girls in the Bahamas.

That’s because Wittels, 20, finished the 2010 season with a 56-game hitting streak that he can extend to 57 games on Friday. The NCAA record of 58 games is held by former Major League star Robin Ventura.

According to the Miami Herald, some universities automatically suspend athletes who have been charged with a felony, but FIU does not. Nevertheless, observers continue to debate whether Wittels or FIU will change their mind before Friday’s game against Southern Louisiana.

Jack O’Dwyer, a New York public-relations consultant, argues on his blog that FIU should have suspended Wittels. O’Dwyer believes that for reasons of political correctness, the news media are treating Wittels and FIU far more gently than they did the Duke University lacrosse players. While Duke’s students tend to be white and well-to-do, FIU’s tend to be minorities on financial aid.

“Similar charges against students from an Ivy League college or Duke (heaven forbid!) would get much greater coverage,” O’Dwyer writes.

Wittels and other members of FIU’s baseball team will appear Wednesday (2/16/2011) at a press conference. An FIU spokesman reportedly has threatened to stop the news conference if anyone asks a question about Wittels’ rape charges.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The number of Jewish minor-leaguers who will be attending a Major-League spring training this year has reached nine.

According to MLB.com, the invitees include:

1. Sam Fuld (Tampa Bay Rays)
2. Ben Guez (Detroit Tigers)
3. Jason Hirsh (New York Yankees)
4. Gabe Kapler (Los Angeles Dodgers)
5. Jason Kipnis (Cleveland Indians)
6. David Kopp (St. Louis Cardinals)
7. Ryan Lavarnway (Boston Red Sox)
8. Aaron Poreda (San Diego Padres)
9. Michael Schwimer (Philadelphia Phillies)

Jewish Baseball News will maintain a running list of these and other spring-training invitees through the end of March on our home page.

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2010 Yeshiva Maccabees

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Students rarely choose Yeshiva University for its athletics program. The school’s home page doesn’t even mention sports.

But sport has long played a role at the New York-based institution, which combines Jewish learning with secular studies. Yeshiva’s basketball team — which has won two of its past 4 games — has been around since the 1930s.

Baseball took a little longer to develop. But four years ago, the school finally debuted the Maccabees, the NCAA’s only Jewish representative.

Winning hasn’t come easily, or often, for the Division III Maccabees.

In 2010, the team had one win and 28 losses, a team ERA of 12.94 (versus 1.81 for opposing teams), and a team batting average of .172 (the opposition hit .419). The Macs gave up 15 or more runs in 10 of their losses, including a 33-1 drubbing by the Purchase College Panthers. They mustered just one home run during the season, and a single sacrifice fly.

It’s not that Jews can’t play baseball, of course. Last year, 15 Jews played for Major League Baseball teams, and more than 50 others played in the Minors.

But for Jews who are serious about observing the Sabbath and other traditions, intercollegiate sports is a tall order.

Take Maccabees co-captain David Kesselman. A 23-year-old senior, his Orthodox high school didn’t even have a baseball team. When the West Hempstead, N.Y., native showed up for tryouts at Yeshiva a couple years ago, he hadn’t played organized hardball since elementary school.

For such athletes, Yeshiva and its Sabbath-free playing schedule offer a unique opportunity. And despite their struggles, the Maccabees are having fun. The team had a number of bright spots in 2010, from Kesselman’s team-leading E.R.A. (5.40) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (33/14) to catcher Jeremy Schwartz’s 12 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Early signs suggest the Mac’s 2011 rookie class may be the best yet.

David Kesselman, 2010

In an interview with Jewish Baseball News, Kesselman talks about the intersection of Judaism and sport, life on the Maccabees, and his own baseball arc.

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Tell us about Yeshiva University. Are most students there planning careers in Jewish life, or secular ones?

It’s definitely more of a general education school…That’s the whole lifestyle at Yeshiva University. You have Torah, which is a Jewish lifestyle, and what we call “madda,” which is like the Hebrew way of saying secular intelligence in any field you want to get into to. So you have to have both in order to get a degree.

I understand the school created its baseball team in 2006.

Yeah, in 2005, they started a club team, basically a bunch of guys that really wanted to play baseball…We didn’t have an NCAA team until 2006…We’re playing in division III of the NCAA. We play in the Skyline Conference. We play teams like, I don’t know, you’ve probably never heard of them, but Farmingdale State College, Baruch College…”

I took a quick look at your schedule and, not surprisingly, you don’t play on the Sabbath. How difficult was it to arrange that type of schedule?

We’re the only university where you’re going to be able to not play on the Sabbath and even keep kosher. Other colleges are very accommodating for us, which is very nice…They get the schedule, and then our athletics department calls each college and says, ‘Hey, can you play Friday at 9:00am, or Sunday at 12pm?’ So that’s generally how it’s worked out.

Did you and most of your teammates play ball in high school?

It’s funny, that’s something that’s getting a little more solidified now. The high school I went to didn’t have a baseball team at all. We had a (slow-pitch) softball team that was more of a recreational kind of team than anything.

Was it an Orthodox school?

Yeah, it was an Orthodox school. But now, it’s starting to be that most of the high schools that we get kids from at Yeshiva University have baseball teams. So it’s kind of like our skill level has grown from the bottom up, which is good.

Is anyone on the team aiming to be drafted by a Major-League team?

I think most people that are on the team right now see a career in baseball as kind of a hard thing to do.

Is it fair to say that living an Orthodox life is incompatible with playing professional baseball?

It would be pretty tough…I think most teams in any sport don’t like speed bumps and don’t like people being too different. So I’m guessing unless they’re really, really good, they’re not going to get so many adjustments.

Jewish baseball fans often make a big deal about whether a Jewish player agrees to play on Yom Kippur. I kind of find it funny that that’s the litmus test of your commitment to Judaism, when every week you have a litmus test, which is the Sabbath.

Yes, it’s definitely true. Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg were like the ideal Jews that didn’t play on Yom Kippur, the way I remember it. For each person on their own level, that’s an amazing feat for someone to pull off. To decide not to play for any Jewish reason, on that level, is unbelievable.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in West Hempstead, which is a suburb in Long Island. I went to a high school called Hebrew Academy of Long Beach.

They did not have baseball, right?

They did not, and to my knowledge, I don’t think they have baseball still, which is kind of disappointing…I played little league when I was younger. I was lucky enough to have my Dad as my coach…Whenever I wanted to go have a catch or hit, my Dad was always there to coach me through it, and play with me.

So when was the last time you played organized ball, before Y.U.?

The last time I played organized ball was probably in 6^th grade.

So you played softball in high school?

Right…It’s not fast pitch, either. It’s more like old people’s softball than like fast-pitch baseball, but what can you do?

Are you a lefty? Righty?

I’m a righty. I started off pitching, and then I moved to outfield, played a little outfield as well, but I’m mainly a starting pitcher on the team.

What are your strengths, and what kind of pitches can you throw?

I’m more of a power pitcher. I definitely started out with nothing but a fastball. I kind of worked in the curve ball…and I think last year I really got a good change-up going. So I generally have two types of fastballs, usually a two-seamer, and then a four-seamer if I want to get a couple extra miles per hour on it. And I will throw a change-up if I need to get a batter off his toes.

Any idea what speed your fastball is maxxing out at?

Our college doesn’t use a radar gun, because a radar gun is generally used for scouting…I know that when I was a senior in high school, I went to a minor-league game and used their gun, that you pay for, and I threw 76 (MPH), so I’m guessing I throw about in the low 80s, maybe.

That’s pretty good for a guy who hadn’t pitched since 6^th grade. Now, there’s no way to say this painlessly, but you guys got beat up pretty badly last season, didn’t you?

Yeah, this last year and my first year were two tough years.

In 2009, you had four wins, including three towards the end of the season. So what happened in 2010?

I don’t even know…In 2009, we had some good hitting and kind of pieced together some good pitching as well. The problem last year is that we had zero hitting.

Do you see Yeshiva’s baseball program improving in the future, or will it always be near the bottom, given its players’ unique circumstances?

When I started, our relief pitcher threw more up than straight…But I think the crop of guys that we have this year is definitely the deepest bunch of rookies that we’ve had, which is pretty promising for this coming season.

Who’s your coach?

Our head coach is Phil Kahn. He started the baseball program at Vassar College…And we have two assistant coaches, Logan Mauzy and Nick Canzano.

Has Yeshiva’s faculty been supportive?

Yeah, I think so. It’s funny, because…a lot of times when we have games on weekends, we’ll have to miss at least one class or two even…The next time I’m in class, they kind of make a point of asking me how the game was. It’s been embarrassing a couple times, trying to tell them my box score in front of the whole class…But they’re definitely encouraging.

The Yeshiva Maccabee’s 2011 season opens March 2 with a game against Baruch College.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Jeremy Fine of The Great Rabbino has written a terrific summary of the Top 10 Stories for the Upcoming Jewish MLB Season. It’s right on target, and recommended reading for Jewish baseball fans.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — RF Gabe Kapler has signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB.com reports.

Kapler, a 35-year-old free agent, hit .210 last year with the Tampa Bay Rays, with 2 HRs, 4 doubles and 14 RBIs in 124 at-bats.

His contract includes an invitation to the Dodgers’ spring training camp, and thus an opportunity, however slim, to make the club’s major-league roster.

The deal represents a coming home of sorts for Kapler, who starred at William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, a half-hour drive from Dodger Stadium.

Thanks to Jewish Baseball News reader Michael Lebowitz for the tip.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — So far, at least four Jewish minor-leaguers have been invited to attend Major League spring training camps in 2011.

According to MLB team web sites, four ballplayers have been identified as “non-roster invitees” — that is, they have been invited to attend spring training even though they are not on their team’s 40-man roster. They include:

• CF Ben Guez, 23 (Detroit Tigers). Guez hit a combined .249 for 3 minor-league teams in 2010, including the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens. He had 10 HRs, 43 RBIs, a .341 on-base percentage, and 14 stolen bases. Guez also played in the Arizona Fall League, which MLB teams typically reserve for their top minor-league prospects.
• SP Jason Hirsh, 28 (New York Yankees). A 6’8″ right hander, Hirsh went 9-7 with the “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in 2010, racking up a 3.90 ERA and a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio of 95/39. He played in the MLB from 2006-08, pitching both for the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies.
• 2B Jason Kipnis, 23 (Cleveland Indians). The Indians’ minor-league player of the year in 2010, Kipnis hit a combined .307 for the club’s “AA” and “A-advanced” teams, with 16 HRs, 74 RBIs, a .386 OBP, .492 SLG, and 9 stolen bases. Called up to “AAA” for the post-season, he went 10/22, hit for the cycle once, and fell a single short of hitting for the cycle the following game. Also played in the Arizona Fall League, where he was among the league leaders in several batting categories.
• SP Michael Schwimer, 24 (Philadelphia Phillies). Another 6’8″ right hander, Schwimer went a combined 7-5 with the Phillies’ “AAA” and “AA” teams in 2010, with a 2.85 ERA and an impressive 76 strikeouts in just 60 innings.

According to MLB.com, two additional Jewish minor leaguers have been added to their respective MLB team’s 40-man roster. Whether or not this means they’ll be attending spring training is unclear. They are:

• SP David Kopp, 25 (St. Louis Cardinals). Kopp had a rough time with the Cards’ “AAA” team in 2010 (he went 0-5 with a 8.63 ERA) but finished the season strong with the “AA” squad, where he went 12-4 with a 3.05 ERA.
• RP Aaron Poreda, 24 (San Diego Padres). The 6’6″ left hander, who pitched well during a brief major-league stint with the Padres in 2009, went a combined 1-2 with the team’s “AAA” and “AA” squads in 2010, along with a 3.83 ERA and an opponent batting average of just .176. Poreda gave up just one HR in 54 innings but had a weak strikeout-to-walk ratio of 47/64.

Thanks to Jewish Baseball News reader Michael Lebowitz for the tips about Guez and Kipnis.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Chicago Cubs will send CF Sam Fuld to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a multi-player trade centered around Rays SP Matt Garza, ESPN.com reported today (1/7/2011).

The trade may signal renewed life for Fuld, a 29-year-old defensive specialist who has spent most of his professional career in the minors and was stuck behind a long line of standout players on the Cub’ outfield depth chart. Best known for his hustle, highlight-reel catches, and smarts (he’s a Stanford alum), Fuld is an on-base afficionado who nevertheless lacks the home-run power that many MLB teams want from their oufielders.

While playing for the “AAA” Iowa Cubs in 2010, he hit .272 with 4 HRs and 27 RBIs in 368 at-bats. Thanks to a great walk-to-strikeout ratio (66 BBs and 37 Ks), Fuld had a .383 on-base percentage. He had only 28 at-bats for the Cubs in 2010 (and a meager .143 batting average) but hit .299 in a longer stint the year before.

Just as Fuld is on his way to St. Petersburg, Rays RF Gabe Kapler may be on the way out. A 35-year-old free agent, Kapler hit just .210 with the Rays this year in a utility role.

Thanks to JBN reader Jessica R. for the tip on Fuld’s trade.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University star Garrett Wittels, whose 56-game hitting streak earlier this year electrified the college baseball world, was one of five men arrested in the Bahamas on Dec. 20 and charged with raping two 17-year-old girls.

The men, friends from the Miami area, allegedly met the girls at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in Paradise Island.

Wittels’ father, a Miami area orthopedist, told the Miami Herald that the girls willingly went to the men’s hotel room and later claimed rape only after learning Wittels was a baseball star.

“Anyone can accuse anyone of anything at any time,” Michael Wittels told the Herald. “He’s not doing well, obviously. He’s blown away. He’s devastated that someone would accuse him of this.”

Wittels was released on bond pending a preliminary hearing set for April. The 20-year-old infielder is expected to resume his hunt for the consecutive-game hitting record in February, when Florida International begins its new season. The NCAA Division 1 record is 58 games, held by Robin Ventura.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — When the Milwaukee Brewers signed undrafted free agent Steve Braun to a minor-league contract in 2008, older brother Ryan Braun‘s fingerprints were all over the deal.

Steve Braun had hit just .276 that year at the University of Maryland and was not among the 1,500 amateurs selected in the annual MLB draft. But Ryan Braun said his brother was better than that, and he lobbied the Brewers to sign him.

Perhaps against their better judgment, the Brewers relented. Anything to keep Ryan — the 2007 N.L. Rookie of the Year — happy, I suppose.

“If it all works out and we got to play together one day at this level, it would be pretty cool,” Ryan told MLB.com at the time.

Unfortunately, Steve didn’t live up to Ryan’s expectations. He hit just .175 in rookie-league ball in 2008. After being promoted to “A” ball in 2009, he  hit .265 in 34 at-bats before fracturing his ankle.

When Steve returned to baseball in 2010, the Brewers inexplicably stepped him up to the “A-advanced” Florida State League, where he batted an anemic .140, with 2 RBIs in 107 at-bats.

Earlier this month, the Brewers finally released Steve. Hopefully he’ll find his groove and catch on with another team due to his bat, not his name.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Justin Milo is a rare commodity: a 5-foot-8 Jew playing ball on a New York Yankees farm team. Now he’s giving it up for something even more unlikely: a professional hockey career.

Despite playing for the “A” Charleston RiverDogs in 2010, Milo recently signed a contract to play hockey for the South Carolina Stingrays, an affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

A diminutive left fielder drafted in the 37th-round of the 2009 amateur draft — he stands all of 5’7″ or 5’8″, depending who you ask — Milo has had a strong start with the Stingrays, racking up two goals and an assist in his first 5 games.

The 23-year-old native of Edina, Minn., played hockey at Cornell University and the University of Vermont. After playing rookie-league baseball in 2009, he saw limited play with the RiverDogs in 2010, hitting .231 in 52 at-bats, including 11 walks and 15 strikeouts.

Milo’s minor-league baseball bio lists his status as “voluntarily retired.” But his professional sports career appears to be far from over.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Arizona Fall League’s 30-game regular season came to an end Thursday (11/17/2008). So how did its six Jewish players do?

Hitters

• 2B Josh Satin, Mesa Solar Sox (New York Mets). In 41 at-bats, Satin hit a blistering .390 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, a .479 on-base percentage (OBP), and .512 slugging percentage (SLP). He saw limited play because the Mets, feeling he already had played a lot in 2010, put him on the AFL’s “taxi squad,” which restricted him to 2 games per week.
• 2B Jason Kipnis, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). In 78 at-bats, Kipnis hit .295 with 3 HRs, 11 doubles (tied for 1st in the league), 3 triples (3rd/tie), 3 HRs, 19 RBIs (4th/tie), .337 OBP, .628 SLG (5th), and 2 stolen bases. Great figures no doubt, but the real story is about mental toughness. Kipnis began the season uncharacteristically struggling at the plate, his batting average just .159 through October. But in November, he rebounded by batting .471 with 8 doubles and 9 RBIs. And he did it while enduring day-to-day uncertainty about where he would play: 2B, 3B, or DH.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, Peoria Javelinas (Boston Red Sox). In 82 at-bats, Lavarnway hit .268 with 3 doubles, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs, .380 OBP and .415 SLG. His 16 walks tied for 3rd in the league.
• OF Ben Guez, Surprise Rafters (Detroit Tigers). In 57 at-bats, Guez hit .228 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, .302 OBP, and 4 stolen bases. Six of his 13 hits were for extra bases, leading to a healthy .456 SLG. But Guez’s power stroke came at the cost of a low batting average…and 21 strikeouts.

Pitchers

• SP Josh Zeid, Mesa Solar Sox (Philadelphia Phillies). Zeid went 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA. In 14 innings, he struck out 12 and walked just one batter. He held opposing teams to a .204 batting average.
• RP Eric Berger, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). Playing in a middle-relief role, Berger went 0-0 with an .082 ERA. In 11 innings, Berger struck out 12, walked 8, and held opposing teams to a .171 batting average.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Two weeks ago, Cleveland Indians prospect Jason Kipnis was batting just .159 in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, a far cry from his .307 average during the 2010 minor-league season. “I kill nearly every rally the Peoria Javelinas put together,” he lamented in his blog.

Talk about your turnarounds.

Since then the 23-year-old Arizona State product has gone on a hitting rampage, getting 2 or more hits in 7 of 8 games (including his last six), rapping 9 doubles, and driving in 9 runs. In the process, Kipnis has nearly doubled his batting average to .295, is batting .355 with runners in scoring position, and has joined the league leaders in several offensive categories:

• Doubles: 11 (1st/tied)
• Triples: 3 (3rd/tied)
• RBIs: 19 (4th/tied)
• Slugging percentage: .628 (5th)

His finest performance came during a Nov. 13 game against the Mesa Solar Sox. Kipnis went 4/4 with 3 doubles, 3 RBIs and a run in the Javelinas’ 10-3 victory.

With only one game left in the AFL’s 30-game regular season, the Javelinas are a league-leading 19-10, and Kipnis has little left to prove. His recent outburst shows he’s quite capable of hitting some of the best pitchers in the minor leagues, and it’s looking highly likely that he’ll reach the Majors at some point in 2011, if not right out of Spring Training.

Kipnis’ recent performance also shows an ability to put up with uncertainty. A career outfielder until the Indians switched him to 2B in 2010, Kipnis has had to split the AFL season between 2B, 3B and DH due to the presence of teammate Dustin Ackley, a highly-touted Seattle Mariners prospect who also plays 2B. (Here’s an interesting fact: Ackley was the 2nd pick in the 2009 draft, and Kipnis was the 63rd.)

The Javelinas’ final regular-season game takes place tonight (11/18/2010) against the Scottsdale Scorpions. The two will meet again Saturday night (11/19/2010) in the AFL championship game.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Brad Ausmus didn’t stay unemployed for long.

The Gold Glove catcher, who retired from active play last month after completing his 18th year in the Majors, is joining the San Diego Padres as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations.

Ausmus, 41, has long been considered future manager material. During his final years as a player he often tutored younger catchers. The Los Angeles Dodgers allowed him to sit in for manager Joe Torre in one of the team’s final 2010 games. “There’s no question he can manage,” Torre said in 2009. “He’s a smart cookie, everybody knows that, and he has an engaging personality.”

Until now, precisely which team might hire him was an open question. Los Angeles? Ausmus did end his career with the Dodgers. Houston? The Cheshire, Conn., native spent more years with the Astros (10) than any other MLB team, and he won three Gold Gloves — as well as the hearts of many Houstonians — while playing there.

But Ausmus instead will go to San Diego, where his major-league career began. Selected by the New York Yankees in the 48th round of the 1987 amateur draft (1,151st overall), Ausmus labored in the Yanks’ farm system until the Colorado Rockies selected him in the 1992 expansion draft. The following year he was traded to the Padres, where he made his MLB debut two days later.

Ausmus played in San Diego until June 1996, when he was traded to the Detroit Tigers. Three years later, he was voted an All-Star for the first and only time.

Known as a defensive specialist and excellent game-caller, the Dartmouth College recruit ended his MLB career with a total of 80 HRs, 607 RBIs, .251 batting average, and .325 on-base percentage. He caught more games than all but 6 other catchers in major-league history.

San Diego did not say who Ausmus will report to. According to the Padres’ front-office directory, Josh Stein is the Director of Baseball Operations.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets 1B Ike Davis finished 7th in voting for the N.L. Rookie of the Year award, the Baseball Writers’ Association of American reported today (11/15/2010).

Despite finishing the 2010 season among the top N.L. rookies in several offensive categories, the 23-year-old received only two votes for Rookie of the Year, both for 3rd place. San Francisco Giants C Buster Posey won the award with 129 points. (See vote totals below.)

After being called-up from AAA in late April, Davis hit .264 and ranked 2nd among N.L. rookies in runs scored (73), 3rd in RBIs (71), and 3rd in HRs (19/tie).  He also starred in the field, leading all N.L. First Basemen in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), which estimates how many more (or fewer) runs a fielder prevented than he allowed.

For information on the 2010 A.L. Rookie of the Year award, visit Jewish Baseball News here.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia finished 3rd in voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year award, the Baseball Writers’ Association of American reported today (11/15/2010).

Valencia, who led all A.L. rookies with a .311 batting average after being called-up from AAA in early June, received one 2nd-place vote and nine 3rd-place votes to finish a distant 3rd behind Texas Rangers RP Neftali Perez and Detroit Tigers LF Austin Jackson. (See vote totals below.)

It was the strongest Rookie of the Year finish by a Jewish player since Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun won the N.L. award in 2007.

Valencia, 26, finished the 2010 season with 7 HRs, 18 doubles, 1 triple, 2 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs in 299 at-bats. As Jewish Baseball News reader Jack W points out, Valencia hit .394 with runners in scoring position, 2nd best in the A.L. among those with at least 50 plate appearances in that situation. In early September, Jewish Baseball News called him a top-5 contender for the Rookie award.

For information on the 2010 N.L. Rookie of the Year award, visit Jewish Baseball News here.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Baltimore Orioles prospect Robbie Widlansky is honing his skills in a most unusual place this offseason: Australia.

As a member of the Perth Heat, 1B Widlansky is participating in the inaugural season of the Australian Baseball League, a 6-team, 40-game league sponsored by Major League Baseball and the Australian Baseball Federation. The ABL features “homegrown talent” as well as some “high-profile imports,” according to MLB.com.

Back in the U.S., Widlansky is a solid contributor. An 11th-round pick (339th overall) in the 2007 amateur draft, the 26-year-old Florida native played for the “AA” Bowie Baysox in 2010, where he batted .269 with 5 HRs and 30 RBIs in 279 at-bats.

In 2009, Widlansky hit .340 with 7 HRs and 59 RBIs for the “A” Frederick Keys.

Perth has a 3-1 record so far, and Widlansky is batting a crisp .357, with 3 doubles, 1 HR and 2 RBIs in 14 at-bats.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun has won his 3rd straight Silver Slugger award.

Issued by Major League Baseball, the award recognizes the best hitter at each position in the National and American leagues. Braun hit .304 in 2010 with 25 HRs, 103 RBIs, 101 runs, a career-high 45 doubles, 14 stolen bases, a .365 on-base percentage, and .501 slugging percentage.

Here are the 2010 N.L. winners, and the total number of Silver Slugger awards each has won:

As these articles explain (one, two), Braun, 26, owes his 2010 Silver Slugger award to a late-season surge at the plate. The 4th-year player hit .364 over his last 55 games, including an MLB-high .424 in August.

Only 5 the 18 players named Silver Sluggers in 2010 were repeat winners from 2009.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here is your Arizona Fall League update for Wednesday, Nov. 10:

• 2B Jason Kipnis, a Cleveland Indians prospect, hit a double and a 2-run single in the Peoria Javelinas’ 8-5 win over the Surprise Rafters. Kipnis is batting .217 with 3 HRs, 10 extra-base hits, and 14 RBIs in 60 at-bats.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, a Boston Red Sox prospect and Kipnis’ teammate on the Javelinas, singled and hit a solo HR. He’s batting .302 with 3 HRs, 9 RBIs and a .423 on-base percentage. His 14 walks are tied for 2nd-best in the AFL.
• Rafters OF Ben Guez, a Detroit Tigers prospect, went 0/4 in a losing effort. He’s batting .279 with 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .949, 12th-best in the AFL.
• 2B Josh Satin, a New York Mets prospect who has seen limited action in the AFL but recently had a 5-RBI game, singled once and walked twice in a 9-6 loss to the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 28 at-bats, Satin has 1 HR, 6 RBIs, a .429 batting average and .529 on-base percentage. Why is he getting so little playing time? Satin recently answered that question in a note to Jewish Baseball News:

I’m on the taxi squad which means you can only play twice a week. I played so many games this season that the Mets thought only playing a few a week would be a good idea.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Albert Pujols, not Ike Davis, has won the 2010 N.L. Gold Glove award for first basemen.

Davis, the New York Mets rookie, was considered a strong contender for the award despite being a first-year player. The 23-year-old made several highlight-reel catches during the season and led all National League first baseman in UZR, a complicated statistic that tries to measure how many runs a fielder’s efforts prevented vs. allowed.

Davis drew so much attention for his head-over-heels catches into the dugout that his former minor-league team, the Brooklyn Cyclones, issued a bobble-head doll showing Davis upside down.

The Gold Glove award was the second for Pujols, who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals. He also won the award in 2006.

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