Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — JCC Ballers 3B Will Conroy pounded two home runs Wednesday (6/2/2010) in a 29-7 loss to rival Git-R-Durty.

Both teams play in Tampa Bay Club Sport’s fiercely competitive Wednesday night coed softball league in St. Petersburg, Fla. Conroy, who played football at Yale University, is a real estate attorney with Englander & Fischer and the husband of Holland & Knight attorney and Temple Beth-El board member Stacy Conroy.

Moments before Conroy’s final at-bat Wednesday night, Jewish Baseball News editor Scott Barancik foolishly promised to write an article if Conroy hit a second consecutive dinger. Conroy — who previously had not hit a home run all season — proceeded to do so with evident ease.

“I congratulate Will, but more importantly, I apologize to our readers,” Barancik said.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — If the 2010 MLB All-Star Game were held today, Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun would once again appear in the National League’s starting lineup.

Braun, a 26-year-old in his fourth MLB season, had the third-highest vote tally among all NL players in 2009 and the most among NL outfielders, more than 4.1-million. He went 0-for-2 in a 4-3 loss to the American League.

As of Wednesday (6/2/2010), Braun again was the leading NL outfielder with 604,675 votes. The 2010 MLB game will be held on Sun., July 13 in Anaheim, Calif.

Unlike last year, however, when three Jews were named All-Stars — Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis and SP Jason Marquis, then with the Colorado Rockies, were the other two — Braun may end up being the lone Hebe on the field. That’s because as of Wednesday, Youkilis was ranked fourth among AL first basemen and Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler was ranked 3rd at his position.

No doubt, many rankings will be shuffled in the final weeks of voting. Last year, for example, Kinsler led all AL second baseman in fan votes until the final week, when Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia overtook him. Pedroia’s last-minute surge thwarted those who had hoped 2009’s All-Star Game would become the first ever to feature four Jews.

The biggest strike this year against Kinsler — besides missing the first 22 games of the season with an ankle injury and posting mediocre numbers since returning — is that he’s not a New York Yankee. As of Wednesday, Yankee players were ranked first at three positions (1B, 2B, SS) and second at two (3B, C). Moreover, Yankee manager Joe Girardi will have some say in who plays because he will be managing the AL squad.

Want to get out the vote for your favorite Jewish position players? MLB allows each fan to submit as many as 25 times, so click here t0 cast your ballots.

Pitchers are not selected by fans. The Jews you can vote for are:

American League

• 1B Kevin Youkilis
• 2B Ian Kinsler
• OF Gabe Kapler, Tampa Bay Rays (write-in only)

National League

• OF Ryan Braun
• 1B Ike Davis, New York Mets (write-in only)
• C Brad Ausmus, Los Angeles dodgers (write-in only)

Voting 25 times doesn’t take that long. MLB retains your personal info and votes from the previous ballot, so you can do all 25 in about 10 minutes. Fan voting ends on just before midnight on July 1.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University sophomore Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 54 games Sunday (May 30) in a 14-10 victory over Troy University. The 2-for-6 performance left him just four games behind the  NCAA Division I record of 58, recorded by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987.

Wittels, 20, batted .246 as a freshman but hit .415 during the regular season this year and recently was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.

Wittels will get the chance to extend his hitting streak further starting June 4 as FIU enters the NCAA regional tournament. As reported previously, he is expected to play this summer for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –Sunday was not a day for bragging.

Six Jewish position players collectively went 1-for-17 yesterday (May 30), including four strikeouts. Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler managed the day’s only hit (a 1st-inning single) and only walk in a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

The day’s sole Jewish pitcher, Chicago Cubs RP John Grabow, fared no better. In a two-inning stint, Grabow gave up two home runs, three earned runs and four hits total. It’s the sort of performance that recently cost Grabow, 31, his role as manager Lou Piniella’s top left-handed setup man.

The Jewish Batting Average has slumped in recent days. It closed yesterday at .287, or 26 points above the MLB average of .261.

On the bright side, the blimp-like Jewish ERA has moderated a bit, thanks in part to clutch relief work by Oakland A’s RP Craig Breslow. The Jewish ERA closed yesterday at 7.09, still nearly three runs per game above the MLB ERA of 4.13.

Before you get depressed and go nuts on frozen blintzes, remember: it’s a long season. Why, less than two weeks ago, Jewish batters smacked four home runs in a single day.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Little news snacks about Jews with bats:

• As predicted, RF Adam Stern‘s recent stint with the Milwaukee Brewers was brief. Stern, 30, got his first MLB at-bats in four years but went 0-for-6 before the HeBrewers optioned him back to the AAA Nashville Sounds. Stern’s demotion follows that of RP Scott Schoeneweis, whom the Boston Red Sox recently dropped from their roster.
• The Boston Globe — whose Red Sox begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays tonight (5/24/2010) — had some nice things to say about Rays RF Gabe Kapler yesterday (5/23/2010). Kapler, who typically comes off the bench to bat against left-handed pitchers, is more than just a platoon player, said writer Nick Cafardo:

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Garrett Wittels got a hit for the 48th consecutive game Saturday (5/22/2010) as  Florida International University lost a heartbreaker to rival Florida Atlantic University, 14-10.

Wittels, a 20-year-old sophomore, moved into 2nd place in the NCAA Division I record books with his 48-game streak, second now only to Robin Ventura’s 58-game streak in 1987. He went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs, finishing the season with a .415 batting average.

FIU was leading its regular-season finale 8-5 until Florida Atlantic’s scored 7 in the 6th inning. All 7 FAU runs were given up by senior RP Eric Berkowitz, the team’s saves leader and a fellow Jew.

Here’s Wittels’ post-game interview on ESPN SportsCenter. FIU’s first postseason game takes place Tuesday (5/25/2010) against the University of South Alabama.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The 2010 season is barely one-quarter done, but if it ended today, Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis would be in the running for Most Valuable Player.

Thanks in part to a recent tear, Youk is among the American League leaders in multiple hitting categories, including:

• 1st in runs (37)
• 1st/tie in walks (35)
• 2nd in slugging percentage (.612)
• 2nd in on-base plus slugging (1.071)
• 2nd/tie in on-base percentage (.459)
• 3rd/tie in hit by pitch (5)
• 11th in batting average (.322)
• 11th/tie in home runs (9)

The only AL batter with better stats at present is fellow 1B Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, a potential triple-crown winner whose phenomenal numbers include a .383 batting average. Morneau was the AL MVP in 2006 and the runner-up in 2008.

Youkilis came in 3rd in the MVP voting in 2008 and 6th in 2009. To see a clip of an interview with him after Sunday’s (5/23/2010) victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, click here.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A profile of Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun in Monday’s (5/24/2010) edition of USA Today details the 26-year-old’s growing baseball and entrepreneurial success.

Among the article’s dominant themes is the Braun’s considerable self-confidence:

“He got definite swag,” Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, 25, says. “I love watching him play.”

“I’m kind of known for my confidence,” Braun says matter-of-factly. “If you don’t believe in yourself, I don’t see any reason that anyone else would believe in you. If not for confidence, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“He’s cooler than cool,” teammate LaTroy Hawkins, 37, says. So cool that Braun, 26, epitomizes a new breed of young players: brash, full of confidence and unafraid to celebrate conquests. The aim for Braun, an All-Star in each of his first two full seasons: Tear up the league with his bat, and conquer the business world with his brains.

“I didn’t really get to know Braun until this spring,” second-year manager Ken Macha says. “I sat down with all of the veterans to get to know everyone’s personalities. With most, it took about 15 minutes. With Ryan, it lasted an hour, 15 minutes. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been around a player with that kind of talent. And, except for Dave Parker, I’m not sure I’ve ever been around anyone who has more confidence, either.”

In a sidebar to the article, Braun, who is 26 and single, says he is proudly Jewish even though you won’t find him in a synagogue:

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star left fielder Ryan Braun, has never attended temple. Never had a bar mitzvah. But if the Jewish community wants to adapt him as one of their own, calling him “The Hebrew Hammer,” he’s all for it.

“I am Jewish,” says Braun, whose mother is Catholic and dad Jewish…”It’s something I’m really proud of. But I don’t want to make it into something more than what it is. I didn’t have a Bar Mitzvah. I don’t want to pretend that I did. I didn’t celebrate the holidays.”

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The latest info on Jews with bats:

• New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, brought up from AAA two weeks after the 2010 season began, is now batting cleanup. The move to 4th in the batting order paid off for the Mets on Thursday (5/20/2010) as Davis went 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and three runs scored.
• Davis was one of four Jewish players with multi-hit games Thursday (5/20/2010). Joining him were Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler (2-for-2), Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler (2-for-5), and Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (2-for4 with 1 HR and 4 RBIs).
• According to this article, Youkilis is on pace to have his best month ever at the plate. So far this May, he leads the majors in batting average (.411), on-base percentage (.585), slugging percentage (.786), and OPS (1.371).
• The Boston Red Sox dropped RP Scott Schoeneweis from the team’s roster Wednesday (5/19/2010). Schoeneweis, a last-minute addition to the Opening Day squad, had an unimpressive 7.90 ERA this season, allowing 19 hits in 13 innings. The Red Sox have not said yet whether they will trade Schoeneweis, release him, or place him on waivers.
• Florida International University sophomore Garrett Wittels continued his record-setting streak Thursday by getting a hit in his 46th straight game, part of FIU’s 12-4 victory against Florida Atlantic University. Wittels needs one more game to tie Phil Stephenson for second on the all-time list at 47 games.
• AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees SP Jason Hirsh had his four-game winning streak broken Tuesday (5/18/2010) in a 3-0 loss to the Indianapolis Indians. On the bright side, Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader columnist Dave Konopki praised Hirsh this week, saying “it would be great to see him wearing pinstripes while standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium.”
• AAA Memphis Redbirds CF James Rapoport is on a tear since being called up from AA. After 11 games with the Redbirds — a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate — the 24-year-old is batting .378 with a .440 on-base percentage. Yesterday (5/20/2010) he went 4-for-6 in a 13-3 victory over the Sacramento River Cats.
• Milwaukee Brewers LF Adam Stern hasn’t made the most of his brief return to the bigs. In four games since being called up from AAA, the 30-year-old Canadian is 0-for-6 with two strikeouts.
• Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman earned his first victory since April 11 with a 13-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. It wasn’t his finest hour: Feldman gave up a career-high 12 hits in six innings.
• In other struggling-Jewish-pitcher news, Chicago Cubs RP John Grabow continued his shaky 2010 in a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Grabow gave up 1 hit, two walks and the winning run in 2/3 inning. Grabow’s 8.44 ERA is second-worst in the National League, and he’s reportedly “testing the patience of manager Lou Piniella, who continues to give him the ball in crucial late-inning situations.”

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Tuesday (5/18/2010) saw a show of strength by Jewish major leaguers.

Four men– Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun, New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, and Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler — hit home runs. The Day of Power boosted the Jewish home run total for 2010 from 16 dingers to 20.

Muscle-bound Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler didn’t hit a home run but got on base three times (single, walk, hit by pitch), scored a run and had a couple nice plays in the field.

The show of power is no fluke. So far this season, Jewish position players have a combined slugging average of .502, compared with .411 for all MLB position players.

— Scott Barancik

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — And now, news that enthralls about Jews with balls:

• Florida International University sophomore Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 45 games Sunday (5/16/2010) in a 5-0 win over the University of South Alabama. The 20-year-old infielder went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI. At 45 games, he is tied with Roger Schmuck for the third-longest Division I hitting streak in history. Next target: Phil Stephenson’s 2nd-place record of 47, set at Wichita State in 1981. FIU plays Florida Atlantic University on Thursday (5/20/2001).
• For Milwaukee Brewers OF Adam Stern, the pressure was on Friday (5/14/2010). Stern, 30, hadn’t batted in a major-league game in more than four years (since April 19, 2006). Now, after a lengthy soujourn in the minors, he was back in the bigs, pinch-hitting for pitcher Randy Wolff in the 5th inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Alas, there was no storybook ending: 47-year-old Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer struck Stern out on seven pitches.
• The Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in suburban Philadelphia is 16-and-3 this season and aims to win its fourth straight Penn-Jersey League championship, as well as compete in the Tri-County League playoffs. They won the Tri-County League semifinals 8-7 today (5/17/2010) by scoring five runs in their final at-bat. Congratulations, guys.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis had five walks Saturday (5/15/2010) in an 11-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Though the feat fell short of a major-league record, it marked a personal best for Youkilis, whose previous single-game high, four walks, came in a 19-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox on July 9, 2006.

Youk’s 5 free passes would have come as no surprise to Paul DePodesta, the number-crunching Oakland Athletics assistant who years ago dubbed him “Euclis: The Greek god of walks.” According to Michael Lewis’ bestseller Moneyball, most baseball scouts saw Youkilis during his college years as a “fat third baseman who couldn’t run, throw or field.” But statistics revealed that Youkilis was a getting-on-base machine.

On Saturday, Youkilis had just one plate appearance where he didn’t get a walk. He reached base on an error, naturally.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The latest developments among Jews with bats:

• Jason Hirsh, starting pitcher for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (AAA), continued his  turnaround Thursday (5/13/2010) with a 7-3 victory against the Columbus Clippers. A 6’8″, 250-pound former major leaguer who began the season with three consecutive losses, Hirsh pitched six innings against Columbus, giving up three earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four. The fourth straight win improved his 2010 record to 4-and-3.
• The St. Louis Cardinals recently promoted CF James Rapoport to their AAA squad. In six games with the Memphis Redbirds, Rapoport has had three multi-hit games and is hitting .296.
• SP Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, continued his remarkable first season in the minors Wednesday (5/12/2010) with a 6-inning, no-hit outing for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA). Strasburg, who is not Jewish, may have dominated media coverage of the game, but teammate Josh Whitesell helped seal the Chief’s 4-1 victory over the Norfolk Tides with a three-run triple in the 5th inning.
• Florida International University standout Garrett Wittels reportedly is headed to Alaska this summer. According to this article, Wittels — currently enjoying a 43-game hitting streak at FIU — will play for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League, a six-team summer league. Peninsula is based in Kenai, Alaska.
• Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis had surgery on his elbow Friday (5/14/2010). Marquis, who had bone chips in the elbow, is expected to begin rehab immediately and begin making minor-league rehab appearances in four to six weeks.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University sophomore Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 43 games Friday (5/14/2010) in a 6-5 win over the University of South Alabama. Wittels hit an RBI single in the first inning but went hitless the rest of the game.

Eric Berkowitz, a senior closer and fellow Jew, pitched one inning of shutout ball to get the save, striking out one batter and allowing one hit.

Wittels, a 20-year-old infielder, has the longest active hitting streak in Division I baseball and the 4th longest in league history. A hit in tonight’s (5/15/2010) game against South Alabama would tie Wittels with Roger Schmuck, who assembled a 45-game hitting streak for Arizona State in 1971.

No word on whether Roger Schmuck was Jewish. But with a name like that, you’d have to hope so.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Talk about consistency.

Florida International University sophomore Garrett Wittels has played in 42 games this season, and he’s had a base hit in every one. The 42-game streak is tied for 4th-highest in Division I history and has earned Wittels a bushel of media attention recently, including a Miami Herald profile (in which father Michael Wittels comes out sounding a bit like The Great Santini), and an interview on ESPN 2.

On Friday (5/14/2010), Wittels will have a chance to extend his streak when FIU begins a playoff series against the University of South Alabama. The Division I mark of 58 games was set in 1987 by Robin Ventura, who went on to play for the Chicago White Sox and three other teams over a 15-year pro career.

Wittels, a 20-year-old infielder from Bay Harbor Island, Fla., has rung up some other impressive statistics this season, including a .412 batting average (#1 on the team), .468 on-base average (#1), .537 slugging percentage (#3), 46 RBIs (#2), 12 doubles (tied for #2), and only 16 strikeouts, the fewest of any starter.

Wittels isn’t the only Jewish player making a difference on the Golden Panthers this season. The team’s closer, senior Eric Berkowitz, has six saves, 44 strikeouts and only 17 walks in 47 innings pitched, good enough to earn his own profile in the Miami Herald. As the Herald points out, Berkowitz is tiny for a pitcher (5’8″, 155 lbs.) but can deliver a fastball over 90 mph.

Friday’s game begins at 7:00pm EST.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — An update from the world of Jewish baseball players:

• Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis recently was hit by a pitch for the 63rd time in his career, leading one Beantown reporter to dub him the Prince of Plunk. The bruise leaves him eight behind Red Sox career leader Mo Vaughn (71) and well behind former Houston Astro 2B Craig Biggio, who was hit 285 times during a 20-year career and is the modern-era record holder. Though we may joke about it, getting hit by a pitch is one reason Youkilis ranked 2nd in the AL last year in on-base percentage (.413). He was hit by pitches 16 times in 2009, 4th most in the AL. So far in 2010, Youkilis has been hit five times and has a .433 on-base percentage.
• If New York Mets 1B Ike Davis hadn’t chosen to pursue baseball as a career, he might have made an outstanding pole dancer. In just his first month as a major leaguer, Davis has tumbled into a dugout three times in order to catch a pop foul, all successfully. Here’s a video of his most recent catch, and another last week.
• Here’s the good news about Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis, who’s on the disabled list with bone chips in his elbow: he pitched 3 and 2/3 innings in a rehab assignment with the Single-A Potomac Nationals last night (5/11/2010) and reportedly left the game feeling healthy. Now the not-so-good news: Marquis performed a lot like he has in the majors this year, giving up six hits and three earned runs to the Winston-Salem Dash and getting credit for the loss. THIS JUST IN: A Washington Post blogger — the same one that earlier called Marquis “healthy” — says Marquis may in fact need surgery:

…after a rehabilitation start on Tuesday, Marquis woke up with pain in his arm and said he and the Nationals were weighing whether he will be forced to undergo an operation…Asked if surgery would be necessary, Marquis said: “It’s definitely a strong possibility…”

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Milwaukee Brewers are putting injured CF Carlos Gomez on the disabled list and calling up CF Adam Stern from AAA to replace him, says the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Stern, a 30-year-old from Ontario, will be the 12th Jew to play for a Major League Baseball team this year. Through 12 games with the Nashville Sounds this season he is batting .349 with 1 HR, 4 RBIs and a .429 on-base percentage.

Stern may not have much time to impress Milwaukee. Gomez, 24, strained his rotator cuff but is eligible to return to the Brewers’ lineup as early as May 19. He is batting .276 with 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, a .321 on-base percentage and six stolen bases in as many attempts.

Milwaukee already boasts one of baseball’s best Jewish players, power-hitting LF Ryan Braun. Stern’s arrival raises the intriguing possibility that the Brewers’ outfield soon might feature two Jews, if only briefly.

Few would have predicted Stern’s return to the major leagues after nearly a three-year layoff. A third-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2001, he made his big-league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2005. But in two seasons with Boston he batted a mere .143 and struck out 8 times in 35 at-bats. Stern played two games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2007 but without a single plate appearance and has lingered in the minors ever since.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sunday’s (5/9/2010) perfect game by Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden naturally made me think about Jews and their historical involvement in one of baseball’s most unusual spectacles.

It’s no secret to Jewish baseball fans that Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax tossed one of the 19 perfect games in major-league history, a late-season 1965 gem over the lowly Chicago Cubs that put the Dodgers a mere half-game out of first place en route to an eventual National League pennant and World Series championship. Koufax finished the season 26-and-8 with a 2.04 ERA.

Less well-known — and less celebrated, for good reason — is the role of another Jew, California Angels pitcher Andrew Lorraine, in another perfect game 29 years later. Lorraine was the losing pitcher when Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers tossed a no-baserunner beauty against the Angels in 1994.

The Rangers ultimately didn’t fare quite as well as Koufax’s Dodgers did years earlier. In that thoroughly strange 1994 season, the Rangers finished 1st in the AL West despite an anemic 52-and-62 record. The playoffs and World Series were canceled due to a players’ strike that continued into 1995.

— Scott Barancik

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Jews are having another great year at the plate.

Through this morning (5/9/2010), Major League Baseball’s six Jewish position players were batting a combined .320 versus .259 for the entire league. The Jewish slugging percentage stood at .532, versus .414 for everyone.

Let’s be clear, though. Much of the credit goes to two standout players, Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun and Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis.

Braun is among the top-ranked NL hitters in multiple categories:

• 1st in runs (30)
• 2nd (tie) in RBIs (28)
• 3rd in on-base percentage (.447)
• 4th in batting average (.364)
• 7th in OPS — on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (1.058)
• 13th in slugging percentage (.612)
• 13th (tie) in doubles (10)

Youkilis is highly-ranked in several AL categories:

• 3rd (tie) in runs (24)
• 5th in on-base percentage (.422)
• 9th in OPS (.972)
• 13th in slugging (.550)

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