scott | Jewish Baseball News

Minor-League Monday (August 19-25, 2019)

August 26, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019:

Stubbs

Hitter of the Week: CJ Stubbs (Astros)
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs. The highlight came on August 23, when Stubbs went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Since being promoted to Single-A on August 15, the 22-year-old rookie — and brother of fellow Astros catching prospect Garrett Stubbs — has hit .313 with 3 HRs, 4 doubles, and 12 RBIs in just 32 at-bats.

Gross

Pitcher of the Week: Ben Gross (Twins)

Ben Gross* (Twins/Rookie Advanced/Elizabethton Twins) was nearly unhittable in an August 24 start. In 5 scoreless innings, Gross yielded just 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 7.

Mazel tov

Simon Rosenbaum, a 6’7” first baseman who works in the front office of the Tampa Bay Rays, will be joining Team Israel for the European Baseball championships in Germany, which begins September 7. Click here if you want to support Israel in its pursuit of the 2020 Olympics.
Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) retired one batter on August 24 to earn a hold. He was succeeded on the mound by a rehabbing Ryan Sheriff, who pitched 2 scoreless innings to earn a save.

Other highlights

2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .261 (6-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .320 OBP. Gurwitz is hitting .284 for the 66ers this season, versus .227 in 2018.
C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .238 (5-for-21) with 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .385 OBP.
SS Keaton Weisz* (Angels/Rookie/AZL Angels) hit .444 (4-for-9) with 2 RBIs and a .545 OBP.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AAA/Norfolk Tides) fared much better in his second Triple-A start, yielding 3 earned runs on 5 hits and a walk over 5 innings while striking out 5.
P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) earned his 4th straight win on August 23, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings while striking out 5. For the season, Gold is 11-5 with a 3.55 ERA and 5 times as many strikeouts (107) as walks (20).
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) tossed 3 scoreless innings over two appearances, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 5 and earning his 4th save of the season.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding zero hits and a walk while striking out 2.
P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) pitched 4 perfect innings across 3 games, yielding no hits or walks, striking out 6, and earning his 8th save in 8 chances this season.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays), on a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A), pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding 3 hits and no walks to earn a save.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 4.2 innings across 3 games, yielding one earned run on 3 hits and zero walks while striking out 5.
P Max Lazar (Brewers/A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) struck out a career high 10 in an August 20 win, holding opponents to one earned run on 7 hits and no walks over 7 innings. Since an early-season promotion to Single-A, Lazar is 7-2 with a 1.60 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and just 15 walks.
P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustangs) was dominant in an August 19 start, yielding just 2 hits and a walk over 5 scoreless innings while striking out 8. He had less success in an August 24 start that ended in a no-decision.
P Josh Wolf* (Metes/Rookie/GCL Mets) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 4.
P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball on August 25, yielding 3 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Batters are hitting .347 against rookie Shapiro, but he has struck out 38 in 34 innings while walking only 5.

Transactions

2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was placed on the temporary inactive list on August 25.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays) was sent to the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) for a rehab assignment on August 24.
P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays) was promoted from the Montgomery Biscuits (AA) to the Durham Bulls (AA) on August 22 to pitch one game and then was returned to Montgomery the following day.
P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets) was placed on the injured list on August 22.
P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings) was placed on the injured list on August 19.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.

Injured list

P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings), since August 19.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (August 19-25, 2019)

August 26, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019:

Mazel tov

Alex Bregman’s 2-run HR on August 22 marked the 119th Jewish home run of 2019, surpassing the 118 hit in 2018. Like the Majors as a whole, Jewish ballplayers are seeing a surge in HRs. Alex Bregman (32) and Kevin Pillar (19) have already set personal records, Joc Pederson (26) has matched his career high, and rookie Rowdy Tellez has added 15.

Stats to share

An adjustment Kevin Pillar made to his stance and swing in early June has “completely turned his season around,” according to Forbes. Before the change, Pillar was hitting .213 with a .344 slugging percentage. Since then, he’s hit .302 and slugged .549.
Ryan Braun has been on a tear since the All-Star Break. According to Fangraphs, his 1.031 OPS (on-base plus slugging) since the Break ranks #5 in the National League, and his batting average (.339) is tied for #6.

At the plate

LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .385 (5-for-13) with a double.
3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .318 (7-for-22) with 2 HRs, a double, a .400 OBP, and a 1.036 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Bregman also stretched his current on-base streak to 19 games, a period during which he has hit .389 with 5 HRS, 25 RBIs, 11 doubles, and a .476 OBP. Bregman currently ranks #2 in the A.L. in OPS (.973), #3 in on-base percentage (.408), #4 in slugging percentage (.565), #5 in home runs (32/tied), and #7 in RBIs (90).
CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .235 (4-for-17) with 2 HRs — both of them game-tying — a double and 4 RBIs.

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .154 (2-for-13) with a home run, double, 2 RBIs, and a .214 OBP, but his hitting was clutch. His 9th-inning home run on August 21 tied the game, and his 8th-inning double on August 24 put Toronto in the lead.

LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .083 (1-for-12) with a home run, 3 RBIs, and a .214 OBP.
2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) remained on the injured list with a herniated cervical disk.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) was hit hard in a no-decision outing on August 24, yielding 5 earned runs on 7 hits and no walks over 5 innings while striking out 5.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) had his best outing out of the season on August 21, pitching 2 perfect innings of relief on just 27 pitches while striking out 3 to close out an 8-1 win.
Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, is on a rehab assignment with the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA).

Staying close by

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .200 (4-for-20) with a double, 3 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .273 OBP. In 53 minor-games behind the plate this season, Stubbs has thrown out 39% of attempted base-stealers (13-of-33).
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .250 (3-for-12) with a home run, 2 RBIs, and a .308 OBP. In 40 minor-league games behind the plate this season, Lavarnway has tossed out 35% of attempted base-stealers (15-of-43).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (August 12-18, 2019)

August 19, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019:

Manea

Hitter of the Week: Scott Manea (Astros)
C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) hit .286 (4-for-14) with 3 HRs, 3 RBIs, and 7 walks last week, good enough for a .524 on-base percentage. The highlight was a 2-HR game on August 17. Manea has just one error in 445.1 innings behind the plate this season.

Gold

Pitcher of the Week: Brandon Gold (Rockies)

P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) narrowly edged out Mariners prospect Sam Delaplane for this week’s award. The 24-year-old righty went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA across 2 starts, yielding 13 hits and just one walk over 15 combined innings while striking out 12. Gold’s 8-inning outing on August 18 was his longest of the year. For the season, he is 10-5 with a 3.57 ERA.

Mazel tov

It was a fun week for Padres prospect Tyler Benson. On August 16, the left fielder made his pro pitching debut in a 19-1 laugher, yielding 5 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning to rack up a nifty 67.50 ERA. A day later, San Diego promoted Benson to the wonderfully-named Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA). And on August 18, his Double-A debut, Benson hit the first home run of his 3-year minor league career. Later, Benson celebrated on Twitter: “Only took me two and a half years but finally on the board,” he wrote. Click here to see a video of his home run.
P Dean Kremer, ranked the Orioles’ #8 prospect by MLB.com, was promoted to Triple-A on August 16 after going 9-4 with a 2.98 ERA in Double-A. Although he lost his Triple-A debut the next day, the young Israeli-American’s ascension is to be celebrated. At just 23, Kremer is 3.3 years younger than the average pitcher in the International League (AAA) and thus off to a fast start.
We didn’t notice it before, but C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) hit grand-slam HRs in two straight games earlier this month (August 3 and 7).

Other highlights

RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/AA/Harrisburg Senators) hit .333 (4-for-12) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and a .429 OBP.
2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .300 (6-for-20) with a home run, 4 RBIs, and a .333 OBP.
C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A/Lansing Lugnuts) hit .375 (6-for-16) with 2 HRs, a double, triple, 5 RBIs, and a .412 OBP.
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a home run, 5 RBIs, and a .455 OBP in his first three games at the Single-A level.
OF David Vinsky* (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes) hit .360 (9-for-25) with a double, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .467 OBP. The 21-year-old rookie has hit .342 in his past 10 games.
C Hunter Bishop* (Giants/A-short-season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) homered twice last week. Although the rookie is hitting just .216 across two levels this season, Bishop’s prolific walking — 37 walks in 102 at-bats — has bumped his on-base percentage to .426.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) continued his domination of the Texas League, pitching 4.2 near-perfect innings across 3 games. The 24-year-old righty yielded only one base runner — a hit batter — while striking out 9. Delaplane’s 15.74 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks #1 among all minor-league pitchers with at least 50 innings tossed.
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 3 and earning his 3rd save.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 15, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 2.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and 2 walks while striking out 2 to earn his 2nd save.
P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) earned his first pro save on August 16, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out 3.
P Greg Leban* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 16, yielding no hits and a walk while striking out one to earn his 2nd win.
P Josh Wolf* (Mets/Rookie/GCL Mets) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 17, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out one.

Transactions

LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was promoted from the Fort Wayne TinCaps (A) to the Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA) on August 17.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles) was promoted from the Bowie Baysox (AA) to the Norfolk Tides (AAA) on August 16.
P Robert Stock (Padres) was sent on a rehab assignment to the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) on August 16.
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros) was promoted from the Tri-City ValleyCats (A-short-season) to the Quad Cities River Bandits (A) on August 15.
2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was reinstated to the active roster on August 14.
Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) was recalled by Toronto on August 13.
P Keith Weisenberg (Giants) was reassigned from the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (A-short-season) to the August GreenJackets (A) on August 12.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.
We had been holding out hope that P Brad Goldberg was still in the game, but the former White Sox and Diamondbacks prospect told Jewish Baseball News that he has retired.

Injured list

2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (August 12-18, 2019)

August 19, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019:

Mazel tov

2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), who joined the injured list on August 16 with a herniated cervical disk, played just one game last week, on August 12. It was a memorable one. Entering the game in the top of the 9th inning, Kinsler took the mound for the first time in his career, and while his performance was laughable — 2 walks, a hit, and a hit batter on 27 pitches — he held the Rays scoreless. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Kinsler hit a 2-run HR for his 1,999th career hit.

The Blue Jays optioned 1B Rowdy Tellez to Triple-A on July 15 to work on his hitting. A month later, on August 13, Toronto recalled him. Tellez had left the club little choice. In 93 minor-league at-bats, the rookie hit .366 with 7 HRs, 9 doubles, a .450 on-base percentage, and a 1.138 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Stats to share

OPS is a measure of a player’s ability to get on base and hit for power, and Jewish players had both in spades last week. Ryan Braun’s 1.458 OPS ranked #6 in the National League, while Kevin Pillar’s 1.310 ranked #13. Over in the American League, Alex Bregman’s 1.350 OPS ranked #7.
Max Fried (Braves) has 14 wins, second only in the National League to Stephen Strasburg’s 15.

At the plate

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .458 (11-for-24) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .519 OBP. The highlight was a 5-for-5 performance on August 17, his first five-hit game in a 7-year MLB career. Pillar’s 68 RBIs are a career high, and after starting the season 1-for-17 with Toronto, he is hitting .268 with the Giants.

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .400 (8-for-20) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 9 RBIs and a .500 OBP. The highlight was a 4-for-4 performance on August 18, including a home run, double, and 3 RBIs. It was the fourth 4-hit game of his career and the first in nearly a year. At 30 HRs — tied for #5 in the American League — Bregman is one HR away from matching his career high of 31, set in 2018.

LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .444 (8-for-18) with 2 HRs, a double, 2 RBIs, and a .524 OBP. The highlight was a 2-HR performance on August 17, including a go-ahead shot in the 9th inning. It was the 33rd multi-homer game of Braun’s career.

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .222 with a .364 OBP.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .118 (2-for-17) with one RBI and a .167 OBP. On the bright side, Pederson reported has become an “above-average corner outfielder,” statistically speaking (see article).

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) went 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 14 hits and 6 walks across a combined 11 innings while striking out 12. In an August 18 no-decision, Fried struggled at first, yielding a 3-run HR to Cody Bellinger before retiring a batter. But he calmed down afterward and didn’t allow another run. At the plate, Fried hit .400 (2-for-5) for the week, with 2 doubles.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks over a combined one inning while striking out none.
Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, is on a rehab assignment.

Staying close by

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .273 (3-for-11) with a HR, 2 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. Since being sent down to the minors, he has a five-game hitting streak.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .000 (0-for-10).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (August 5-11, 2019)

August 12, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 5-11, 2019:

Tellez

Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays)
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) hit .478 (11-for-23) with 7 doubles, a HR, 2 RBIs and a .520 OBP. Since Toronto sent him to the minors on July 15, Tellez has hit .366 (34-for-93) with 7 HRs, 9 doubles, a .450 OBP, and a blistering 1.138 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Kremer

Pitcher of the Week: Dean Kremer (Orioles)

Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox), Baltimore’s #8 prospect, earned his 8th straight win on August 10, yielding 3 hits and 3 walks over 5 scoreless innings while striking out 10. Kremer aims to become the first Israeli-American to play in the Majors.

Mazel tov

P Ryan Sheriff (Rays), whose Tommy John surgery had kept him off the mound since May 2018, pitched an inning of scoreless relief on August 6 in a rehab outing with the GCL Rays (Rookie).
Nick Rickles, a 29-year-old catcher and former minor leaguer who played for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, is obtaining Israeli citizenship — and will join Israel’s national team in its ongoing quest to make the 2020 Olympics. Israel’s next stop is the European Championship A-Pool tourney in Germany, from September 7-15. More roster additions are expected in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Other highlights

C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a double, RBI, and a .500 OBP.
RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/AA/Harrisburg Senators) hit .353 (6-for-17) with a HR, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .389 OBP.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A/Fort Wayne TinCaps) hit .294 (5-for-17) with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .368 OBP.
OF Hunter Bishop* (Giants/A short season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a HR, 3 RBIs, and a .571 OBP.
C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a grand-slam HR and a .500 OBP.
P Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, was sent to the AZL Padres (Rookie) on a rehab assignment. He pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 10, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) earned his first Double-A save on August 5, but his 9-game scoreless streak came to an end on August 9.
P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AA/Portland Sea Dogs) went 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 2 hits and no walks over 4 innings while striking out 5.
P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) went 1-0 with a save across 2 games, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings while striking out 9.
Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) pitched 3.1 no-hit innings across 2 games and earned his second save, yielding just one walk and striking out 4.
P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie advanced/Billings Mustangs) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball on August 8, yielding 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.
P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie advanced/Danville Braves) pitched a scoreless inning of relief on August 7, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 2.
P Josh Wolf* (Mets/Rookie/GCL Mets), an 18-year-old draftee pitching in just his third pro game, needed just 20 pitches to record 2 scoreless innings on August 11, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 3.
P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 6, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 3.

Transactions

2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was placed on the temporary inactive list on August 11.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits) joined the injured list on August 10.
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was sent down to the Round Rock Express (Triple-A) on August 8, less than a week after Houston called him up.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays) was sent to the GCL Rays (Rookie) on August 6 for a rehab assignment.
P Scott Effross (Cubs) was reassigned from a rehab stint with the AZL Cubs (Rookie) to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High-A) on August 6.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (August 5-11, 2019)

August 12, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 5-11, 2019:

Mazel tov

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) recently talked to the Jewish News of Northern California about his bar mitzvah, a religious studies course he took in high school, and being one of the few Jewish players in the Major Leagues. Click here to see the article.
Nick Rickles, a 29-year-old catcher and former minor leaguer who played for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, is obtaining Israeli citizenship — and will join Israel’s national team in its ongoing quest to make the 2020 Olympics. Israel’s next stop is the European Championship A-Pool tourney in Germany, from September 7-15. More roster additions are expected in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Astros fans are lucky. According to a recent article, Houston offered to trade 3B Alex Bregman to Detroit in 2017, but the Tigers refused.

Stats to share

Max Fried’s 4.11 ERA is below the MLB average of 4.51, but not substantially. So how has the Braves ace managed to go 13-4 this season? His teammates have played a key role. According to this table, Fried ranks #4 in run support per start(R.S.) among all MLB pitchers.
Last week was a banner one for Jewish players, who collectively hit .421 (32-for-76).

At the plate

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .500 (8-for-16) with a home run, 5 doubles, a hit-by-pitch, 7 RBIs, and a .619 on-base percentage. The highlight: a 3-for-3 performance on August 10, including 2 doubles and a HR. Bregman’s 28 HRs rank #6 in the American League, and his .956 OPS (on-base plus slugging) ranks #4. He is hitting .315 since the All-Star break.

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .400 (10-for-25) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, a triple, a hit-by-pitch, 5 RBIs, a stolen base, and a .423 OBP. He also made a slick catch in left-center. Pillar is hitting .394 in August.

LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .500 (8-for-16) with a HR, double, hit-by-pitch, 2 RBIs, and a .600 OBP. A running catch also made Los Angeles fans happy that Pederson has moved back from 1st base to right field. Pederson is hitting .333 in August, but his home-run productivity has dropped off considerably since April/March, when the slugger hit 10 HRs in 92 at-bats.

LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .375 (6-for-16) with a double, triple, hit-by-pitch, one RBI, and a .474 OBP. He is hitting .304 since the All-Star break.
2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), currently riding the bench, went 0-for-3. His career hit total remains at 1,998.
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) drew a walk on August 7, his only plate appearance since getting called-up on August 2. The 26-year-old returned to Triple-A on August 8.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) improved his record to 13-4 on August 7, yielding 3 earned runs over 5.1 innings on 6 hits, a walk, and a season-high 10 strikeouts. The highlight: fanning Minnesota 2B Jonathan Schoop on three curveballs.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 3 hits and a walk across 3 combined innings while striking out one.
Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, was sent to the AZL Padres (Rookie) on a rehab assignment. He pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 10, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.

Staying close by

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) hit .478 (11-for-23) with 7 doubles, a HR, 2 RBIs and a .520 OBP.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a double, RBI, and a .500 OBP.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (July 29-August 4, 2019)

August 5, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 29-August 4, 2019:

Gurwitz

Hitter of the Week: Zane Gurwitz (Angels)
2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .391 (9-for-23) with a home run, triple, 2 doubles, 7 RBIs, and a .462 OBP. The highlight: going 4-for-5 with a HR on August 4.

Lazar

Pitcher of the Week: Max Lazar (Brewers)

Max Lazar (Brewers/Single-A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) was near-perfect in an August 2 win, yielding one hit and no walks over 6 innings while striking out 8. Aside from three games in rookie league this season, Lazar is 5-2 with one save and a 1.41 ERA, having struck out 79 across 57.1 innings while walking just 12.

Mazel tov

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from Triple-A on August 2 to provide back-up for starter Robinson Chirinos, who reported soreness in his left shoulder.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) sure knows how to make an entrance, as one article put it. In his July 19 debut with Cincinnati, Lavarnway went 3-for-4 with 2 HRs and a double. And in his August 1 debut with the Louisville Bats, he went 3-for-3 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs.

Other highlights

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) hit .391 (9-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 11 RBIs, and a .533 OBP.
RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/Double-A/Harrisburg Senators) managed to hit just .118 (2-for-17) last week, but he made both of his hits count, smashing a 3-run HR on July 30 and a grand-slam HR on August 2. Wiseman leads all Jewish minor leaguers with a total of 17 HRs this season, including three with the Auburn Doubledays (A-short-season).
C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) hit .333 (6-for-18) with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a .368 OBP. The highlight: going 4-for-5 with a home run, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs on August 4. In 47 games this season, Manea has thrown out 25% of attempted base-stealers (10-for-40) and made just one error.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/Single-A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit 2 triples on July 31…and another one the next day.
C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/Single-A/Lansing Lugnuts) hit .300 (6-for-20) with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, a hit-by-pitch, and a .364 OBP.
LF Albee Weiss (Twins/Single-A/Cedar Rapids Kernels) hit only .263 (5-for-19) but managed to hit 2 HRs and 2 doubles, get hit by a pitch, and drive in 6 runs.
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A-short-season/Tri-City ValleyCats) hit .375 (6-for-16) with a home run, 2 RBIs, a hit-by-pitch, 2 stolen bases, and a .444 OBP. His 5 HRs are tied for the ValleyCats lead.
C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .316 (6-for-19) with a home run, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .350 OBP.
OF Hunter Bishop* (Giants/A-short-season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) hit only .227 (5-for-22) with a double and one RBI, but 7 walks gave the rookie an OBP of .414. Bishop also stole 3 bases.
C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) hit his first pro home run on August 3, a grand slam.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/Triple-A/Columbus Clippers) earned his first Triple-A save on August 3.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and a walk over 3 combined innings while striking out 5. His current scoreless streak is at 12.2 innings. Since being promoted to AA, Delaplane is 3-1 with a 0.39 ERA, is holding batters to a .117 average, and is striking out 12.3 batters per 9 innings
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/Double-A/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 3 games, yielding 4 hits and zero walks over 3.1 innings while striking out 3. In his last 10 outings, Fishman is 0-0 with a 2.13 ERA, a save, 16 strikeouts, and just one walk.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/Double-A/Bowie Baysox) yielded 2 earned runs over 5 innings in a July 29 no-decision, and then went on to earn his 8th win on August 4, yielding 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.2 innings while striking out 8.
P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustangs) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball in an August 2 start, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.
P Greb Leban* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on July 25, yielding a hit and no walks while striking out 3. Since his promotion to Danville on July 12, the 6’3″ rookie has tossed 6 scoreless innings across 5 outings, yielding 2 hits, 4 walks, and a hit batter while striking out 11.
P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings on August 2, yielding 2 walks and no hits while striking out one.
P Justin Friedman* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) rebounded from a tough outing on July 29 with a 5-inning scoreless gem on August 4, yielding just one hit and 2 walks while striking out 7.
Scott Effross (Cubs/Rookie/AZL Cubs 2) went 0-0 in 2 rehab games, yielding a hit and a hit-by-pitch over 2.2 innings while striking out 2.

Transactions

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from Triple-A on August 2.
SS Keaton Weisz (Angels) was reassigned from the Mobile BayBears (Double-A) to the AZL Angels (Rookie) on July 31.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) was outrighted to the minors on July 28.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers), since July 12.
P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (July 29-August 4, 2019)

August 5, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 29-August 4, 2019:

Mazel tov

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from Triple-A on August 2 to provide back-up for starter Robinson Chirinos, who reported soreness in his left shoulder. In an earlier stint with Houston this season, Stubbs hit .160 (4-for-25) with a double, 2 RBIs, a stolen base, and a .192 on-base percentage across 6 starts. The rookie also threw out one of two base stealers and made no errors.

Stats to share

Of MLB’s six division-leading teams, three have Jewish players: Dodgers (Joc Pederson), Astros (Alex Bregman), and Braves (Max Fried).
Max Fried (Braves) is hitting .205, good enough to rank #6 among N.L. pitchers with at least 30 at-bats.
LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) is quietly outplaying many of his younger Jewish peers this season. In his 13th MLB season, the 35-year-old Braun is hitting .274 (#1) with 16 HRs (#3), 52 RBIs (#3), a .324 OBP (#2), and 8 stolen bases (#2).

At the plate

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) rebounded from his worst week of the season, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with a home run, triple, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .462 OBP.
LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .333 (6-for-18) with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and his 8th stolen base in 9 attempts.
CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .333 (5-for-15) with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and his 9th stolen base in 12 attempts. He also had a scary run-in with an outfield wall while tracking a home run.

LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) had a tough week. He hit .053 (1-for-19) with a double, RBI, and a .100 OBP. Meanwhile, the Dodgers ended what the Los Angeles Times described as Pederson’s “error-plagued experiment at first base.”
2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), currently riding the bench, was 0-for-1 with a walk. His career hit total remains at 1,998.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) improved his record to 12-4 with a 6-inning beauty on August 1, yielding one earned run on 4 hits and zero walks while striking out 4.

Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA across 3 appearances, yielding 5 hits and zero walks across one combined inning while striking out one.
Robert Stock (Padres) remains on the injured list, having last pitched July 2.

Staying close by

C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) sure knows how to make an entrance, as one article put it. In his July 19 debut with Cincinnati, Lavarnway went 3-for-4 with 2 HRs and a double. And in his August 1 debut with the Louisville Bats, he went 3-for-3 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) had another strong week, hitting .391 (9-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 11 RBIs, and a .533 OBP.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (July 22-28, 2019)

July 29, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 22-28, 2019:

Tellez

Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays)
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/Triple-A/Buffalo Bisons), who was sent down to Triple-A on July 15, made a strong case last week for returning to Toronto, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with 4 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .538 on-base percentage.

Davis

Pitcher of the Week: Noah Davis (Reds)

Noah Davis (Cincinnati) pitched 3 scoreless innings for the AZL Reds (Rookie) on July 22. On July 27, his first start with the Billings Mustangs (Rookie Advanced), Davis pitched 4 scoreless innings, yielding just 2 hits and no walks while striking out 4. Selected in the 11th round of the 2018 draft, Davis didn’t make his pro debut until a year later.

Mazel tov

Israel’s baseball team took another step toward qualifying for the 2020 Olympics last week when it crushed Lithuania in a battle of B-Pool champions at the European Championships. Israel beat Lithuania 12-2 and 15-0 in the best-of-three series, amassing an astonishing .419 batting average along with 9 home runs and a 0.64 ERA. 1B Simon Rosenbaum (4-for-7, 2 HRs, double, 6 RBIs) led all batters, while former Kansas City Royals prospect Gabe Cramer tossed a one-hitter in Game 2. Israel’s next challenge will be the A-Pool tournament in Germany on September 7-15, where its pitching staff will be bolstered by three new arrivals who recently obtained Israeli citizenship: top Baltimore Orioles prospect Dean Kremer, and former MLB prospects Jon Moscot and Zack Weiss. The top 5 of 12 teams in that tourney will move on to the Olympic qualifiers in Italy on September 18-22. Click here if you want to contribute toward Israel’s $250,000 budget.

Other highlights

2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) shone in his first four games after being reassigned from Double-A, hitting .471 (8-for-17) with 4 doubles, an RBI, and a .500 OBP.
C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) hit .357 (5-for-14) with 2 doubles, 2 hit by pitches, 3 RBIs, and a .400 OBP.
2B Colby Schultz (Royals/High-A/Wilmington Blue Rocks) hit .350 (7-for-20) with 3 doubles, an RBI, and a .435 OBP. The highlight: three straight 2-hit games from July 26-28.
In a week that began with a High-A rehab assignment, RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/Double-A/Harrisburg Senators) hit a combined .300 (6-for-20) with 3 HRs, a double, triple, hit by pitch, stolen base, and 6 RBIs.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/Single-A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .385 (5-for-13) with 3 doubles and an RBI.
SS Zack Kone (Pirates/Single-A/Greensboro Grasshoppers) hit .333 (5-for-15) with a double and a .412 OBP.
C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/Single-A/Lansing Lugnuts) had an interesting day July 28. After spending 8 innings behind the plate, he took the mound for the first — and perhaps last — time in his four year minor-league career. Gold yielded 3 unearned runs on 2 doubles, 2 walks, and a teammate’s throwing error.
C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .292 (7-for-24) with a home run, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .320 OBP.
C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Great Falls Voyagers/Rookie Advanced) hit .286 (2-for-7) with his first professional home run and 2 RBIs.
P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/Triple-A/Rochester Red Wings) made a strong debut with the Minnesota Twins’ franchise on July 27, yielding a hit and no walks over one inning while striking out 2.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/Double-A/Bowie Baysox) pitched 6 scoreless innings on July 24 to win his 6th straight decision. Kremer yielded 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6.
P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/Double-A/Montgomery Biscuits) pitched 6 innings of 2-run ball on July 25, yielding 4 hits and no walks while striking out 6 to earn his 7th decision in a row and improve his overall record to 10-1.
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/Double-A/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) struck out the side on July 27 to earn his second save of the season.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) pitched 3 scoreless innings on July 24, yielding 2 hits and a walk while striking out one. His 0.44 ERA is #2 in the Texas League among those with at least 20 innings pitched.
P Brandon Gold (Rockies/Double-A/Hartford Yard Goats) pitched 6 innings of 2-run ball on July 26, yielding 5 hits and no walks while striking out 6.
P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/Double-A/Portland Sea Dogs) pitched a perfect inning of relief on July 25, retiring the opposing team on just 10 pitches. Through no fault of his own, he took the loss.
P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings on July 25, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 2.
P Max Lazar (Brewers/Single-A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) pitched 4 scoreless innings of relief on July 28 to earn his 4th win, yielding just 2 hits and no walks while striking out 2. Lazar’s 1.58 ERA is #2 in the Midwest League among those with at least 50 innings pitched.
P Greg Leban* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 2 perfect innings on July 25.
P Justin Friedman* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) pitched 5 innings of one-run ball on July 23, yielding 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 and earning his third win.
P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 4.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.
P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 3 scoreless innings on July 24, yielding 2 runs and a walk while striking out 3.

Transactions

C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds) was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on July 28.
Jakob Goldfarb (White Sox) was reassigned from the Great Falls Voyagers (Rookie Advanced) to the AZL White Sox (Rookie) on July 28.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/Double-A/Tennessee Smokies), who had been on the disabled list since June 14, was sent to a rehab assignment with the AZL Cubs (Rookie) on July 28.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/Single-A/Quad Cities River Bandits) came off the injured list on July 27.
P Jeremy Bleich was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Minnesota Twins on July 25. A day later, Minnesota assigned him to the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A).
2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels) was reassigned from the Mobile BayBears (AA) to the Inland Empire 66ers (High-A) on July 25.
P Noah Davis (Reds) was reassigned from the AZL Reds (Rookie) to the Billings Mustangs (Rookie Advanced) on July 23.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers), since July 12.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits), since July 5.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (July 22-28, 2019)

July 29, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 22-28, 2019:

Mazel tov

Teams from Israel and host Lithuania pose together

Israel’s baseball team took another step toward qualifying for the 2020 Olympics last week when it crushed Lithuania in a battle of B-Pool champions at the European Championships. Israel beat Lithuania 12-2 and 15-0 in the best-of-three series, amassing an astonishing .419 batting average along with 9 home runs and a 0.64 ERA. 1B Simon Rosenbaum (4-for-7, 2 HRs, double, 6 RBIs) led all batters, while former Kansas City Royals prospect Gabe Cramer tossed a one-hitter in Game 2. Israel’s next challenge will be the A-Pool tournament in Germany on September 7-15, where its pitching staff will be bolstered by three new arrivals who recently obtained Israeli citizenship: top Baltimore Orioles prospect Dean Kremer, and former MLB prospects Jon Moscot and Zach Weiss. The top 5 of 12 teams in that tourney will move on to the Olympic qualifiers in Italy on September 18-22. Click here if you want to contribute toward Israel’s $250,000 budget.

Stats to share

Ryan Braun hit the 100th Jewish home run of the 2019 season on July 24. The Jewish record of 118 was set in 2018.

At the plate

2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) batted 1.000 (2-for-2) with two pinch-hit singles, bringing his career hit total to 1,998. Shawn Green holds the Jewish record of 2,003.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .235 (4-for-17) with an RBI and a .381 on-base percentage.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds) hit .200 (2-for-10) with a double and an RBI before being designated for assignment on July 28.
LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .143 (2-for-14) with a home run, double, 3 RBIs, and a .250 OBP.
CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .148 (4-for-27) with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs, striking out 7 times while drawing no walks. We failed to mention last week that he was ejected on July 21.

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) had his worst week of the season, hitting .059 (1-for-17) with a double, RBI, and a .238 OBP. One has to wonder if getting hit on the head with a 97-mph fastball on July 19 played any role. None of that stopped MLB.com from celebrating Bregman’s young career in this video.

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays), who was sent down to Triple-A on July 15, made a strong case for returning to Toronto, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with 4 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .538 OBP.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) came off the injured list July 27 to start against the Philadelphia Phillies. Although a little shaky — he yielded 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks over 5.1 innings — Fried earned his 11th win, thing him for #4 in the National League. He pitched in at the plate, too, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA across 4 appearances, yielding an earned run on 2 hits and no walks over 3.1 innings while striking out 2.
Robert Stock (Padres) is on the injured list, having last pitched on July 2.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (July 15-21, 2019)

July 22, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 15-21, 2019:

Lavarnway

Hitter of the Week: Ryan Lavarnway (Reds)
C Ryan Lavarnway signed a one-year Major League contract with Cincinnati on July 18 and wasted no time contributing. In his Reds debut the following day — his first Major League start since July 29, 2017 — he went 3-for-4 with 2 HRs, a double, a walk, and 6 RBIs. According to MLB.com researcher Andrew Simon, Lavarnway is the first Reds catcher to have a 3-hit, 2-HR, 6-RBI game since the legendary Johnny Bench did it 46 years ago, on May 9, 1973.

Friedman

Pitcher of the Week: Justin Friedman (White Sox)

Justin Friedman (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox), a 26th-round pick in the 2019 draft, was dominant in a scoreless relief appearance on July 16, yielding 2 hits and no walks over 5.1 innings while striking out 6 and earning his second win. In 20 innings this season, Friedman has 24 strikeouts against just 4 walks.

Mazel tov

P Josh Wolf (Mets/Rookie/GCL Mets), a 2nd-round pick in the 2019 draft, made his pro debut on July 20, pitching an inning of scoreless relief. He yielded a hit and no walks while striking out 2.
P Zack Weiss, who was released by the Twins last week, has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week last week.
Former pitching prospect (and new Israeli citizen) Corey Baker discussed his career in an interview last week.

Other highlights

2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/AA/Mobile BayBears) hit .286 (6-for-21) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, a stolen base, and a .318 OBP.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A/Fort Wayne TinCaps) hit .364 (4-for-11) with a double, triple, stolen base, and a .462 OBP.
LF Albee Weiss (Twins/A/Cedar Rapids Kernels) earned last week’s promotion to Single-A. In 96 at-bats with the Elizabethton Twins (Rookie) this season, Weiss hit .260 with 9 HRs, 25 RBIs, and a .604 slugging percentage.
SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A/Greensboro Grasshoppers) hit .286 (6-for-21) with a double, triple, and a .318 OBP.
OF Hunter Bishop (Giants/A-short-season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) had a noteworthy week. On July 15, his last game with the AZL Giants (Rookie), he drew 5 walks. And on July 17, his first game with the Volcanoes, Bishop went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AAA/Columbus Clippers) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. In his last 10 appearances, Kaminsky is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox) wowed fans with 7 shutout innings on July 18, yielding 6 hits and a walk while striking out 8 en route to his 6th win against 3 losses.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travlers) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding one hit and no walks over 2.1 innings while striking out 2. In his last 10 appearances, Delaplane is 1-1 with a 0.73 ERA.
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk over 1.2 innings while striking out 2. Over his last 10 games, Fishman is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 24 strikeouts against just 2 walks.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) went 0-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks over 2.1 innings while striking out one.
P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats pitched 4 scoreless innings in a July 20 start, yielding 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out one.
P Max Lazar (Brewers/A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) earned his first career save on July 17, yielding a hit and 2 walks over 3 scoreless innings while striking out 4.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and no walks over 2.1 innings while striking out one.
P Jeremy Bleich (Red Sox/A-short-season/Lowell Spinners) went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk over 2.2 innings while striking out 5.
P Ben Gross (Twins/Rookie/Elizabethton Twins) earned his 3rd win in a scoreless start July 17, yielding 5 hits and a walk over 6 innings while striking out 3.
P Greg Leban (Braves/Rookie/Danville Braves) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 2 appearances, yielding no hits and one walk over 1.1 innings while striking out 3. After a rough outing in his June 24 pro debut, Leban has held opponents scoreless in 5 straight games.

Transactions

RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals) was reassigned from the Harrisburg Senators (AA) to the Auburn Doubledays (A-short-season) on July 21.
P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) came off the injured list on July 20. He had entered the injured list on July 16.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) came off the injured list on July 19.
C Ryan Lavarnway was released by the Yankees on July 18 — and signed by the Reds to a Major League contract the same day.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was reassigned from the Lake Elsinore Storm (High-A) to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (A) on July 18.
OF Hunter Bishop (Giants) was promoted from the AZL Giants (Rookie) to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (A-short-season) on July 17.
LF Albee Weiss (Twins) was promoted from the Elizabethton Twins (Rookie) to the Cedar Rapids Kernels (A) on July 16.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) was sent down from Toronto to the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A) on July 15.
P Zack Weiss was released by the Twins on July 15.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers), since July 12.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits), since July 5.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), since June 14.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (July 15-21, 2019)

July 22, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 15-21, 2019:

Mazel tov

C Ryan Lavarnway signed a one-year Major League contract with Cincinnati on July 18 and wasted no time contributing. In his Reds debut the following day — his first Major League start since July 29, 2017 — he went 3-for-4 with 2 HRs, a double, a walk, and 6 RBIs. According to MLB.com researcher Andrew Simon, Lavarnway is the first Reds catcher to have a 3-hit, 2-HR, 6-RBI game since the legendary Johnny Bench did so 46 years ago, on May 9, 1973.

Former Yankee great and newly-inducted Hall of Fame member Mariano Rivera isn’t Jewish — he is devoutly Christian — but he traveled to Israel last year with “a few friends of mine that are rabbis.” In an interview, Rivera said: “I believe that part of me is Jewish. I have to take a DNA test to see where my family came from, where I come from—all that stuff because I truly believe there’s something in me that just moves me to have something special for the Jewish community and Israel.”

Stats to share

Jewish players have hit 99 HRs so far this season. The record of 118 HRs was set in 2018.

At the plate

LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .368 (7-for-19) with 2 HRs, a double, triple, and a .409 on-base percentage.
3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .292 with 2 HRs, a double, 4 RBIs, and a .452 OBP. His 26 HRs rank #4 in the A.L., and his .401 OBP ranks #3 behind Mike Trout and Carlos Santana. In a frightening moment July 19, Bregman was hit in the head with a 97 mph fastball on but promptly got up, dusted himself off, and trotted to first base.

C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds) hit .375 in his first week with Cincinnati, notching 2 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .444 OBP.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .259 (7-for-28) with 3 HRs, a double, and a .286 OBP. His 23 HRs are tied for #14 in the National League.
CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .229 (8-for-35) with 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .263 OBP. He also (yawn) made this terrific diving catch.

2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) hit .091 (1-for-11) with one RBI. Mired in a slump — after hitting .309 in June, he is hitting .103 in July — Kinsler is 4 short of 2,000 career hits.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) was sent down to Triple on July 15 and thus didn’t play any games with Toronto last week. In 78 games with the Blue Jays this season, the rookie first baseman is hitting .227 with 14 HRs, 40 RBIs, and a .280 OBP. In an interview, Tellez said he hoped to work on his plate discipline. “They’re the best of the best up there [in the Majors], and if you want to compete, you have to be on your ‘A’ game,” he said . “I got exposed a lot…For me, my aggression was one of my things, trying to do damage early in counts with pitches I can’t even hit and swinging at them and it got me into bad situations.”

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) pitched a scoreless gem on July 15, yielding 3 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings for his 10th win, tying him for #4 in the National League. Atlanta placed Fried on the 10-day injured list July 16 due to a blister on his left index finger.

Richard Bleier (Orioles) pitched a scoreless inning on July 19, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 2.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

MLB Monday (June 24-July 14, 2019)

July 15, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the three weeks beginning June 24, 2019 and ending July 14, 2019:

Mazel tov

The 2019 Home Run Derby was 25% Jewish, with Joc Pederson (Dodgers) and Alex Bregman (Astros) filling 2 of 8 slots. After beating Bregman 21-14 in the first round, Pederson faced Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the semi-finals. In one of the greatest battles in Derby history, Pederson and Guerrero each hit 29 HRs in regulation, although Guerrero went on to win in a tie-breaker.

Stats to share

Through July 14’s games, Ian Kinsler was just 5 hits shy of his 2,000th, and just 8 hits short of Shawn Green’s Jewish record (2,003). Thanks to David Spaner for the tip.
Alex Bregman is an All-Star and a Home Run Derby competitor who ranks among A.L. leaders in several offensive categories. And his salary’s about to show it: after earning a bargain $640,500 this season, his paycheck will jump to $13-million in 2020 and $30.5-million in 2023.

At the plate

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .266 (17-for-64) over the last three weeks, tallying 2 HRs, 4 doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs, and a .299 on-base percentage. Pillar was particularly hot during a three-game stint that began June 30, driving in 9 runs overall and twice going 4-for-5.

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .238 (10-for-42) with 3 doubles, 5 RBIs, and a .256 OBP.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .261 (12-for-46) with 3 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. Despite his Home Run Derby prowess, Pederson hasn’t hit a regular-season home run since June 20.
LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .310 (13-for-42) with 5 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .326 OBP. He also made an acrobatic catch in foul territory.

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .313 (15-for-48) with 3 HRs, 4 doubles, a triple, 1 stolen base, and a .459 OBP. He also made a heads-up play on an infield hit.

2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) hit .192 (5-for-26) with a home run, double, 3 RBIS, and a .276 OBP.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) went 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA across 3 starts. Opposing batters hit .323 against him, along with a .384 OBP.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 1-0 with one hold and a 7.11 ERA across 7 relief appearances. Opposing batters hit .357 against him, along with a .400 OBP.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (July 8-14, 2019)

July 15, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 8-14, 2019:

Vinsky

Hitter of the Week: David Vinsky (Cardinals)

OF David Vinsky (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes), a 2019 draftee, hit .444 (12-for-27) with 3 doubles, 2 stolen bases, 5 RBIs, just 3 strikeouts, and a .500 OBP, highlighted by a 5-for-5 performance on July 13. Vinsky’s .368 batting average would rank #2 in the New York-Penn League if he weren’t a few at-bats short of the minimum.

Rosenberg

Pitcher of the Week: Kenny Rosenberg (Rays)

Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA over 2 starts, yielding 8 hits and 7 walks over 12 innings while striking out 7. The victories brought Rosenberg’s season record to 9-1 with a 2.82 ERA.

Mazel tov

Israel’s under-18 baseball team beat Belgium 8-5 on July 13 to win its six-team “B” pool in the European Championship. The victory advances Israel to the “A” pool tournament in 2020, by which time most of this year’s roster will have aged-out.

Other highlights

C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .417 (5-for-12) with a HR, double, 4 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .500 on-base percentage.
LF Albee Weiss (Twins/Rookie/Elizabethton Twins) hit .333 (8-for-24) with 4 HRs, 2 doubles, and 12 RBIs, highlighted by a 2-HR performance on July 10.
CF Hunter Bishop (Giants/Rookie/AZL Giants), the #10 overall pick in the 2019 draft, hit his first pro HR on July 13, a 2-run shot.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 3. Since his promotion to Double-A on June 4, Delaplane is 2-1 with a 0.60 ERA, has struck out 28 batters in just 15 innings, and has given up only 4 hits and 5 walks.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief on July 12, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out one. Despite going 1-3 with a 5.29 ERA and 2 blown saves at the High-A level this season, Osnowitz is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 5 games at the Double-A level.
P Max Lazar (Brewers/A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) earned his second win of the season with a scoreless gem on July 11, yielding 4 hits and no walks over 5 innings while striking out 7. For the season, Lazar is 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and just 9 walks.

Transactions

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers) was placed on the injured list on July 12.
P Greg Leban (Braves) was reassigned from the GCL Braves (Rookie) to the Danville Braves (Rookie) on July 12.
P Jake Miednik (Indians) was sent to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Rookie) for a rehab assignment on July 8.
SS Keaton Weisz (Angels) was reassigned from the Mobile BayBears (Double-A) to the Orem Owlz (Rookie) on July 8.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers), since July 12.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits), since July 5.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), since June 14.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

Minor-League Monday (June 24-July 7, 2019)

July 9, 2019 (Tuesday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Because we didn’t publish Minor-League Monday last week, today we give you highlights for the past two weeks (June 24-July 7, 2019):

Decker

Hitter of the Fortnight: Cody Decker (Diamondbacks)

1B Cody Decker (Diamondbacks/AAA/Reno Aces), whose 204 career home runs rank #1 among active minor leaguers, retired from baseball in style last week (see article). The California native called it quits shortly after hitting a walk-off home run in his final at-bat July 5 to give Reno a 10-9 win. Except for a brief appearance in 2015 with the San Diego Padres, Decker spent all 11 season in the minors, playing for 13 teams across six franchises. A fan favorite, Decker also played with Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. “I’ve given everything to this game — my blood, my sweat, my tears, my hair line,” Decker said at a press conference announcing his retirement. According to MLB.com, Decker and comedian wife Jennifer Decker will host a daily radio show and a weekly podcast. Cody also will join the staff of the Border Youth Athletic Association of El Paso, TX, which “plans to build a state-of-the-art baseball facility.”

Fishman

Pitcher of the Fortnight: Jake Fishman (Blue Jays)

Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) pitched 8.2 scoreless innings across 4 appearances, yielding 8 hits and a walk while striking out 13. Fishman hasn’t given up an earned run since June 7.

Mazel tov

OF Hunter Bishop (Giants/Rookie/AZL Giants), the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, signed with San Francisco for a $4.1-million bonus. He made his professional debut on July 7, going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers) took leave on June 26 to join the Israeli national baseball team for last week’s European Championship tourney. Gailen helped Israel go 6-0 in the series and was named tournament MVP.
P Kenny Koplove, released last month by the Colorado Rockies, has joined the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball.
C Mitchell Kranson, released last month by the Minnesota Twins, has joined the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball.

Other highlights

OF David Vinsky (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes), a 2019 draftee, hit a combined .302 (13-for-43) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 8 RBIs, and a .348 on-base percentage while playing for St. Louis’s A-short-season and rookie-league teams.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AAA/Columbus Clippers) pitched 5.2 scoreless innings across 5 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. Kaminsky hasn’t given up an earned run since June 4.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox), Baltimore’s #9 prospect, went 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA across 3 starts, yielding 15 hits and 3 walks over 17 innings while striking out 14. After starting the season 0-3, Kremer has gone 5-1.
P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) went 1-1 with a 2.60 ERA across 3 starts, yielding 23 hits and 4 walks over 17 innings while striking out 18.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA across 4 games, 3 of them in Double-A and one in High-A. Osnowitz yielded 2 hits and 2 walks across 5 innings while striking out 8.
P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA across 2 games, yielding 10 hits and 7 walks over 12 innings while striking out 8. So far this season, Rosenberg is 7-1 with a 3.12 ERA.
P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets) went 0-0 with 2 saves and a 2.93 ERA across 4 appearances, yielding 10 hits and 7 walks over 12 innings while striking out an impressive 19 batters.
P Ben Gross (Twins/Rookie/Elizabethton Twins), a 2019 draftee, went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA across 2 starts, yielding 8 hits and 2 walks over 12 innings while striking out 9.
P Josh Shapiro (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers), a 2019 draftee, went 0-0 with a 1.00 ERA across 2 relief appearances and a start, yielding 8 hits and 2 walks over 9 innings while striking out 11.
P Justin Friedman (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox), a 2019 draftee, went 1-0 with a 2.90 ERA across 3 games, yielding 7 hits and one walk over 6.2 innings while striking out 8.
P Greg Leban (Braves/Rookie/GCL Braves), a 2019 draftee, had a rough pro debut on June 24, yielding 5 earned runs over just 0.2 innings. But he bounced back with a scoreless 2.2-inning outing on July 2, yielding 2 hits and a walk while striking out 6.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/Rookie/AZL Indians) pitched 4 scoreless innings in a 3-game rehab assignment, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 4.

Transactions

1B Cody Decker (Diamondbacks/AAA/Reno Aces) announced his retirement on July 7, three days after he was activated from the injured list.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) was placed on the injured list on July 5.
P Robert Stock (Padres) was reassigned from San Diego (MLB) to the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) on July 4, five days after he was called-up to the Majors.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Yankees/AAA/Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders) was activated from the injured list on July 4.
P Max Lazar (Brewers) was promoted from the AZL Brewers (Rookie) to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A) on July 1.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), a 2019 draftee, was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 1.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was promoted from the AZL Padres (Rookie) to the Lake Elsinore Storm (High-A) on June 30.
OF David Vinsky (Cardinals), a 2019 draftee, was promoted from the Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie) to the State College Spikes (A-short season) on June 29.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals) was promoted from the Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A) to the Springfield Cardinals (AA) on June 28.
P Jake Miednik (Indians) was sent on a rehab assignment from the Lake County Captains (A) to the AZL Indians (Rookie) on June 28.
P Jeremy Bleich (Red Sox) was sent on a rehab assignment from the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) to the Lowell Spinners (A-short-season) on June 27.
SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A/Greensboro Grasshoppers) was activated from the injured list on June 27.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians) was promoted from the Akron RubberDucks (AA) to the Columbus Clippers (AAA) on June 26.
SS Keaton Weisz (Angels), a 2019 draftee, was promoted from the AZL Angels (Rookie) to the Mobile BayBears (Double-A) on June 26.
3B/2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels) was promoted from the Inland Empire 66ers (High-A) to the Mobile BayBears (Double-A) on June 24.
P Zack Leban (Marlins/Rookie/GCL Marlins) was placed on the injured list on June 24.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits), since July 5.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), since June 14.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

For Israel, sweet victory

July 8, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Israel’s national baseball team went 6-0 last week to win its pool in the European Championship, a preliminary qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympics.

Blake Gailen

Led by tournament MVP Blake Gailen, a Triple-A prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Israel’s 24-man roster ran through opponents Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ireland but had a tougher time against Russia. Israel scored 5 runs in the 10th inning for a comeback win against Russia on July 4, then narrowly defeated it again in the championship game.

The games were played before tiny crowds in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, but Israel had a strong contingent of fans.

Many steps remain to make the Olympics. Next up, Israel faces Lithuania in a three-game playoff that begins July 26. If successful, Israel will advance to the European Championship’s A-Pool tourney in September. The top 5 teams there will move on to the Olympic qualifiers, and so on.

As a team, Israel hit .289 last week (second to Russia’s .367), led all squads with a 3.63 ERA, and tied for first with a .967 fielding percentage.

Gailen, a 34-year-old outfielder and the team’s most experienced player, hit .571 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs — including a walk-off single in Israel’s July 4 win over Russia. Zach Penprase, a shortstop who last played pro ball in 2015, ranked second among all tourney players with 12 RBIs. On the mound, former Kansas City Royals prospect Gabe Cramer was stellar in an 11-1 win over Serbia, pitching 5 no-hit innings and yielding just one baserunner, a walk, while striking out 6.

Gabe Cramer

Thanks to differing eligibility rules, Israel’s roster boasted fewer Major League prospects and more homegrown talent than when the country fielded a team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic. While the WBC allowed teams to field players who merely qualified for citizenship, last week’s European Championships tourney required players to be citizens of the countries they represented.

Israel Baseball president Peter Kurz deepened the country’s talent base over the past year by persuading roughly a dozen American players of varying experience — including Gailen, Penprase and Cramer — to obtain dual Israeli-American citizenship.

Last week’s roster also included seven native Israelis, a significant accomplishment given that baseball is a new and, so far, decidedly marginal sport in Israel. They included 3B/DH Noam Calisar, C Tal Erel, DH Ophir Katz, 3B/SS Asaf Lowengart, and pitchers Alon Leichman, Shlomo Lipetz and Dan Rothem.

The team also included players who never advanced beyond college baseball or whose only pro experience was in an independent league not affiliated with Major League Baseball.

Here is the full roster:

Corey Baker (P)
Eric Brodkowitz (P)
Noam Calisar (IF-OF)
Gabe Cramer (P)
Jonathan Demarte (P)
Tal Erel (IF)
Ari Fabian (IF)
Blake Gailen (OF)
Mitch Glasser (IF)
Danny Grillo (IF)
Ophir Katz (IF-OF)
Alon Leichman (P)
Shlomo Lipetz (P)
Asaf Lowengart (IF-OF)
Rob Paller (OF)
Dean Pelman (P)
Zach Penprase (IF)
Simon Rosenbaum (IF)
Jake Rosenberg (OF)
Dan Rothem (IF)
Matt Soren (P)
Joey Wagman (P)
Ryan Willen (IF)
Jeremy Wolf (OF)

If Israel makes it to the European Championship’s A-Pool Tourney in September, the team might be joined by three experienced pitchers: former Cincinnati Reds hurler Jon Moscot, current Minnesota Twins prospect Zack Weiss, and Dean Kremer, the Baltimore Orioles’ 9th-ranked prospect and the first Israeli-born player to be selected in an MLB draft.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Articles none

Minor-League Monday (June 17-23, 2019)

June 24, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of June 17-23, 2019:

Stubbs

Hitter of the Week: CJ Stubbs (Astros)

C CJ Stubbs (Astros/A-short-season/Tri-City ValleyCats) homered in his first pro at-bat on June 20…and then homered again the following day. For the week, the younger brother of Astros catcher Garrett Stubbs hit .333 (5-for-15) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a .412 OBP.

Kremer

Pitcher of the Week: Dean Kremer (Orioles)

Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox) pitched 5 shutout innings on June 22 en route to his second win, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8. After going 0-2 with a 8.38 ERA in May, Kremer is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA in June.

Mazel tov

At least 16 Jewish players were selected in this month’s MLB draft. Of those, at least 13 have signed a contract. Following are the 13 and their signing bonuses:
- Josh Wolf (Mets/Round 2): $2,150,000
- Evan Kravetz (Reds/Round 5): $112,500
- Ben Gross (Ttwins/Round 10): $10,000
- CJ Stubbs (Astros/Round 10): $85,000
- David Vinsky (Cardinals/Round 15): $100,000
- Alex Segal (Braves/Round 22): $125,000
- Jakob Goldfarb (White Sox/Round 24): $2,500
- Justin Friedman (White Sox/Round 26): $2,500
- Kyle Molnar (Angels/Round 26): $122,500
- Matt Woods (Angels/Round 29): unknown
- Greg Leban (Braves/Round 31): $5,000
- Josh Shapiro (Brewers/Round 34): $3,000
- Keaton Weisz (Angels/Round 36): unknown
Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) pitched a perfect inning of relief in the Southern League All-Star Game on June 18.
Ex-Seattle Mariners prospect Jack Marder recently joined his alma mater, the University of Oregon, as an assistant baseball coach.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) was selected to play in the California League All-Star Game. The third-year player out of Eastern Michigan leads all minor leaguers in strikeout rate and is #2 in Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). He recently was interviewed about analytics and his superb curveball.

Other highlights

1B Cody Decker (Diamondbacks/AAA/Reno Aces) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a home run, double, 2 RBIs, and .500 OBP. Decker, whose 203 career home runs rank #1 among active minor leaguers, is averaging a home run every 14 at-bats this season.
2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .571 (4-for-7) with a home run, 3 RBIs, and a .625 OBP.
C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A/Lansing Lugnuts) hit .333 (5-for-15) with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.
SS Keaton Weisz (Angels/Rookie/AZL Angels) went 1-for-4 with a double in his pro debut on June 19.
C Jakob Goldfarb (White Sox/Rookie/Great Falls Voyagers) made his pro debut on June 15. For the week, he hit .182 (2-for-11) with a double and a .357 OBP.
OF David Vinsky (Cardinals/Rookie/Johnson City Cardinals) made his pro debut on June 19. For the week, he was 0-for-6 with a .250 OBP.
P Robert Stock pitched 2 scoreless innings on June 20, yielding a hit and 2 walks while striking out 3.
P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) pitched 2 perfect innings across 2 games, yielding no hits or walks while striking out 2. Since being promoted to Double-A, Delaplane has tossed 8.2 near-perfect innings, yielding a walk and a hit while striking out 18.
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) pitched 4 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 5.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA/Akron RubberDucks) pitched 4.1 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 3. In 19 games at the Double-A level this season, Kaminsky is 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .193 batting average and 0.96 walks/hits per inning.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A-short-season/Tri-City Dust Devils) hit .250 (3-for-12) with 2 stolen bases and a .438 OBP.
P Andy Rohloff (Giants/A-short-season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) pitched 2 perfect innings on June 20, yielding no hits or walks while striking out 2.
P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie/AZL Reds) hadn’t pitched since Cincinnati selected him in the 11th round of the 2018 draft. He finally made his pro debut on June 22, pitching a scoreless inning on one hit and no walks while striking out one.
P Evan Kravetz (Reds/Rookie/Greeneville Reds) pitched a perfect inning in his pro debut on June 22.
P Justin Friedman (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) struggled in his pro debut on June 18, yielding 4 earned runs over 2 innings, but he bounced back on June 22 with a 2-inning gem, yielding no hits and a walk while striking out 4.
P Alex Segal (Braves/Rookie/Danville Braves) made his MLB debut on June 20, giving up an earned run on 2 hits and a walk over one inning.
P Ben Gross (Twins/Rookie/Elizabethton Twins) made his pro debut in a 4-inning start on June 20, yielding 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.
P Josh Shapiro (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 3 innings in his pro debut on June 21, yielding 3 earned runs on 7 hits and no walks while striking out 3.

Transactions

P Noah Davis (Reds) was assigned to the AZL Reds (Rookie) on June 22.
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was reassigned from Houston’s roster to the Rock Round Express (AAA) on June 21.
2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels) was reassigned from the Mobile BayBears (AA) to the Inland Empire 66ers (High-A) on June 21.
P Max Lazar (Brewers) was reassigned from the AZL Brewers Blue (Rookie) to the AZL Brewers Gold (Rookie) on June 17.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan, Brad Goldberg, Mitchell Kranson and Kenny Koplove.

Injured list

P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), since June 14.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Yankees/AAA/Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders), since June 8.
P Jeremy Bleich (Red Sox/AAA/Pawtucket Red Sox), since May 30.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains), since May 7.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (June 17-23, 2019)

June 24, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of June 17-23, 2019:

Mazel tov

Alex Bregman (Astros) was named a finalist for the 2019 All-Star Game. He led all A.L. third basemen with 2.3-million votes, blowing away #2 Gio Urshela’s 857,474 votes.
Joc Pederson (Dodgers) was named a finalist for the 2019 All-Star Game. His 961,515 votes ranked #9 among N.L. outfielders.

Stats to share

Joc Pederson began his Major League career in center field and switched to left field in 2018. Now, the Dodgers are retraining him to play first base (see article). Pederson made his first MLB start there on June 21 and did so again on June 22 and 23.
Pederson is homering once every 10.75 at-bats, #7 among all MLB hitters with at least 10 HRs.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) has 14 HRs, #3 among MLB rookies and tied for #1 among Toronto hitters.

Alex Bregman’s 21 HRs are tied for #4 in the American League, and his 51 RBIs are tied for #8. Bregman leads the Major Leagues in walk-to-strikeout ratio, at 1.26 (58 BBs vs 45 Ks).

At the plate

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) extended his hot streak, hitting .370 (10-for-27) with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and a .393 OBP. His .242 batting average is a season high.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .316 with 3 HRs, a double, 2 intentional walks, and a .458 OBP. The highlight was a 2-HR, 4 RBI performance on June 19.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .263 (5-for-19) with 2 HRs, 3 RBIs, and a .300 OBP.
LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .190 (4-for-21) with a HR, 3 RBIs, 3 doubles, a stolen base, and a .261 OBP.
3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .172 (5-for-29) with 2 HRs, 3 RBIs, and a .273 OBP.
2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) hit .118 (2-for-17).
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) went 0-for-3 on June 19, his lone game of the week. He was sent back to Triple-A on June 21.

On the mound

Max Fried (Braves) earned his 8th win in a 6-inning outing on June 9, yielding 2 earned runs on 8 hits and a walk while striking out 6.
Richard Bleier (Orioles) pitched 1.1 innings over 2 games, yielding one earned run on 3 hits.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Minor-League Monday (June 10-16, 2019)

June 17, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of June 10-16, 2019:

Burcham

Hitter of the Week: Scotty Burcham (Rockies)

SS Scotty Burcham (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) hit .333 (4-for-12) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and a .467 OBP. Two of his hits came during a June 12 start by teammate Brandon Gold.

Delaplane

Pitcher of the Week: Sam Delaplane (Mariners)

In 3 appearances since his promotion to Double-A earlier this month, Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) has been astonishing, striking out 16 of 22 batters he’s faced while giving up one single and a walk. Delaplane has struck out 52% of all batters this season, by far the best among minor-league pitchers.

Mazel tov

P Josh Wolf, a 2nd-round draft pick out of high school, reportedly will sign with the New York Mets later this week for more than $1.37-million.
P Davis Vainer, a 21st-round draft pick, announced that instead of signing with the Houston Astros, he will transfer to the University of Arizona for his senior year.
C Jakob Goldfarb, a 24th-round draft pick, signed with the Chicago White Sox on June 14 and was assigned to the Great Falls Voyagers (rookie).
The Great Rabbino has published an interview with P Evan Kravetz, a 5th-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds.
C Mitchell Kranson (Twins/AA) was released just 2 weeks ago, but he’s already landed a job as assistant baseball coach at Angelina College.
LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A-short-season/Tri-City Dust Devils) made his 2019 debut on June 14.
P Jordan Scheftz (Indians/A-short-season/Mahoning Valley Scrappers) made his 2019 debut on June 14.

Other highlights

OF Blake Gailen (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers) hit .300 (3-for-10) with a double and a .417 on-base percentage.
2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) hit .277 (5-for-18) with 2 RBIs and a .435 OBP.
2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .286 (6-for-21) with a double, 2 RBIs, and a .348 OBP.
P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) earned his third straight win on June 12, pitching 8 innings of one-run ball on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5. He is 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA and is giving up just 1.18 hits/walks per inning.
P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AA/Akron RubberDucks) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and 2 walks while striking out 3.
P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) pitched 3 no-hit innings over 2 games, yielding one walk and striking out 3.
P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox) pitched 7 shutout innings in a June 11 win, yielding 4 hits and a walk while striking out 8. In a June 16 loss, Kremer yielded 4 earned runs on 6 hits over 6 innings but struck out 9 while walking zero.
P Zack Weiss (Twins/AA/Pensacola Blue Wahoos) pitched 4 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 and earning his first win of the season.
P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets) tossed 8.1 scoreless innings across two games, giving up 2 hits and 6 walks while striking out 8 and earning his first win of the season.

Transactions

2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels) was promoted from the Inland Empire 66ers (High-A) to the Mobile BayBears (AA) on June 14.
P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals) was promoted from the Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A) to the Springfield Cardinals (AA) on June 14, and he pitched a perfect inning of relief the same day. On June 16, he was sent back to Palm Beach.
P Andy Rohloff (Giants) was promoted from the AZL Giants (rookie) to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (A-short-season) on June 14.
P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies) joined the injured list on June 14.
P Robert Stock (Padres) was called up to San Diego on June 12 and then sent back down to the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) on June 13 without having played a game.
SS Zack Kone (Pirates) was sent to the West Virginia Black Bears (A-short-season) for a rehab assignment on June 12.

Free agents

Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan, Brad Goldberg, Mitchell Kranson and Kenny Koplove.

Injured list

P Scott Effross (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), since June 14.
C Ryan Lavarnway (Yankees/AAA/Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders), since June 8.
P Jeremy Bleich (Red Sox/AAA/Pawtucket Red Sox), since May 30.
P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains), since May 7.
P Ryan Sherriff (Rays/AAA/Durham Bulls).

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

Minor Leagues none

MLB Monday (June 10-16, 2019)

June 17, 2019 (Monday)

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of June 10-16, 2019:

Mazel tov

As of June 10, Alex Bregman (Astros) led all A.L. third basemen with 630,159 All Star votes, dwarfing #2 Gio Urshela’s 269,716 votes.
As of June 10, Joc Pederson (Dodgers) was the #4 vote-getter among N.L. outfielders, behind Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna Jr.

Stats to share

1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit his 10th and 11th home runs, tying him for #3 among A.L. rookies. They included his second grand-slam of the season.
3B Alex Bregman (Astros) leads the Major Leagues in walk-to-strikeout ratio, at 1.19 (54 Ks vs 39 BBs). The 4 walks he drew on June 12 set a personal record.
Bregman’s 19 HRs are tied for #3 in the National League, and his .939 OPS is ranked #4.

At the plate

CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit a sizzling .571 (8-for-14) with 3 HRs, 4 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. And in a Jew vs. Jew moment, Pillar robbed Ian Kinsler (Padres) of a hit.

2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) continued his hot streak, hitting .421 (8-for-19) with a home run, double, 4 RBIs, stolen base, and a .476 on-base percentage. He’s hitting .372 through the first half of June.
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .368 (7-for-19) with 2 HRs, a double, triple, and 4 RBIs. On June 12, the same day he hit a grand-slam HR, Tellez stole the first base of his MLB career.

3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .214 (3-for-14) with a home run and 4 RBIs, but an extraordinary 10 walks (against 2 strikeouts) brought his OBP to .542 for the week. Bregman also made a slick play to deny Tyler White of a sure-fire hit.

LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .250 (5-for-20) with a solo HR and a .286 OBP.
C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) went hitless in 5 at-bats and drove in one run.
LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) went hitless in 16 at-bats and reached base just once, on a walk. It’s not because he’s striking out a lot; just 2 of his 16 outs were due to strikeouts. But Pederson, who hit a crisp .323 in May, is 0-for-27 since hitting a leadoff single on June 4, the longest hitless streak of his 6-year career.

On the mound

Richard Bleier (Orioles) pitched 3 times, yielding one earned run on one hit (a HR) and no walks over 3 combined innings.
Max Fried (Braves) struggled again in a June 14 start, yielding 5 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks over 4.2 innings while avoiding a loss. But Fried continued his impressive play at the plate, including working Phillies hurler Nick Pivetta for a 13-pitch walk.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

MLB none

Jewish Baseball News

News and stats on Jews with bats

Browsing Posts published by scott

Minor-League Monday (August 19-25, 2019)

MLB Monday (August 19-25, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (August 12-18, 2019)

MLB Monday (August 12-18, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (August 5-11, 2019)

MLB Monday (August 5-11, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (July 29-August 4, 2019)

MLB Monday (July 29-August 4, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (July 22-28, 2019)

MLB Monday (July 22-28, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (July 15-21, 2019)

MLB Monday (July 15-21, 2019)

MLB Monday (June 24-July 14, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (July 8-14, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (June 24-July 7, 2019)

For Israel, sweet victory

Minor-League Monday (June 17-23, 2019)

MLB Monday (June 17-23, 2019)

Minor-League Monday (June 10-16, 2019)

MLB Monday (June 10-16, 2019)