Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — For the Spring/Summer minor leagues, the 2010 season is over. So how did Jewish batters do?

According to Jewish Baseball News calculations, the 28 Jews who swung a bat in the minors this season — including several major-leaguers doing rehab stints — had a combined batting average of .280, along with 127 HRs and 834 RBIs.

A list of category leaders and laggards is shown below. But first, a couple clarifications:

• Players marked with an asterisk played at two or more levels in 2010. Statistics shown for them are cumulative; the team shown is the one a player ended the season with.
• To qualify for this list, a player must have had at least 300 plate appearances. (A total of 13 met the standard.)

Now, your category leaders.

HIGHEST BATTING AVERAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .363
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — .326
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — .311

LOWEST BATTING AVERAGE

• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — .249
• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .260

MOST HOME RUNS

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 22
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 16
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 14

MOST TRIPLES

• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 9
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 8
• CF James Rapoport, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds* (St. Louis Cardinals) — 4
  

MOST DOUBLES

• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 43
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 39
• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — 37

MOST RBIs

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 102
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 84
• 1B Casey Haerther, “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) — 74
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 74
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 74

MOST WALKS

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 70
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 66
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 66

MOST STRIKEOUTS

• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 121
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 117
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 107

FEWEST STRIKEOUTS

• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — 33
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 37
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — 47

BEST WALK/STRIKEOUT RATIO

• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 1.78 (66/37)
• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .97 (32/33)
• 1B James Rapoport, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .78 (54/69)

WORST WALK/STRIKEOUT RATIO

• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — .33 (31/95)
• 1B Robbie Widlansky, “AA” Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) — .37 (18/49)
• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — .41 (37/91)

HIGHEST ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .432
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — .399
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — .399

HIGHEST SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .610
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — .492
• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — .489

HIGHEST OPS (OBP+SLUGGING)

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — 1.042
• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — .882
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — .878

MOST STOLEN BASES

• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — 23
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 21
• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — 14

Up next: the best minor-league pitchers of 2010.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday (9/2/2010):

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 3/5 with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in a 10-9, extra-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .338, tops among AL rookies, and has three 3-hit games in his past eight . He is 2nd among AL rookies in slugging percentage (.451) and 3rd in on-base percentage (.378).
• Rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets hit a single and drew two walks in a 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The 23-year-old son of former MLB reliever Ron Davis is 3^rd among N.L. rookies in RBIs (57) and runs scored (57), and 4^th in HRs (15/tie).
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 2/3 with a walk and a run scored in a 3-2 victory over the Oklahoma City RedHawks. The 30-year-old Canadian leads the Sounds in batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.403).
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued his remarkable debut season, belting 2 HRs and going 3/4 overall  in a 10-4 win over the Idaho Falls Chukars. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (23), runs scored (65), and slugging percentage (.603); ranks 2nd in on-base percentage (.434) and OPS (1.037); and has the third-highest batting average (.364).

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/30/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/5 with an RBI single in a 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Braun singled in the 10th inning but couldn’t spark a rally. The 26-year-old is hitting .421 in August and .301 for the year.
• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) went 5/7 with four singles and a double in a 20-9 crushing of the Albuquerque Isotopes. Fuld scored three runs but drove in none — in part because he batted leadoff, hit singles, and was bracketed by seven Cub home runs. According to this article, Fuld’s five hits tied a team high and matched his own career high, the prior occasion coming on 8/18/2008 while he was playing for the “AA” Tennessee Smokies.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 2/4 with a solo HR in a 3-1 loss to the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Stern’s home run came on the second pitch of the game. The 30-year-old Canadian is batting .406 in August and .326 for the season.
• In a rehab assignment with the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers), 2B Ian Kinsler hit a 2-run triple as the RoughRiders lost to the Midland RockHounds 6-4. In six games with Frisco, Kinsler is 5/19 (.263) with 6 RBIs and 2 walks. He has been on the disabled list since July 28.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 2 scoreless innings and earned a “hold” in a 7-2 victory over the Peoria Chiefs. The 22-year-old rookie gave up one hit and had one strikeout. Since being promoted from the “A-short season” Everett AquaSox, Markovitz is 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13-and-1/3 innings.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (8/25/2010):

No Jewish pitchers played in the majors or minors. Here’s how our batters did:

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 1/3 with a 2-run triple — his first MLB three-bagger — and a walk in a 6-3 defeat of the Seattle Mariners. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .325, tops among AL rookies. He is third among rookie is on-base percentage (.371) and slugging percentage (.438).
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 1/4 with a two-run double in a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The double was his 34th of the season, 4th highest in the NL. Braun is batting .293 with 18 HRs and 77 RBIs.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) extended his hitting streak to 10 games, going 3/5 with 2 doubles and a run scored in a 10-3 loss to the New Orleans Zephyrs. According to this article, Stern is hitting a league-best.375 since July 1. He is batting .329 for the season.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) blasted a 3-run HR and walked twice in a 5-1 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The home run was Lavarnway’s 4^th in the past 5 games. In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .288 with 21 HRs, 92 RBIs, a .391 on-base percentage and .493  slugging percentage.
• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) singled and drew a bases-loaded walk in a 5-2 win over the Erie SeaWolves. A 2^nd-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .326 with 9 HRs and 38 RBIs since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season. He leads the team in on-base percentage (.405) and ranks 3^rd in slugging percentage (.516) and on-base plus slugging (.921).
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) reached base three times (single, walk, hit-by-pitch) and drove in the Mets’ lone run in a 9-1 plundering by the Reading Phillies. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .322 with 11 HRs, 38 doubles, 73 RBIs and a .410 on-base percentage.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 3/5 with two runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Great Falls Voyagers, raising his batting average to .360, second-best in the league. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman has 7 HRs, 22 doubles, 35 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .993 in 225 at-bats. He has scored a league-best 59 runs.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday (8/26/2010):

• Fresh off his first visit to the disabled list in an 18-year career, C Brad Ausmus of the Los Angeles Dodgers went 3/4 and scored a run in a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was the 81^st time Ausmus has had 3 or more hits in a game but the first time in more than two years. (He went 4/4 against the Brewers on July 27, 2008.) Ausmus is batting .240, with 2 RBIs in 50 at-bats.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) stroked a pinch-hit RBI single in a 7-3 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs. The 30-year-old University of Nebraska alum ranks 1^st on the Sounds in on-base percentage (.397) and 2^nd in batting average (.324).
• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went 2/5 with two doubles and a run scored in a 6-4 win over the Great Lakes Loons. A 6’7″ native of Wellesley, Mass., he leads the TinCaps in HRs (14/tie) and ranks 2^nd in doubles (34), RBIs (73) and slugging percentage (.447).
• In his sixth appearance (and first start) since being promoted to “A” ball, RP Jason Markovitz of the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 3 scoreless innings en route to a 6-3 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits. The 21-year-old rookie gave up just one hit and 2 walks while striking out four. The performance marked a significant recovery from Markovitz’s most recent outing, when he gave up two singles, a double, a grand-slam HR and a walk in less than an inning of relief.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/3 with a solo HR and a walk in a 6-3 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The home run — Lavarnway’s 4^th in the past seven games — put the Sea Dogs ahead 3-2, but the lead didn’t last. In 114 games this season with Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .287 with 20 HRs, 89 RBIs, a .388 on-base percentage and .486  slugging percentage.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/23/2010):

Two “AAA” players went head-to-head…

• As expected, the Chicago Cubs sent OF Sam Fuld back down to “AAA” on Monday to make room for 1B Micah Hoffpauir, but Fuld made the best of it. The 28-year-old stroked a pinch-hit triple in the 7^th inning to start a rally against the Nashville Sounds. Chicago had promoted Fuld to fill a roster vacancy created when 1B Derrek Lee was traded to the Atlanta Braves. During his three-game stint in the bigs, Fuld, a defensive specialist, went 0/2.
• Thanks in part to LF Adam Stern, the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) defeated the Iowa Cubs 8-6. The 30-year-old Canadian went 2/4 with a walk and two runs scored, raising his batting average to .322, second highest on the team. Like Fuld, Stern had a brief stint in this majors this season, going 0/8.

In other minor-league news…

• SP Daniel Rosenbaum of the “A+” Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) pitched masterfully against the Wilmington Blue Hooks, giving up just one hit (a solo HR) and one walk over 6 innings while striking out four. The 22-year-old Xavier University recruit left the game with the Nationals ahead 3-1, but his relievers couldn’t hold the lead, and the Nationals fell 6-3. In a season split between the Nationals and the “A” Hagerstown Suns, Rosenbaum is a combined 4-7 with 107 strikeouts, 38 walks and a 2.34 ERA.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a double, a HR and a walk in a 10-5 victory over the Harrison Senators. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .284 with 18 HRs, 87 RBIs, a .383 on-base percentage and .470 slugging percentage. Over his past 10 games he is batting .361 with a .465 on-base percentage and .611 slugging percentage.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday (8/19/2010):

• Batting leadoff, LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 3/4 and scored 1 run in an 8-7 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The 30-year-old Canadian — who went 0/8 in brief stints with the Brewers this season — is hitting .309 (3^rd highest on the team) with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 230 at-bats.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) had his longest outing of the season, pitching 7 ^1/3 innings in a 4-2 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. A 24-year-old Clemson recruit, Kopp gave up 6 hits and walked one while striking out two. He was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 11-3 with the Cardinals.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went 2/5 with a double, HR and 2 RBIs in a 5-0 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Since being promoted to “AA” ball mid-season, Satin is batting .327 with  a .416 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. The 25-year-old Berkeley recruit has batted.450 in his last 10 games, with 4 HRs, 11 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.372.
• Playing in the DH position, C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a HR and one RBI in a 9-8 victory over the Altoona Curve. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .281 with 17 HRs, 86 RBIs, a .379 on-base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday, Aug. 9, 2010:

• Batting leadoff, LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds went 2/4 with a double, a walk, and one run scored in a 12-2 win over the Las Vegas 51s. The 30-year-old Canadian also threw out a runner who was trying to extend a single into a double. Stern — who went 0/8 in brief stints with the Milwaukee Brewers this season — is hitting .299 with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 214 at-bats at Nashville.
• RP Jeff Urlaub of the rookie-league AZL Athletics (Oakland Athletics) earned his first minor-league save in a 6-3 victory over the AZL Royals, striking out three of the four batters he faced. A 30th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, he has a 2.66 ERA with 22 strikeouts and only 3 walks.
• RP Andrew Pevsner of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued his stellar debut, striking out 2 of the 4 batters he faced and giving up one hit in a 3-2 loss to the Orem Owlz. A 16th-round pick in the 2010 draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA, and he has struck out 17 batters in 16-and-2/3 innings pitched. He is a teammate of shortstop (and fellow Hebe) Jake Lemmerman.

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performances of Sat., July 30, 2010:

• “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens OF Ben Guez went 1-for-2 with a home run, walk, two RBIs and two runs scored in a 9-6 loss to the Gwinnett Braves. Although he’s in a mild slump — batting .194 in his past 10 games — Guez is batting .272 overall at Toledo, and with a lot of power. In just 114 at-bats, he has six home runs, 15 extra-base hits in all, 20 RBIs and a .526 slugging percentage, second highest among Mud Hens starters. Thus continues an improbable season in which Guez batted .207 for the “A+” Lakeland Flying Tigers, was surprisingly promoted to the “AA” Erie SeaWolves, and then, nine games later, sent to Toledo.
  
• “A+” Winston-Salem Dash SP Dylan Axelrod pitched well but got little run support in a 2-1 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Axelrod gave up five hits and one run in seven innings, walking none and striking out three. Since being promoted to the Dash, he’s put together a 5-2 record with a 2.43 ERA, 55 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 66-and-a-third innings.
• “AAA” Nashville Sounds LF Adam Stern went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and one run scored in a 7-4 loss to the Round Rock Express. Stern — a 30-year-old veteran who went 0-for-8 during several brief stints with the Milwaukee Brewers this season — is batting .297 for the Sounds, with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 195 at-bats.
  

###

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are the latest developments among Jewish professional baseball players:

MLB

• Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis is having a remarkable season. After 68 games, the “Greek god of walks” is hitting home runs and RBIs at the same pace he did last year, walking more, and striking out less. Far less. Consider this: in 136 games last season, Youk struck out 62 percent more often than he walked (125 strikeouts vs. 77 walks). In 2010, he has walked more times (47) than he has struck out (41). “It’s freakish,” Red Sox first-base coach Ron Johnson told the Providence Journal. “It’s really fun to watch. Where he’s come from and where he is now, to lower his strikeout totals and still have the power and drive in the runs and hit over .300, he’s up there with those superstar guys.” Alas, Youkilis probably won’t appear in next month’s All-Star Game. In fan voting through today, he is ranked a distant 4th among American League shortstops.
• Since inserting rookie 1B Ike Davis into the cleanup spot on May 19, the New York Mets have gone 20-9 after a 19-21 start.
• After serving as the ace of the Texas Rangers’ pitching squad in 2009, SP Scott Feldman got off to a disappointing start this season. But he’s begun to right himself lately. In his past four starts, Feldman has won three games, amassed a 3.70 ERA, struck out 19 in 26.67 innings and walked just nine. Feldman pitches tonight (6/21/2010) against the Houston Astros.
• Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus, 41, had only four at-bats this season before suffering a back injury that required surgery. But Ausmus — who had never before been on the disabled list — has begun taking batting practice with his teammates and recently caught his first bullpen session.
• Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler went on the disabled list June 12 after straining his right hip flexor.
• For the third time this season, the Milwaukee Brewers called OF Adam Stern up from the AAA Nashville Sounds and then sent him back down. The 30-year-old’s initial call-up was a major accomplishment, given that he hadn’t had a major-league at-bat in four years. But Stern went hitless in eight at-bats during his stints with the Brewers this season.

Minors

• The San Diego Padres promoted SP Aaron Poreda to the Portland Beavers, the franchise’s AAA squad. Since arriving, Poreda has pitched 7.33 scoreless innings in four appearances and struck out seven batters. The 23-year-old spent part of last season in the majors, pitching for both the Chicago White Sox and the Padres.
  
• Springfield Cardinals SP David Kopp (AA/St. Louis Cardinals) has been named a Texas League All-Star. Kopp, 24, leads the league with an 8-1 record and has an 3.08 ERA. According to the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader:

For Kopp, the selection culminates a terrific first half in which he has re-claimed his prospect tag. Kopp underwent a pair of shoulder surgeries in 2008 and 2009, and reached Double-A late last season with little hype. He walked 11 and struck out six in five starts. This year, his line features 45 strikeouts in 69 innings as the right-hander has gone on the attack with a low-90s fastball. The pitch shields his sharp, tight slider from over-use, and managers and scouts are beginning to think of Kopp not in terms of a Double-A pitcher but one with the stuff to reach the majors.

• Reading Phillies RP Michael Schwimer (AA/Philadelphia Phillies) is 5-3 this season and has struck out an impressive 47 batters in 34.67 innings, more than triple the number of batters he has walked (14). “He has good stuff, but he has been a little inconsistent,” Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Chuck Lamar told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He may get a shot by the end of the year to move up to triple-A.”
• The New York Mets recently promoted 2B Joshua Satin to the AA Binghamton Mets. Since arriving, the 25-year-old has hit .320 in six games.
  
• Likewise, the Cleveland Indians moved 2B Jason Kipnis up to its AA squad, the Akron Aeros. Kipnis wasted no time making his mark. After eight games with the Aeros, he is batting .355 with two home runs, three doubles, and an OPS of 1.090.
• Corpus Christi Hooks C Jonathan Fixler (AA/Houston Astros) didn’t take it easy on Frisco RoughRiders SP (and fellow Jew) Richard Bleier this weekend. Fixler, 24, went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs during a 7-1 thrashing of the RoughRiders on Sunday (6/20/2010). Bleier gave up 7 runs and 13 hits in seven innings, and his record fell to 3-6.
  
• The St. Louis Cardinals demoted C Charlie Cutler to its A-advanced farm team, the Palm Beach Cardinals. Cutler had batted just .205 with six RBIs for the AA Springfield Cardinals. But he’s batting .350 after six games with Palm Beach.
• OF Ben Guez took an even bigger fall recently. The Detroit Tigers franchise sent him down from AAA Toledo, where he hit .273 with five RBIs in 66 at-bats, to the Lakeland Flying Tigers (A-advanced).

# # #

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 — 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.”

# # #

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.

# # #

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.

# # #

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets 1B Ike Davis was the first Jewish player called up from AAA this season. Who will be the second?

You’d have to know a lot more about MLB depth charts than I do to make a truly educated guess. Being psychic helps, too; unexpected injuries often are the catalyst for calling up a player. (Mets 1B Daniel Murphy’s injury helped bring Ike Davis to Queens, for example.)

But player performance obviously matters, too. Here’s how AAA Jews are doing through Wednesday’s (5/5/2010) games:

• Scot Drucker, 27, relief pitcher with the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Has a 2-and-1 record with 1 save, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts and a 1.83 ERA.
• Sam Fuld, 28, left fielder with the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs). Batting .179 with 1 RBI and a .333 on-base percentage.
• Ben Guez, 23, center fielder with the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Batting .128 with 2 RBIs and a .244 OBP.
• Jason Hirsh, 28, starting pitcher with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees). Has a 2-and-3 record with 12 walks, 17 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA.
• Adam Stern, 30, left fielder with the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). Batting .227 with 1 RBI and a .292 OBP.
• Josh Whitesell, 28, first baseman with the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals). Batting .253 with four homers, 18 RBIs and a .377 OBP.

As a whole, Jews aren’t exactly tearing up AAA. The player closest to being on a hot streak these days is Hirsh, a former Houston Astro and Colorado Rockie who has pitched two consecutive one-hitters, including this near no-hitter.

I hadn’t noticed until today, but AAA is a little less Jewish these days. The Columbus Clippers (San Francisco Giants) released left fielder Brian Horwitz, 30, in late April.

— Scott Barancik