Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — SS Jake Lemmerman, the top Jewish pick in the 2010 amateur draft, has been named MVP of the Rookie Pioneer League.

The 21-year-old recruit from Duke University hit .363 with 12 HRs and 47 RBIs for the Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). In 259 at-bats, Lemmerman led the Pioneer league in doubles (24) and runs scored (69/tie); finished 2nd in batting average; and ranked 3rd in on-base percentage (.434) and slugging percentage (.610). (See full stats here.)

Votes for Pioneer League MVP were cast by team managers and officials.

Not to be outdone, Baseball America ranked Lemmerman #6 on its annual list of Top 20 Pioneer League prospects. BA described Lemmerman as “the best overall shortstop in the circuit” and said he “drew comparisons with Mark Grudzielanek and Mark Loretta as a heady offensive player who could have a lengthy big-league career as a middle infielder.”

Lemmerman, then a college junior, was drafted in the 5th round of the 2010 draft (172nd overall). He is a teammate of Raptors P Andrew Pevsner.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A number of Jews played baseball on Friday (9/17/2010), the eve of Yom Kippur. And while some played as if they were being punished, others performed quite well:

• SP Jason Marquis of the Washington Nationals may wish he hadn’t agreed to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. He failed to complete the first inning, giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while retiring just one batter in a 9-1 defeat. It didn’t help that a likely double-play ball struck the second-base umpire, allowing a run to score and keeping Philadelphia’s at-bat alive.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 3/5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored in a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins had the opposite experience, going 2/3 with his 3rd major-league HR in a 3-1 loss to the Oakland A’s. Oakland RP Craig Breslow pitched 1-and-1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 16th hold of the season.
• Two Jewish major-leaguers — 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers and rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets — both went 0/3. Davis had gotten press coverage a day earlier by saying that he was leaving the decision about playing on Yom Kippur to his mother, who lost family in the Holocaust.

In minor-league championship games:

• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) hit 3 singles and stole 2 bases but couldn’t prevent a 10-6, extra-inning loss to the Tacoma Rainiers. Tacoma swept the Pacific League championship series, 3-0.
• RP Josh Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) did not play in Friday’s 2-1 win over the Greenville Drive. But on Thursday (9/16/2010), he pitched 3 perfect innings in the BlueClaws’ 6-1 win, striking out four. Lakewood leads the South Atlantic League championship series 2-1.
• The “Rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) didn’t play Friday because they lost the Pioneer League championship series the day before. RP Andrew Pevsner provided one of Ogden’s few bright spots in Thursday’s 14-3 loss to the Helena Brewers, pitching 3-and-1/3 perfect innings and striking out 4. Teammate Jake Lemmerman went 1/5 and scored a run.

And now, your Jewish Baseball News Star of the Day:

• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AAA” Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) hit for the cycle — single, double, triple and HR — en route to a 13-2 win over the Durham Bulls and Columbus’ first International League championship in 14 years. The 23-year-old was called-up to Columbus for the post-season after spending the regular season on Cleveland’s “AA” and “A-advanced” clubs. He batted .389 during the 4-game championship series while playing in the DH role.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — How are Jewish players doing in the minor-league playoffs? Here is an overview, starting with players whose teams are still in the mix, and followed by those already celebrating victory or recently ousted.

Fighting for a championship

The Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) are fighting for the International League (AAA) championship, and 2B Jason Kipnis is doing his best to help. Called up Tuesday (9/14/2010) from the “AA” Akron Aeros, the 23-year-old contributed immediately, going 2/4 with a walk and 3 runs scored in an 18-5, Game 1 victory over the Durham Bulls.

The Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) lost Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) championship series to the Tacoma Rainiers, 5-3. Memphis CF James Rapoport went 1/5 with a double in the loss. During a 1st-round sweep of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, he went a combined 7/11 with 2 RBIs, 2 walks and a stolen base.

Each of the two teams battling for the Carolina League (A-advanced) championship features a Jewish pitcher. In fact, one opened Game 1, while the other opened Game 2:

• In Game 1 of the series (9/14/2010), SP Danny Rosenbaum of the Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) gave up 6 hits and 1 earned run over 4 and 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash. Rosenbaum had a disastrous start earlier in the playoffs, giving up 7 earned runs over one inning in a 10-9 loss to the Frederick Keys (9/8/2010). (The Keys’ starter that night did slightly worse, giving up 8 runs, 6 of them earned, in just 2/3 of an inning.)
• In Game 2 of the series (9/14/2010), SP Dylan Axelrod of the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) pitched well in a 5-3 loss to  Potomac, allowing two runs on just 3 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings while striking out 5. The defeat evened the series at 1-1. Earlier in the playoffs, Axelrod led Winston-Salem to a 2-0 victory over the Kinston Indians, allowing just two hits and 1 walk over 7 innings, while striking out 9 and retiring 19 batters in a row.

The Midwest League (A) championship series features yet another match-up between Jewish pitchers:

• The Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) will open Game 1 of the series tonight (9/15/2010) with rookie Jason Knapp on the mound. The 20-year-old phenom was dominant in his only other playoff game, a 3-2 win over the West Michigan WhiteCaps (9/10/2010). In that game, Knapp gave up just two infield hits over 5 innings while striking out six and walking one.
• Jason Markovitz will serve a relief role for the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners). So far he has pitched one scoreless inning in the playoffs.

The Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) are tied 1-1 with the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League (A) championship series. BlueClaws RP Josh Zeid pitched 3 perfect innings and struck out 4 en route to a 6-1 win in Game 2 (9/14/2010). In an earlier playoff series against the Hickory Crawdads, the 23-year-old pitched a scoreless inning in a 7-0 victory (9/8/2010), and then hit and walked the only 2 batters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Crawdads (9/10/2010).

Two Jews are playing for the Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) for the Pioneer League (Rookie) championship, a 3-game series currently led 1-0 by the Orem Owlz:

• SS Jake Lemmerman went 1/3 and drew a walk in the Raptors’ Game 1 loss to the Owlz, 3-2. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .231 in the playoffs but has a .444 on-base percentage and has scored 5 runs, tied for tops in the Pioneer League playoffs.
• In two separate playoff appearances, including Tuesday’s loss, RP Andrew Pevsner struck out the only batter he faced. In a third outing he faced three batters and gave up a double, and was charged with an earned run when the next pitcher gave up a home run. Pevsner’s ERA for the playoffs is 6.75.

Already celebrating

The Tri-City Valley Cats (Houston Astros) swept the New York-Penn League (A-short season) championship over the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets). One of the stars was Valley Cats IF Ben Orloff, who led the team with a .333 batting average in the playoffs and recently was named its 2010 Most Valuable Player. In Tuesday’s 5-2 finale (9/14/2010), Orloff went 2/5 and drove in a run.

Out of the running

Two Jewish players made it to the 1st round of the Texas League (AA) playoffs:

• In his only playoff appearance, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) SP David Kopp pitched 5 and 1/3 innings in a loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), giving up 5 hits and 2 earned runs. Springfield lost the series 3-2. Cardinals C Charlie Cutler did not play.
• SP Richard Bleier of the Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers) pitched 5 and 2/3 innings in a series-opening loss to the Midland RockHounds, giving up 3 earned runs on 7 hits. Midland won the series 3-1.

Two Jewish players made it to the 1st round of the Midwest League (A) playoffs:

• 1B Nate Freiman of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went 4/9 (.444) with 2 RBIs and drew 5 walks, raising his on-base percentage to .643. Fort Wayne lost the series 2-1 to the Great Lakes Loons.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) went 1/12 (.083) and struck out six times; his only hit was a double. Cedar Rapids lost the series 2-1 to the Clinton LumberKings.
• RP Jason Novak of the Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals) was on the disabled list and did not play.

We’ll keep you posted on the playoff picture.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (8/31/2010):

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 and hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to defeat the Chicago White Sox 2-1. (Here is video of the hit — and of Valencia being mobbed by teammates afterward.) A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .332, tops among AL rookies. He is 3rd among AL rookies in on-base percentage (.375) and slugging percentage (.447).
• Two days after going 5/7 against the Albuquerque Isotopes, OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) got on base four times in a come-from-behind win over the Isotopes. Fuld had a single, drew three walks, drove in a run and scored 3 more in the 15-13 victory. The 28-year-old Stanford recruit did have one error, but it was his first of the season after 263 chances in the outfield. Fuld is batting .273 and is one of two Iowa starters with more walks (63) than strikeouts (36).
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with an RBI single and 2 walks in a 6-5 loss to the Binghamton Mets. (Binghamton 2B Josh Satin contributed a solo HR for the Mets.) In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .291 with 22 HRs, 96 RBIs, a .397 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. His 96 RBIs are tops among Red Sox farm hands.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the “A” Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 3 scoreless innings in a 4-3 loss to the Beloit Snappers. In a season split between the LumberKings and the “A-short season” Everett AquaSox, Markovitz is 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 9 walks.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) hit a solo HR and an RBI single in a 6-2 win over the Idaho Falls Chukars. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the league in doubles (23) and runs scored (63); ranks 2nd in slugging percentage (.576), on-base percentage (.428) and OPS (1.003); and has the third-highest batting average (.357).
• RP Andrew Pevsner, Lemmerman’s teammate on the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers), pitched 2 scoreless innings and earned a “hold” in the win over the Chukars. A 16^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA (3rd best on the team) and has 30 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings pitched.

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (8/24/2010):

• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Clippers. A Houston native who was selected in the 19^th round of the 2008 amateur draft, Guez  is batting .273 with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season. His .361 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage rank 2^nd and 3^rd among Mud Hens with at least 150 at-bats. Toledo is in last place in its division with a 61-69 record.
• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 6-3 victory over the Bowie Baysox. A 2^nd-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .319 with 9 HRs and 37 RBIs since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season. He leads the team in on-base percentage (.400) and ranks 3^rd in slugging percentage (.515). Akron is fourth in its division with a 65-64 record.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went a combined 4/8 with a double and 3 runs scored in a double-header sweep of the New Britain Rock Cats. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .324 with 11 HRs, 38 doubles, 72 RBIs and a .410 on-base percentage. Binghamton is third in its division with a 62-65 record.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 1/3 with a solo HR in a 6-3 loss to the Harrisburg Senators. It was his second opposite-field HR in as many days and third dinger in the past five games. In 114 games this season with Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .284 with 19 HRs, 88 RBIs, a .384 on-base percentage and .477  slugging percentage. Portland is fifth in its division with a 61-67 record.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 2/3 with a double, 3 walks, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored in a 13-3 crushing of the Billings Mustangs. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .356 with 7 HRs, 22 doubles, 35 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .998 in 216 at-bats. His team-leading 57 runs scored is 21 more than the next-highest player. Ogden leads its division with a 15-8 record.
• Lemmerman’s teammate, RP Andrew Pevsner of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers), pitched 2 scoreless innings in the win over the Mustangs, giving up 2 hits and one walk while striking out four. A 16^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and is averaging one strikeout per inning.

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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.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The running count of Jews chosen in last month’s MLB amateur draft has reached 11.

Jewish Baseball News last reported that at least six of the 1,500 players selected in the three-day draft were Jewish. Since then, our friends at Jewish Sports Review have identified another five Jews, shown below in red. Where possible, we list the signing status of each player, and which minor-league squad they have been assigned to, if any: