Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — We recently reported that four Jews would be playing in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, three of them on the Peoria Javelinas.

Um, we missed one.

OF Ben Guez, a Detroit Tigers prospect, was selected to play for the aptly-named Surprise Rafters. The 23-year-old Houston native hit a combined .249 during the regular season in “A” and “AAA” ball, with 10 HRs, 43 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and a .341 on-base percentage.

In the Rafters’ season-opener Tuesday (10/12/2010), Guez went 2/4 with a solo HR in an 8-6 victory over the Javelinas.

In the same game, Boston Red Sox prospect Ryan Lavarnway, who is trying to improve his catching skills, went 1/3 with a walk, an RBI, a run scored and a passed ball. The 23-year-old Yale University recruit hit a combined .288 and 22 HRS this year with two minor-league teams, and he led all Red Sox farm hands with 102 RBIs. Baseball America recently listed him among the top 20 prospects from the Carolina League.

On Wednesday (10/13/2010), 2B Jason Kipnis of the Javelinas went 0/4 and struck out twice in a 7-4 win over the Surprise Rafters. Like Lavarnway, Kipnis has been named a top 20 prospect from the Carolina League. A member of the Cleveland Indians franchise, the 23-year-old Arizona State alum split the 2010 season between “A-advanced” and “AA” teams and had a combined batting average of .307 along with 8 triples, 16 HRs, 74 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .878. When the “AAA” Columbus Clippers called him up for the playoffs , Kipnis went 10/22, hitting for the cycle in one game and falling a single short of a cycle in the next.

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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.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (9/4/2010):

Two MLB Jews went long:

• Rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets went 2/4 and hit his first HR since July 29 in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Davis singled in the 9th inning but the Mets failed to rally. The 23-year-old son of former MLB reliever Ron Davis is tied for 2nd among N.L. rookies in HRs (16) and is 3^rd in RBIs (58) and runs scored (58). He is batting .251 with an on-base percentage of .339.
• In his second game back after more than a month on the disabled list, 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers went 2/4 with a solo HR in a 12-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Kinsler is batting .300 with 7 HRs, 39 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .387 on-base percentage.

In the minors:

• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) hit an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in a 6-4 victory over the Columbus Clippers. A 19th-round selection in the 2008 amateur draft, Guez  is batting .249 with 9 HRs and 32 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season. He has hit just .162 in his past 10 games.
• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 1/3 with a 2-run single in an 8-5 loss to the Iowa Cubs. Rapoport, 25, is batting .270 with 2 HRs and 34 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” earlier this season. He has 4 triples and 8 stolen bases for the Redbirds.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) hit a double, a sacrifice fly, and the game-winning single in a 5-4 win over the Beloit Snappers. A 5^th-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft (171^st overall), Haerther is batting .304 with 7 HRs, 25 doubles, 70 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
• SP Joshua Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 4 of the 6 batters he faced in a 3-0 win over the Kannapolis Intimidators. Zeid earned a save as Lakewood held the Intimidators to two hits. A 23-year-old who was selected in the 10th round of the 2009 draft, Zeid is 8-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 8 saves. He has 111 strikeouts and 27 walks.

And now, your Jewish Star of the Day:

• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) hit an RBI single and his fifth HR in the past 5 games as the Raptors trounced the Casper Ghosts, 15-4. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (24) and runs scored (68); ranks 2nd in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.434), slugging percentage (.622) and OPS (1.058); and ranks 4th in HRs (12).

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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 Saturday (8/21/2010):

The dominant theme? Home runs…

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with a solo HR (see video) and a walk in a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres.  The homer, his 17^th of the season, was his first since July 24. Braun made a spectacular catch to rob Scott Hairston of an extra-base hit (see video).
• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) went 2/3 with a solo HR, a sacrifice fly, and a walk in an 8-4 triumph over the Columbus Clippers. A 23-year-old from Houston, Guez  is batting .273 with 9  HRs and 29  RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went 1/3 with a solo HR and a sacrifice fly in a 10-4 loss to the Altoona Curve. In a season split between Binghamton and the “A+” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .320 with 11 HRs, 36 doubles, 72 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 1/3 with a two-run HR and a walk in an 8-5 win over the Great Falls Voyagers. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .349 with 7 HRs, 21 doubles, 32 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .980 in 209 at-bats.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (8/15/2010):

There are six Jewish players named Jason in minor-league baseball today. Three of them shined yesterday:

• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) went 2/2 with a HR, a walk, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored in a 7-0 drubbing of the New Britain Rock Cats. A second-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .339 with 9 HRs and 34 RBIs since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the “A” Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 2 innings of one-hit ball in a 6-3 win over the Beloit Snappers, striking out three and walking none. A 21-year-old who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 amateur draft, Markovitz has a 2.35 ERA over four games since being promoted to the LumberKings.
• SP Jason Knapp of the rookie-league AZL Indians (Cleveland Indians) pitched 4 innings of one-hit ball in a 1-0 heartbreaker to the AZL Rangers. A 19-year-old from Westwood, N.J., Knapp gave up one unearned run and got the loss while lowering his ERA to 1.46.

In other minor-league news:

• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) went 1/3 with a home run, a walk and 3 RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Guez, 23, is batting .261 with 8 HRs and 27 RBIs  since being promoted to “AAA” ball mid-season. He is a teammate of RP Scot Drucker, a fellow Hebe.

Finally, over in the MLB:

• B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 3/4 with a double and turned a key double play in a 4-2 win over the Oakland A’s. The 25-year-old rookie boosted his batting average to .329.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers continued his hot streak at the plate, going 3/5 with a double and run scored in a 6-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Braun has hit .382 in his past 10 games but driven in just 2 runs.

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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.
  

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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).

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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