Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Friday (9/3/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/3 and hit a key single in a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Shortly after hitting his second single of the night, the 25-year-old rookie left the game due to tightness in his right hamstring, but the pinch-runner who replaced him eventually scored to tie the game, 3-3. Valencia is batting a blistering .343 since being called up from the minors in June.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) hit a 2-run single, drew an intentional walk and scored the winning run in a 7-4 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The Cats had good reason to walk Lavarnway: in a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, he’s batting a combined .289 with 22 HRs and 98 RBIs.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) gave up one run over 6 innings in a 4-2 loss to the Tulsa Drillers. Kopp left the game with a 2-1 lead, but the Drillers scored 3 in the 8th to win it. The 24-year-old Clemson recruit allowed 7 hits and no walks while striking out five. He was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 12-4 with Springfield, where he has a trim 3.05 ERA.
• RF David Rubinstein of the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) went 2/4 with a single, double and run scored in a 6-5 loss to the Hagerstown Suns. An 11th-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Rubinstein leads the Power in doubles (36/tie), ranks 2nd  in batting average (.288) and stolen bases (22), and is 4th in on-base percentage (.348) and slugging percentage (.410).
• SP Daniel Rosenbaum of the “A+” Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) gave up just four hits and walked none in a 5-0 win over the Salem Red Sox. His “overpowering” performance, which included four strikeouts, moved the Nationals within one game of clinching a spot in the Carolina League playoffs. A 22nd-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Rosenbaum is 3-2 with a 2.09 ERA and 115 strikeouts for the Nationals. In a stint earlier this season with the “A” Hagerstown Suns, he was 2-5 with a 2.32 ERA.

And now, your Jewish Star of the Day:

• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went a combined 7/7 with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs as the TinCaps split a double-header with the South Bend Silver Hawks. A 6’7″ recruit from Duke University, Freiman is batting .298 with 14 HRs, 82 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .373 and a .461 slugging percentage. According to this article, his 41 doubles this season are a franchise record.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins left the field during Friday night’s game against the Texas Rangers due to tightness in his right hamstring muscle.

According to the Associated Press:

Valencia singled with one out in the seventh. He broke for second on a foul ball off the bat of Jason Repko and came up lame. Twins trainers came out to check on him, and he left the game. The team said he was pulled for precautionary reasons and is listed as day to day.

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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).

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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 (8/31/2010):

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 3/4 with two doubles and an RBI in a 4-3 triumph over the Detroit Tigers. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .328, tops among AL rookies. He is 3rd among AL rookies in on-base percentage (.373) and slugging percentage (.446).
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) hit a solo HR and a sacrifice fly in a 6-0 drubbing of the Binghamton Mets. The home run was his 5^th in the past 8 games. In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .288 with 22 HRs, 95 RBIs, a .393 on-base percentage and .499 slugging percentage.
• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) hit a triple and an RBI double in a 10-4 victory over the Trenton Thunder. In a season split between the Aeros and the “A+” Kinston Indians, the 23-year-old Arizona State recruit is batting a combined .313 with 15 HRs, 71 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .394, and a .502 slugging percentage.
• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) hit a two-run double, a single, and drew a walk in a 13-9 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. A 6’7″ recruit from Duke University, Freiman leads the TinCaps in doubles (38), HRs (14/tie) and RBIs (77), and has the 2nd-highest slugging percentage (.449).
• SP Andrew Berger of the “A-short season” Yakima Bears (Arizona Diamondbacks) had his best start in more than a month, pitching 5 scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils. An undrafted pitcher out of Lehigh University, Berger gave up five hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. The 22-year-old is 2-5 with a 5.60 ERA and has 49 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings.

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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.

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

In the Majors:

• SP Jason Marquis of the Washington Nationals had the best outing of his injury-plagued season, pitching 7 ^2/3 innings of one-run ball in a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 32-year-old veteran gave up just 4 hits and 2 walks and received a modest ovation as he left the game. Marquis is 0-7 this season with an 8.79 ERA.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 3/4 with an RBI groundout in a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .330, tops among AL rookies.
• 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets hit an RBI triple — his first three-bagger in the majors — in a 5-4 loss to the Florida Marlins. Davis is 2^nd among N.L. rookies in RBIs (57) and 3^rd in HRs (15) and runs scored (54).
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers hit an RBI double and threw Manny Ramirez out at home plate in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year, Braun has hit .410 in his last 10 games and is batting .296 for the season.

In the minors, Jewish pitchers were unbeatable:

• SP Eric Berger of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) gave up just one hit and 2 walks over 6 innings in an 8-1 win over the Bowie Baysox. Since being demoted from “AAA” ball earlier this season, the 24-year-old has a 5-5 record with a 5.68 ERA, 60 strikeouts and 43 walks.
• SP Dylan Axelrod of the “A+” Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) pitched 7 shutout innings in a 5-0 triumph over the Lynchburg Hillcats, striking out 8 batters and walking only one. Since being promoted to the Dash, Axelrod is 7-2 with a 2.03 ERA, 76 strikeouts and just 11 walks.
• In his second game since being promoted to the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians), SP Jason Knapp gave up one hit over 5 innings in a 3-1 victory over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The 19-year-old phenom struck out 6 batters and walked none. He pitched 4 no-hit innings in his 8/20/2010 Captains debut.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (8/22/2010):

• Batting eighth, 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 1/3 with a solo HR in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels. It was the 25-year-old rookie’s second home run since being promoted to the majors earlier this season, and MLB.com called it “mammoth.” Valencia is batting .328.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers hit an RBI single, a two-run HR and walked twice in a 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. It was Braun’s second straight game with a homer after going without one for nearly a month, and it ended Padres starter Jon Garland’s scoreless streak at 21 innings. Braun is batting .296 with 18 HRs and 73 RBIs.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) went 3/5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 10-2 rout of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. A 5^th-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft (171^st overall), Haerther is ranked 2^nd on the Kernels in home runs (7/tie) and 3^rd in batting average (.311) and RBIs (64).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Friday (8/20/2010):

Four MLB players had two hits apiece…

• C Brad Ausmus of the Los Angeles Dodgers had his best day at the plate since returning from the disabled list, going 2/3 with two singles in a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. A 41-year-old enjoying his 18^th MLB season, Ausmus is batting .209 in 43 at-bats.
• 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets went 2/4 with two singles and an RBI in a 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis, a rookie, is batting .243 and ranks 2^nd on the Mets in home runs (15), RBIs (56) and strikeouts (106), and 4^th in runs scored (51). He has struggled of late, batting just .143 over his past 10 games.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with two walks and two RBIs in a 10-6 victory over the San Diego Padres. A 26-year-old in his fourth major-league season, Braun has hit .353 in his last 10 games and .292 for the season.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins continues to impress, going 2/4 in a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .335, tops among AL rookies.

One MLB pitcher shined…

• RP Craig Breslow of the Oakland A’s pitched a scoreless 9^th inning to preserve a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out 2 of the three batters he faced. It was just the third career save for Breslow, who typically is used in a middle-relief role. The 30-year-old Yale Alum is 4-3 with a 3.13 ERA. He has 55 strikeouts in 54 ^2/3 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.

And in the minors…

• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 2/5 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs in a 6-3 win over the Salt Lake Bees. Rapoport, 25, is batting .264 with 2 HRs and 29 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” earlier this season. He has 4 triples and 8 stolen bases for the Redbirds.
• SP Jason Knapp of the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) pitched 4 innings of no-hit ball, struck out 7 batters and walked two in a 5-3 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (8/18/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins singled in the go-ahead run en route to a 7-5 win over the White Sox (see video). The 25-year-old rookie went 1/4 and is batting .331, tops among AL rookies.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued his torrid hitting streak, going 3/5 with two doubles, a walk and 2 RBIs in a 14-4 victory over the Billings Mustangs. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is ranked 1^st in the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (21) and runs scored (52), 2^nd in slugging percentage (.560), 3^rd in on-base percentage (.424), and 6^th in batting average (.355).
• RP Jeff Urlaub of the rookie-league AZL Athletics (Oakland Athletics) pitched 2 scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the AZL Rangers, giving up just one hit and walking none. A 30^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft (905^th overall), Urlaub has a 2.31 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 23/3.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (8/17/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 with two doubles in a 7-6 win over Chicago White Sox. Valencia is 8/15 over his last four games and batting .333 for the season, tops among AL rookies.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 1/2 with a home run, walk and 2 RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Billings Mustangs. A 21-year-old recruit from Duke University, Lemmerman is ranked 1^st in the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (19), 3^rd in on-base percentage (.418) and slugging percentage (.539), and 6^th in batting average (.349). He is a teammate of RP (and fellow Hebe) Andrew Pevsner.
• RP Jeremy Gould of the rookie-league GCL Mets (New York Mets) pitched 1^2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win in a 8-5 victory over the GCL Cardinals. A former teammate of Jake Lemmerman at Duke, Gould entered the game with the bases loaded and forced the first batter he faced into an inning-ending double play. He is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 1 save.

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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 — Here are your Players of the Day for Friday, Aug. 13, 2010.

It was a memorable day for Jewish pitchers in the minor leagues. Three had lengthy stints in which they gave up one or no runs and racked up multiple strikeouts without giving up a single walk:

• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) struck out six and walked none in a 6-1 win over the Corpus Christi Hooks. A 24-year-old out of Clemson, Kopp got roughed-up during a mid-season stint in “AAA”, where he went 0-5 with an 8.63 ERA. He has fared far better with the “AA” Cardinals, going 10-3 with a 3.14 ERA.
• SP Dylan Axelrod of the “A-Advanced” Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) gave up just four hits and one earned run over 7 innings, but the Dash gave up three runs in the 8th en route to a 4-3 loss to the Frederick Keys. Axelrod struck out nine batters while walking none. Since being promoted to “AA” earlier this season, Axelrod is 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA and a phenomenal strikeout-to-walk ratio of 68-10.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the “A” Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 3 innings of one-hit ball in a 15-4 loss to the Burlington Bees, striking out four and walking none. A 21-year-old who was drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 amateur draft, Markovitz was promoted to the LumberKings after just 11 games with the “A-short season” Everett AquaSox.

Two minor-leaguers hit home runs:

• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) went 2/5 with a HR and 2 RBIs in an 11-7 win over the New Britain Rock Cats. A second-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Kipnis is batting .333 with 8 HRs and 31 since being promoted to the Aeros mid-season. For the entire season, he is batting .318 with 14 HRs and 62 RBIs.
• 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) hit a three-run HR, accounting for all the TinCaps’ runs in a 3-2 victory over the Lake County Captains. A 6’7″ native of Wellesley, Mass., Freiman has four HRs in his past 10 games and is batting .301 with 14 HRs, 32 doubles and 73 RBIs.

Beset by injuries, Jewish major leaguers have not had much to report lately. But on Friday:

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 with a ground-rule double and 2 RBIs in a 4-3 win over the Oakland A’s. The 25-year-old rookie is batting .318 but has been in a slump, hitting just .171 over his last 10 games.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your players of the day for Sun., August 1, 2010:

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, the Twins’ 8th-straight victory. The 25-year-old rookie is batting .388 for the season (103 at-bats) and .486 over his last 10 games.
• LF James Rapoport of the Memphis Redbirds (AAA) went 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI in a 12-6 victory over the Omaha Royals. Rapoport, who majored in public policy at Stanford Univ., is batting .253 since being called up to “AAA” ball.
  
• 2B Joshua Satin of the Binghamton Mets (AA) went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in an 8-3 win over the Erie SeaWolves. Since being promoted from the “A+) St. Lucie Mets, the 25-year-old UC-Berkeley product is batting .311 with one home run and 22 RBIs in 167 at-bats, as well as a .408 on-base percentage.
• SP David Kopp of the Springfield Cardinals (AA) pitched a beauty of a game, giving up just one run, four hits and no walks in seven innings against the New Arkansas Naturals. But the Cards managed just two hits in a 1-o loss. Kopp — who went 0-and-5 during a mid-season stint with the Memphis Redbirds (AAA) — is 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA for Springfield.
  

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Danny Valencia had his second straight four-hit game on 7/27/2010, the first Twin to do so since 1936." />
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia has been eating his Wheaties. 

The 25-year-old rookie went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in an 11-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday (7/27/2010), a day after going 4-for-4 with a grand slam. Valencia’s deluge boosted his batting average to a sublime .400. In his past four games, he has gone 14-for-19 with eight RBIs.

The last player to have back-to-back four-hit games in franchise history was Buddy Lewis, who did it for the Washington Senators (a Twins predecessor) in…1936

The Twins play Kansas City again this afternoon (7/28/2010).

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It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia‘s day at the plate Monday (7/26/2010).

The 25-year-old rookie hit his first MLB home run, and it was a doozy: a first-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Royals. Valencia then went on to post a rare 4-4-4-4, getting four hits in four at-bats, scoring four runs, and driving in four more.

The performance capped a remarkable two-month run for the Florida native. Since being promoted from AAA in June, Valencia has assembled a .376 batting average, with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in 85 at-bats.

Valencia, who has been sharing 3B duties, will need 130 plate appearances by Sept. 1 in order to qualify for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

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Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 4-for-4 and hit a grand slam on July 26, 2010." />
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia‘s day at the plate Monday (7/26/2010).

The 25-year-old rookie hit his first MLB home run, and it was a doozy: a first-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Royals. Valencia then went on to post a rare 4-4-4-4, getting four hits in four at-bats, scoring four runs, and driving in four more.

The performance capped a remarkable two-month run for the Florida native. Since being promoted from AAA in June, Valencia has assembled a .376 batting average, with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in 85 at-bats.

Valencia, who has been sharing 3B duties, will need 130 plate appearances by Sept. 1 in order to qualify for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sunday was a good day for Jewish bats.

All five position players who played yesterday (7/11/2010) had at least one hit, and three powered home runs: Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun hit his 13th (video), New York Mets 1B Ike Davis smacked his 11th (video), and Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler knocked out his fourth (video).

Ike Davis’ dinger was the most impressive, a 430-foot shot to center field.

Better yet, four of the five teams — Milwaukee, New York, Minnesota (Danny Valencia) and Boston (Kevin Youkilis) — won their Sunday games.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — I was watching my beloved (but struggling) Tampa Bay Rays play the Minnesota Twins last night (7/2/2010) when Twins 3B Danny Valencia came to the plate in the 7th inning with the score tied 1-1.

That’s the same Danny Valencia whom Jewish Baseball News recently identified as a fellow Member of the Tribe (Jews that is, not Cleveland).

Oh, bitter irony. The Rays fan in me wanted ace David Price to strike him out. But the loyal Hebe in me wanted Valencia to succeed on a big scale.

Fate literally broke the tie. Valencia hit an RBI single that put the Twins up for good, 2-1 (see video). The 25-year-old rookie, who made his MLB debut on June 3, finished the night 2-for-2 with a walk and is batting a crisp .333 in his brief major-league career.

Well done, young Valencia.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Minnesota Twins rookie Danny Valencia is the 13th Jewish athlete to play major-league ball this season.

Valencia, a 25-year-old third baseman from Boca Raton, Fla., made his MLB debut on June 3 after more than three years in the Twins’ farm system, where he was a three-time all-star. He is batting .304 with 1 RBI and a .360 on-base percentage in 16 games with Minnesota.

Valencia’s arrival in the big leagues is nothing if not unlikely. College powerhouses didn’t offer him scholarships out of high school, so he ended up at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After being named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, he transferred to the University of Miami, where he competed in the College World Series.

“The first year (at Miami) we borrowed up to the top of my head for him to play there,” said Mindy Valencia, a retired accountant. “This was a big sacrifice for the whole family, but we knew how much he wanted to go there. Him going there was going to be this possible trip to (the College World Series in) Omaha.”

But Valencia’s success didn’t make him especially attractive to MLB teams. After his junior year at Miami, the Twins selected him in the 19th round. Only two of the 30 players drafted in that round have made it to the majors: Valencia and LF Chris Pettit, who had 7 at-bats last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and currently is playing in the Dominican Republic’s winter league.

How much playing time Valencia will get this season is unclear. He is one of four 3Bs on the Twins’ depth chart, along with Nick Punto (36 games at 3B in 2010), Michael Cuddyer (10 games), and Matt Tolbert (6 games). The pop that Valencia’s bat showed in prior years — he finished the 2009 minor-league season with 14 home runs, 70 RBIs and a .466 slugging percentage — has strangely disappeared. He was homer-less in 185 at-bats with the AAA Rochester Red Wings this season and has only one RBI and one extra-base hit in 46 at-bats with the Twins.

Jewish Baseball News thanks the reader who tipped us off that Danny Valencia is Jewish, a fact we were able to independently confirm.

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