Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Middle East politics got you down? Strike out again at the company softball game?

Cheer up! Life is good for Jewish baseball fans these days. Here are 12 reasons to smile:

1. So far this season, MLB Jews are out-hitting their peers .266 to .257, and out-slugging them .460 to .400.
2. At least 59 Jews currently play major- or minor-league ball, with many more playing in independent leagues or overseas. And the list is growing.
3. The topic of Judaism probably didn’t come up last week when sports radio celeb Jim Rome interviewed former outfielder Shawn Green about his new book, The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph. And while some listeners may have known Green is Jewish, few would have guessed that Rome is, too.
4. For the first time, Israel is being given a chance to compete in the World Baseball Classic. At least half a dozen current or former American pros have publicly expressed interest in playing for or coaching Team Israel in the 2012 competition, including Jewish home-run king Shawn Green, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (whose father was born in Israel), and St. Louis Cardinals prospect Charlie Cutler.
5. Speaking of Israel, last week the country hosted a qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship — and narrowly missed winning the tourney itself. Team Israel made it to the finals against Great Britain but lost the series 2 games to 1. Particularly impressive was 32-year-old Shlomo Lipetz, an Israeli native and New York resident who gave up just one earned run in 16.33 innings during the tournament while striking out 18 batters and walking three.
6. Coming off an injury-laden season in which he missed a third of his team’s games, Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis (.275/16 hr/76 rbi) is once again among A.L. leaders in multiple categories. Youk is ranked 5th in on-base percentage (.389), 7th in RBIs (76/tie), 8th in doubles (28/tie), and 10th in wins above replacement (4.1 wins/tie), a measure of a player’s total offensive and defensive contributions to his team. Youkilis has been typically fearless (or perhaps nuts) at the plate, where he ranks 2nd in times hit by pitch, with 12. And despite having to switch back from first base to third this season, he’s 2nd among A.L. third basemen in putouts (73) and 3rd in fielding percentage (.968).
7. The St. Louis Jewish Light published an article last week about 3 of the 4 Jews who play on the Springfield Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals’ “AA” team: C Charlie Cutler (see above), P David Kopp, and P Scott Schneider. (The fourth Jewish player for Springfield, CF James Rapoport, arrived after the article was written.) Cutler, who told the Light he’d “love to play for Israel” in the World Baseball Classic, has made the most of an injury-shortened season. In just 143 at-bats he’s hitting .364 with 4 HRs, 27 RBIs, a .423 on-base percentage, and a .503 slugging percentage.
8. Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (.322/21 hr/73 rbi) is enjoying one of the best seasons of his 5-year career. He has yet to make an error in the field for the first-place Brewers; ranks 2nd among N.L. players in batting average (.322) and power-speed combination; 3rd in wins above replacement (5.1), slugging percentage (.585), total bases (213), and extra-base hits (50); 5th in RBIs (72); 6th in runs scored (68) and on-base percentage (.394); 7th in HRs (21); and 10th in doubles (26). Braun’s 19 stolen bases are one shy of a career best, and he’s one of few players this season with a legitimate shot at joining the “30-30” club — players with 30-plus HRs and stolen bases in a single year.
9. Most minor-leaguers see their performance dip after being promoted to a higher league, but not C Ryan Lavarnway. The Boston Red Sox prospect and Yale philosophy alum has been on fire since moving up from “AA” Portland to “AAA” Pawtucket mid-season, where he is batting .343 (versus .284 in Portland) with 13 HRs, 16 doubles, and 42 RBIs in just 169 at-bats, along with a .425 on-base percentage and .669 slugging percentage.
10. ESPN Boston recently published a terrific article on Lavarnway and fellow Red Sox prospect Matt Kramer, a former catcher and Ivy League rival (Harvard) who was released by the Atlanta Braves franchise last year and is trying to reinvent himself as a pitcher. Viewing the statistics on Kramer’s growing pains is a curious joy. In 6 games and 5 total innings with Boston’s rookie-league team, the St. Louis native has faced 28 batters without giving up a single hit. However, he has walked 11 opponents, hit 3 more, struck out none, and recorded a 5.40 ERA. Who wouldn’t want to go watch this kid pitch?
11. Just to prove you never know who’s Jewish: the most recent Jewish player to be signed by a major-league club, Tampa Bay Rays recruit Dave Laufer, attended Jesuit-founded Boston College. And he did so after graduating from Christian Brothers Academy. (Thanks to Jewish Baseball News contributor Bill Ressler for the tip on Laufer’s hiring.)
12. Can you imagine an MLB team composed entirely of Jewish players? A fiction writer named Ross Ufberg can. The Jewish Daily Forward is now publishing weekly installments of his story about the Lions of Zion, an N.L. team playing in 1933. Here are links to chapters one and two.

— Scott Barancik, Editor

Jewish Baseball News

August 3, 2011

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Ian Kinsler" width="135" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-629" />JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — For the second time in 3 weeks, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler has had a multi-homer game.

Batting leadoff on Saturday (7/16/2011), Kinsler smacked 2 solo HRs in a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. He accomplished the same feat June 29 in the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros. Saturday’s barrage leaves the 29-year-old Arizona State University product with 15 HRs.

According to a Jewish Baseball News analysis, American League players have recorded 50 multi-homer in non-extra-inning games this year, and Kinsler is one of just 14 who have done so at least twice. Toronto Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista leads the league with three multi-homer games, including a 3-HR performance on May 15.

Kinsler’s 15 HRs are all the more remarkable when you consider that at one point this season he went 30 straight games without a round-tripper.

Though hitting just .255, or 22 points below his career average, Kinsler is among A.L. leaders in several offensive categories. He is ranked 3rd in runs scored (67), 4th in power-speed combination, 6th in walks (57), 8th in extra-base hits (41), and 9th in stolen bases (19).

In fact, a detailed statistical analysis of Texas Rangers players by LoneStarBall.com concluded that Kinsler was the team’s most valuable player during the first half of the 2011 season.
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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your MLB highlights for games played on Saturday (7/3/2011), plus an update on each player mentioned:

• Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia had the go-ahead hit in a come-from-behind, 9-7 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, going 2/4 with a double and two RBIs. The Brewers had led the Twins by as much as 5 runs early in the game. But when Valencia hit a bases-loaded single in the 7th inning and Twins LF Mark Kotsay misplayed the ball (see video), Valencia landed on third base and all three runners scored, putting the Twins ahead 9-7. Coincidentally, Kotsay was filling in for Brewers LF Ryan Braun, who was out with a strained left calf. Player update: Valencia, who finished 3rd in the 2010 A.L. Rookie of the Year contest while batting .311, has struggled both at the plate (he is hitting .225) and in the field (3 more errors so far) in his sophomore season. Through 293 at-bats, the 26-year-old Miami native has matched many of the offensive stats he had in 299 at-bats last year, including runs, triples, HRs, RBIs, and walks. But he has hit 37 percent fewer singles (down from 67 to 42), and 22 percent fewer doubles (down from 18 to 14).
• Valencia wasn’t the only Jewish ballplayer to put his team ahead Saturday. Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis made the Houston Astros regret their decision to intentionally walk Boston 1B Adrian Gonzalez in the top of the 9th inning when he drew a bases-loaded walk (see video), leading the Sox to a 2-1 win. For the day, Youk went 1/4 with a single and scored a run on an errant throw, possibly reinjuring his sore right ankle (see video). Player update: Youkilis, coming off a year in which he missed one-third of all games with injuries, is hitting just .271, his lowest average since his rookie year in 2004 (.260), and is hitting into too many double plays. But there are many positive notes. Because he is drawing walks at a personal-record pace, his on-base percentage (.392, 7th in A.L.) is on par with his career average. Youk’s 57 RBIs are 6th in the A.L. And his after hitting just .218 in April, he hit .293 in May and .289 in June. One lingering concern is the gap between his batting average this season at Fenway Park (.370) and everywhere else (.185).
• Batting leadoff, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler had a stellar day on offense, notching 2 singles, a walk, and 2 stolen bases, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a 6-4 loss to the Florida Marlins. Kinsler also made this acrobatic catch and tag to nix Marlins RF Mike Stanton’s steal attempt. Player update: After an injury-plagued 2010 season in which he played only 103 games, Kinsler has recovered some of the HR power (12 HRs in 303 at-bats) and base-stealing skill (18 SBs, 8th-best in the A.L.) he displayed in his breakout 2009 season, when he became the second Jewish player in history to record at least 30 HRs and 30 SBs in a single season. He hit 2 HRs on 6/29/2011 — the eighth 2-HR game of his career but the first since 8/27/2009 — and has 4 in his past 10 games. And although he is hitting a career-low .241 (vs. a career average of .276), he is striking out less than ever and is poised to crush his personal walks record. As a result, Kinsler’s on-base percentage this season (.359) is on par with his career average (.356).
• In his worst start of the season, Washington Nationals P Jason Marquis gave up 6 earned runs and 8 hits over just 1-and-a-third innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates cruised to a 10-2 victory. The loss dropped his record to 7-3 and plumped his ERA to 4.11. Player update: Despite Saturday’s game, Marquis is enjoying his best season since 2004, when he went 15-7 with the St. Cardinals, and a remarkable turnaround from his injury-plagued 2010 season, when he went 2-9 with a 6.60 ERA before succumbing to elbow surgery. The 32-year-old Manhasset, N.Y., native is walking fewer batters than ever before; striking out twice as many batters as he walks, which is well above his career average; and has given up a career-low 7 HRs so far. But it’s somewhat concerning that opposing batters are hitting a robust .294 against him.

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Ryan Braun" width="150" height="150" />

Ryan Braun

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — If Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun finishes the 2011 season the way he’s started it, he’ll be joining one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs: those with 30+ HRs and stolen bases in a single year.

Only 34 MLB players have joined the 30/30 club since 1901 (see table). Two are Jewish: Shawn Green (1998), and Ian Kinsler (2009). The only Brewer on the list is 3B Tommy Harper, who had 31 HRs and 38 SBs in 1970.

Braun, a 27-year-old now in his 5th MLB season, hasn’t come close before. Power has never been the problem; Braun has hit 30+ HRs in 3 of his 4 full seasons. What’s kept him from joining the club is stolen bases. Since his rookie year in 2007, he has averaged 16 thefts and never stolen more than 20.

Improbably, Braun’s base-stealing prowess is improving. Through 78 games this year he has stolen 17, 6th best in the A.L. and more than full-season totals in 2007, 2008, or 2010. Braun’s prior high at the 78-game point was 11 stolen bases, in 2010 (see table below). Having said that, his  base-stealing efforts typically decline in the latter half of a season.

Why Braun is stealing more bases now is up for debate. (Jewish Baseball News readers are encouraged to offer their opinions in the ‘comments’ section below, or on our Facebook page.) But it’s worth noting that he’s on pace to reach career highs in walks and on-base percentage.

The only other MLB player on pace to join the 30/30 club in 2011 is Los Angeles Dodgers CF Matt Kemp, who has 22 HRS and 21 stolen bases through 80 games.

If both Kemp and Braun join the club this season, Jews will account for three of all 36 members, a percentage far in excess of our MLB representation.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It was Jew vs. Jew on Wednesday (6/1/2011) as the Tampa Bay Rays and LF Sam Fuld took on the Texas Rangers and 2B Ian Kinsler in St. Petersburg.

Here’s how it went.

Direct interactions

• Batting in the 3rd inning, Kinsler flied out to Fuld.
• After drawing a walk in the 5th inning, Fuld attempted to steal second base but was tagged out by Kinsler.

Game stats

• Fuld went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk. He got caught stealing in the 5th inning but notched his 13th stolen base of the season in the 8th inning.
• Kinsler went 0-for-3 but drew a walk and stole his 11th base of the season in the 8th inning.

Final analysis

• Fuld had a slightly better game offensively than Kinsler, but he nullified it by getting caught stealing in the first of two attempts. Each player recorded one out on the other.
• Bragging rights belong to Kinsler, whose team won by a score of 3-0.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Voting began yesterday (4/26/2011) for the 2011 All-Star Game, and all 6 Jewish position players were on the ballot.

The six include:

• Tampa Bay Rays OF Sam Fuld
• Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun
• New York Mets 1B Ike Davis
• Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia
• Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis
• Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler

Fans can vote online by going here, and up to 25 times .

All-Star pitchers are selected by team managers, so the fate of Jewish throwers like Oakland A’s reliever Craig Breslow, Washington Nationals starter Jason Marquis and Chicago Cubs reliever John Grabow remains to be seen.

The biggest surprise on the list is the selection of Sam Fuld, who began the season a virtual unknown but has grown famous for his aggressive baserunning, daring catches and surprisingly productive hitting. MLB.com’s article on the All-Star ballot even mentions him:

Could the amazing first-month story of Rays outfielder Sam Fuld carry momentum through the voting?

As they say in Chicago, vote early and often.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — There was another display of Maccabee Power in Major League Baseball yesterday (4/23/2011).

Four Jewish ballplayers — Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun, New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia, and Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis — hit HRs, along with a combined 8 RBIs.

It’s no fluke. Through Saturday (4/23/2011), baseball’s six Jewish position players had hit a total of 23 HRs in 431 at-bats, or one in every 18.7 at-bats. By contrast, according to Jewish Baseball News calculations, non-Jewish players had a combined 526 HRs in 20,230 at-bats, or one in every 38.5 at-bats.

The comparison is ever-so-slightly skewed, because the non-Jewish totals include at-bats by pitchers, who typically are not HR hitters. Even so, it’s likely that Jewish position players are out-homering their non-Jewish counterparts roughly 2-to-1.

Leading the way for the Maccabees are Braun, who is tied for the National League lead with 7 HRs, and Kinsler, who has 5.

Several Jewish players are on a hot streak. Davis has homered in each of his last 3 games, Braun in 3 of his last 4, and Youkilis in 4 of his last 8.

The player with the least round-trippers is Sam Fuld, with one. But Fuld has nothing to be ashamed of. He leads the American League in stolen bases (10), ranks 4th in batting average (.365), and is tied for 2nd in triples (2),

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –Maybe it’s the matzoh.

What is it about Jewish baseball players and Passover this season? On Monday (4/18), the night of the first seder, five Jewish batters hit a collective .650, each one knocking out anywhere from 2 to 4 hits apiece.

Last night (4/23), the Jews brought their homer sticks to the Passover plate, too. Ryan Braun, Sam Fuld, Ike Davis and Ian Kinsler batted a combined .550, hit a total of 3 long balls, and drove in 7 runs.

Elijah did not play.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — On the first night of Passover (4/18/2011), five Jewish batters split the defense like the Red Sea, batting a collective .650.

Every player had at least 2 hits, and each one saw his team win. Tampa Bay Rays OF Sam Fuld vaulted to first place in batting average among American Leaguers.

No word on how players of Egyptian descent performed.

Here is an overview of this special night for the Jews, player by player:

• Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun singled 3 times, walked once, hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 12th inning, and drove in 2 runs in a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. For the season, Braun is batting .357 (10th in the National League) with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs. He is ranked 5th in the league both in on-base percentage (.471) and OPS (1.096), which combines on-base percentage with slugging percentage.
• Tampa Bay Rays OF Sam Fuld continued his red-hot streak, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, three singles, and yet another diving catch in a 5-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He leads the American League in batting average (.396) and has 1 HR and 5 RBIs. He ranks 1st in stolen bases (7), 5th both in on-base percentage (.431) and OPS (1.035), and 6th in slugging percentage (.604).
• Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler (2B) doubled, tripled, and walked twice in a 7-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels. It was the best performance in weeks for Kinsler, who began the season like gangbusters but has been slumping. For the season, he is hitting just .196 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs. Thanks to 12 walks, he has a solid on-base percentage of .357.
• Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia singled and scored twice and drove in a run in a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. For the season, Valencia is hitting .236 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs.
• Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis homered (see video), doubled, and drove in 2 runs in a 9-1 trouncing of the Toronto Blue Jays. Youkilis is batting .213 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs. The aptly-named “Greek God of Walks” is tied for the league lead with 15 and is ranked 8th in on-base percentage (.422).

To mangle a phrase: Next year in the World Series!

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Three games into the 2011 season, Jewish players are aiming for the seats.

On Sunday alone (4/3/2011) they hit four, raising the season total to 7 in 54 at-bats, or roughly one HR every 8 at-bats.

For comparison’s sake, in 2010 players across all of major-league baseball hit 4,613 HRs in 165,354 at-bats, about one HR in every 36 at-bats.

Leading the way for the Jews of 2011 is Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler. The 5th-year player has hit a dinger in each of his team’s 3 games (including this one on Sunday), tying him with three others for the major-league lead. Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun has 2 HRs so far; Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia and New York Mets 1B Ike Davis each have one.

Nine Jewish players made it onto opening-day rosters this season, including six position players and three pitchers.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The 2011 MLB season opened Thursday (3/31/2011), and Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun started things off on the right foot.

Braun, 27, went 2/3 with a long blast over the center-field fence, two walks, and 3 runs scored in a 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. In 2010, Braun went 2/4 on Opening Day, with a double, sacrifice fly, and two RBIs.

Braun is one of 9 Jewish players to make this year’s Opening Day rosters. They are:

• 3B Danny Valencia (Minnesota Twins)
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers)
• 1B Ike Davis (New York Mets)
• 3B Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox)
• CF Sam Fuld (Tampa Bay Rays)
• P Jason Marquis (Washington Nationals)
• P John Grabow (Chicago Cubs)
• P Craig Breslow (Oakland A’s)
• LF Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers)

Several players who were on major-league teams in 2010 didn’t make an Opening Day roster this year. The Boston Red Sox sent LF Ryan Kalish to the team’s AAA affiliate, the Los Angeles Dodgers cut RF Gabe Kapler, and Texas Rangers P Scott Feldman is on the disabled list.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — At least 19 Jews got playing time during Spring Training 2011, including five pitchers and 14 position players.

Here are our awards honoring the best, worst, and most surprising performances:

Best All-Around Offense: Ian Kinsler. The Texas Rangers 2B didn’t look like the same player who sat out nearly 100 games last season with injuries. Kinsler, 28, led all Jewish batters with 7 doubles, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs (tied), and a .389 on-base percentage. Although Jewish batters as a group struck out way more than they walked (94 vs. 41), Kinsler was one of just two players who didn’t, matching his 5 Ks with 5 BBs.

Best All-Around Offense (runner-up): Ryan Braun. The Milwaukee Brewers LF batted only 40 times, but that didn’t stop him from hitting 4 HRs, driving in 11 runs, and leading all Jews with 15 runs scored, a .325 batting average, .700 slugging percentage, and 1.072 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).

Best All-Around Offense (honorable mention): Ike Davis. The New York Mets 1B pretty much matched the productivity of his 2010 rookie season, hitting .273 with 3 HRs, 13 RBIs (tied/1st), and a .344 on-base percentage.

Breakout offense: Sam Fuld. At 29, you can’t quite call the Tampa Bay Rays CF an up-and-comer. But Fuld made the most of what turned out to be his best chance in years to make an opening-day roster, hitting .277 with 1 HR, 5 extra-base hits, 8 RBIs, and 4 stolen bases. And he got his wish: a seat on the Rays’ bench.

Most disappointing offense: Kevin Youkilis. Whatever you chalk it up to — bad thumb, the distraction of switching from 1B to 3B, etc. — the Boston Red Sox stalwart, normally an on-base machine, struggled at the plate this Spring. Youk hit  just .175 with no HRs, 4 RBIs, a Jew-high 15 strikeouts, and just 4 walks. Teammate Ryan Kalish was a close second in this category, hitting .235 with 0 HRs and one lonely RBI.

Weirdest stats: Ben Guez. The Detroit Tigers CF has yet to play a regular-season MLB game and saw only limited playing time in Spring Training, getting 12 plate appearances and 7 at-bats. But oh, what Guez did with them. The 24-year-old singled twice, doubled once, and walked five times, good enough for a .429 batting average and .667 on-base percentage.

Nicest surprise: John Grabow. After a dismal 2010 in which he went 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA and “held” opposing batters to a .321 average, the Chicago Cubs reliever must have grown tired of being Public Enemy #1 in the Windy City. How else can you explain Grabow’s 2.57 ERA in Spring Training? A close second to Grabow in this awards category is Washington Nationals starter Jason Marquis, who went 2-9 with a 6.60 ERA in an injury-plagued 2010 season but finished Spring Training with a 1-1 record and a 4.02 ERA.

Worst surprise: Craig Breslow. Arguably the only Jewish MLB pitcher who didn’t embarrass himself last year, the Oakland A’s reliever went 4-4 in 2010 with a 3.01 ERA, holding opposing batters to a meek .194 batting average. But Breslow had an awful spring, with an 11.25 ERA and an opposing-hitters batting average of, believe it or not, .500. The saving grace? We’re only talking about 5 appearances and 4 innings pitched, not a lot to go on. Still, the Freaky Friday switcheroo Breslow and Grabow did this Spring has got us mighty confused.

Here are the final 2011 Spring Training stats for position players:

And the final 2011 stats for pitchers:

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Daily Highlights for Wednesday (3/16/2011):

It took Tampa Bay Rays CF Sam Fuld just one game to more than double his spring batting average. In a 6-3 win over the Florida Marlins, the “defensive specialist” went 3/3 with a double, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base, boosting his batting average from .091 to a more palatable .200. Fuld, who was acquired from the Chicago Cubs during the off-season, is fighting for a spot on the Rays’ opening-day roster.

Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia continued his hot streak, going 2/2 in a 4-3 triumph over the New York Mets. Valencia, who finished 3rd in last year’s A.L. Rookie of the Year voting, is hitting .393 with 4 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, and a .452 on-base percentage.

Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler doubled, stole a base, and scored 2 runs in an 11-10 loss to the Colorado Rockies. In an early display of power and speed that were largely absent during his injury-plagued 2010 season, Kinsler is hitting .378 with 4 doubles, 5 HRs, 9 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, and a .477 slugging percentage.

Boston Red Sox RF Ryan Kalish singled, walked, and stole his 3rd base of the spring in a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Coming off his rookie season, Kalish is batting .238 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and a .319 on-base percentage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Daily Highlights for Monday (3/14/2011):

Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler continued his sizzling spring, smacking a single and a double in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 34 at-bats, the sixth-year pro is batting .382 with a league-leading 5 HRs and a team-high 9 RBIs and .912 slugging percentage. His on-base percentage is .475.

Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia hit his first HR of the spring in a 9-0 drubbing of the Florida Marlins (see video). In 26 at-bats, the second-year player is batting .346 with 4 doubles, 5 RBIs, and a .414 on-base percentage.

Washington Nationals P Jason Marquis, just off a miserable season in which he had surgery on his elbow, had yet another strong spring start, giving up just 3 hits and one earned run over five innings in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. In 12 innings, Marquis has a 0.75 ERA with 8 strikeouts and has held opposing teams to a .158 batting average. He has given up just 6 hits and 3 walks.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Spring Training 2011 is just two weeks old. Many players are still shedding their off-season rust. But a couple Jewish players are already tearing the stitching off the ball.

Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, who was hobbled by injuries last season, leads all MLB players with 4 HRs, is tied for second with 7 RBIs, and is batting .444 (8/18). Figure in walks, and he has a nifty on-base percentage of .545.

Also hitting well is Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia. After finishing 3rd in voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year award last year, Valencia is batting .500 (6/12) with 3 RBIs and is tied for the A.L. lead in doubles, with four.

Here is how all Jewish position players were doing through Mon., March 7:

Among pitchers, Washington Nationals starter Jason Marquis followed up a difficult 2010 with a strong spring-training outing, giving up just 1 hit over 3 innings in his only game played so far. Here’s how all Jewish pitchers were doing through March 7:

To track Jewish players in Spring Training, visit Jewish Baseball News for our daily box score.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here’s the latest news on several MLB players:

Youkilis may switch back to 3B in 2011

Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis, whose season-ending thumb injury helped scuttle the team’s playoff hopes year, says he’s ready to switch back to 3B if needed in 2011. It’s a possibility because Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre has opted for free agency.

As you may recall, Youkilis began his MLB career at 3B, in 2004. The Bosox switched him to 1B in 2006, and in a remarkable demonstration of versatility, Youkilis won a Gold Glove at 1B in 2007, only his second year at the position. In 2010 he started all but two games at 1B.

Kinsler to work on speed in off-season

No one in Texas is complaining about Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler these days. After an injury-shortened regular season, Kinsler was a post-season star in 2010 (or at least until the World Series). But the 28-year-old isn’t happy with his stolen-base output, which totaled 15 in 20 tries this year. It was the fewest steals since his rookie year in 2006, although to be fair Kinsler had just 391 at-bats in 2010, his fewest ever, and began the season on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle. Here’s what he told Sports Illustrated recently:

“I just need to get my speed back,” he said. “I didn’t steal as many bases as I’d like this year. I didn’t really feel comfortable stealing bases because I wasn’t able to catch up with my speed after the spring training injury.”

Interestingly, Kinsler suffered a bigger drop-off in power in 2010 than he did in speed, hitting just 9 HRs after averaging 21 in his first four MLB seasons.

Knee surgery will delay Feldman’s 2011 debut

Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman recently had surgery on his right knee and will have a limited role at 2011 spring training, ESPN.com reported.

Feldman, who was the Rangers’ pitcher of the year in 2009 and opening-day starter this year, had a dismal season, going 7-11 with a 5.48 ERA. He was moved to the bullpen mid-season and went on the 15-day disabled list in August for a bone bruise to the same knee.

Kapler is a free agent

Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler is one of 10 Rays players to opt for free agency this Fall. Whether the weak-hitting defensive specialist will be picked up is unclear. Kapler hit .210 in 124 at-bats this year, with 2 HRs and 14 RBIs.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series on Monday night (11/1/2010) by beating the Texas Rangers 3-1 in Game 5.

Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, the lone Jew in the Series, was one of only 3 Ranger baserunners for the night. He drew a walk with one out in the 7th inning but was stranded when Giants SP Tim Lincecum struck out the next 2 batters. Kinsler was on-deck in the 9th inning when Nelson Cruz struck out to end the game.

For the series, Kinsler batted .188, a shade below the Rangers’ anemic team average of .190, although he had a somewhat more palatable on-base percentage of .316. Kinsler hit .444 in the first round of the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Rays and .250 in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.

Kinsler and the Rangers fared much better in a computer-simulated World Series run by USA Today. Although San Francisco won the actual Series 4 games to 1, the Rangers won the “Sim Series” by the same margin. Kinsler clinched the Game 5 win with an 8th-inning HR.

Congrats to the Giants for a well-played Series.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler may be the only Jew playing in the 2010 World Series, but he’s got some company in the Minor Leagues.

Both World Series teams have Jewish players in their farm systems. And while none is likely to make the Majors in 2011, a couple show some promise.

The San Francisco Giants employ at least three tribe members:

• C Aaron Lowenstein, 25, of the “AA” Richmond Flying Squirrels. Selected in the 44th round (1,137th overall) of the 2008 amateur draft. Split the 2010 season between the Squirrels and the “A-advanced” San Jose Giants. Hit a combined .194 with 0 HRs, 4 RBIs and 5 doubles over 93 at-bats.
• SP Ari Ronick, 24, of the “A” Augusta GreenJackets. Selected in the 12th round (357th overall) of the 2008 amateur draft. In three 2010 starts, Ronick went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA.
• SP Justin Schumer, 22,  “A-short season” Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Not drafted. Split the 2010 season between the Volcanoes and the “rookie-league” AZL Giants. In 5 starts and 4 relief appearances, went a combined 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and held opposing batters to a .196 average.

As for the Rangers, Kinsler teammate and SP Scott Feldman didn’t make the post-season roster, but at least 2 Jews play for the franchise’s “AA” squad:

• SP Richard Bleier, 23, of the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders. Selected in the 6th round (183rd overall) of the 2008 amateur draft. In 2010, went 7-11 with a 5.04 ERA but had a strikeout/walk ratio of 82/28.
• SP Michael Schlact, 24, of the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders. Selected in the 3rd round (81st overall) of the 2004 amateur draft. Split the 2010 between Frisco and the “A-advanced” Bakersfield Blaze. Went a combined 4-5 with a 6.08 ERA.

Schlact, a 6’7″ right-hander, is the only player among those mentioned to skip college. He was drafted out of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Texas Rangers finally took one from the San Francisco Giants, winning 4-2 Saturday night (10/30/2010) and reducing the the Giants’ lead in the 2010 World Series to 2-1.

Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, the lone Jew in the Series, singled, stole a base, and struck out twice. According to MLB.com, he laughed when asked afterward if this was the “real” Rangers that had showed up. “When we win, it’s the real Rangers. When we lose, it’s the fake version,” he joked.

Game 4 of the 7-game Series takes place tonight (10/31/2010) in Arlington, Tex.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The San Francisco Giants whipped the Texas Rangers 9-0 in Game 2 of the 2010 World Series on Thursday (10/28/2010).

Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, the lone Jew in the Series, missed a HR by 1-2 inches when his 5th-inning smash to dead center hit the very top of the wall (see video). He settled for a double at a time when the game was scoreless and thus still up for grabs.

MLB.com went on to compliment Kinsler’s post-season play:

For his part, Kinsler — who did not address the media after Game 2 — continues to put together a tremendous postseason. He has hit safely in 11 of 13 games, starting by hitting safely with a run scored in his first five games to tie Nomar Garciaparra (Red Sox, 1998-99) for the longest such streak to begin a postseason career. Kinsler’s double was his sixth extra-base hit of the postseason, and he carries a .326 average (15-for-46) through his first 13 contests.

Game 3 of the seven-game series takes place Saturday (10/30/2010) in Arlington, Tex.

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