Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Tuesday (5/18/2010) saw a show of strength by Jewish major leaguers.

Four men– Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun, New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, and Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler — hit home runs. The Day of Power boosted the Jewish home run total for 2010 from 16 dingers to 20.

Muscle-bound Tampa Bay Rays RF Gabe Kapler didn’t hit a home run but got on base three times (single, walk, hit by pitch), scored a run and had a couple nice plays in the field.

The show of power is no fluke. So far this season, Jewish position players have a combined slugging average of .502, compared with .411 for all MLB position players.

— Scott Barancik

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — An update from the world of Jewish baseball players:

• Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis recently was hit by a pitch for the 63rd time in his career, leading one Beantown reporter to dub him the Prince of Plunk. The bruise leaves him eight behind Red Sox career leader Mo Vaughn (71) and well behind former Houston Astro 2B Craig Biggio, who was hit 285 times during a 20-year career and is the modern-era record holder. Though we may joke about it, getting hit by a pitch is one reason Youkilis ranked 2nd in the AL last year in on-base percentage (.413). He was hit by pitches 16 times in 2009, 4th most in the AL. So far in 2010, Youkilis has been hit five times and has a .433 on-base percentage.
• If New York Mets 1B Ike Davis hadn’t chosen to pursue baseball as a career, he might have made an outstanding pole dancer. In just his first month as a major leaguer, Davis has tumbled into a dugout three times in order to catch a pop foul, all successfully. Here’s a video of his most recent catch, and another last week.
• Here’s the good news about Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis, who’s on the disabled list with bone chips in his elbow: he pitched 3 and 2/3 innings in a rehab assignment with the Single-A Potomac Nationals last night (5/11/2010) and reportedly left the game feeling healthy. Now the not-so-good news: Marquis performed a lot like he has in the majors this year, giving up six hits and three earned runs to the Winston-Salem Dash and getting credit for the loss. THIS JUST IN: A Washington Post blogger — the same one that earlier called Marquis “healthy” — says Marquis may in fact need surgery:

…after a rehabilitation start on Tuesday, Marquis woke up with pain in his arm and said he and the Nationals were weighing whether he will be forced to undergo an operation…Asked if surgery would be necessary, Marquis said: “It’s definitely a strong possibility…”

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Rookie 1B Ike Davis hit two HRs Friday night to help the New York Mets defeat the San Francisco Giants 6-4.

Davis, 23, hit solo home runs in the 2nd (vide0) and 4th (video) innings. His 9th-inning walk turned into a run when Rod Barajas followed with a walk-off HR to win the game.

Davis also contributed a key defensive play in the top of the 9th inning. With the score tied 4-4 on a pinch-hit home run by John Bowker, the Giants had men on first and third bases with two outs when Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval hit a pop fly in foul territory. Davis nabbed the ball while carthwheeling into the Mets’ dugout to end the threat (see video).

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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

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — What’s new in the world of Jewish baseball players:

• Scott Schoeneweis retained his tenuous hold on a roster spot last week when the Boston Red Sox chose to release fellow lefty reliever Alan Embree in order to make way for starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was returning from an injury.

• Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis was scratched from the lineup shortly before Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles due to a groin pull. The Red Sox went on to lose the game as well as the series. Manager Terry Francona said he’s hopeful that Youkilis will be on the field for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.

• Among New York Mets fans, affection for rookie 1B Ike Davis continues to swell. Davis, who was called up from AAA when the cellar-dwelling Mets were 4-and-8, is given at least partial credit for inspiring the team to a 10-and-3 record since. According to a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

No place creates legends as easily or as effectively as New York. And Davis’ resume hasn’t hurt the hype. He’s the son of a former Yankee (reliever Ron Davis). He broke Arizona State records set by another of New York’s beloved lefthanded sluggers (Reggie Jackson). His mother, like a large chunk of the club’s fan base, is Jewish. He’s likable, accessible, and as he has displayed on several occasions, has a dramatic flair. Davis singled in his first big-league at-bat. Two nights later, he cartwheeled into the home dugout after a spectacular grab of a foul pop-up. And two nights after that, he belted his first home run, a 450-foot bomb to a previously unreached corner of vast Citi Field.

• In a Washington Post blog filed Saturday, Adam Kilgore mused on the reasons behind the Washington Nationals’ recent turnaround. Among them: that starting pitcher Jason Marquis had been placed on the disabled list. Marquis is 0-and-3 with a 20.52 ERA and twice as many walks as strikeouts.

Nationals starters began the year with a shaky start. That’s changed for a few reasons. Most basic, an apparently injured Jason Marquis is no longer inviting calamity every fifth day. Also, the staff has had more time to build a rapport with catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

• In off-the-field news, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun has opened a restaurant in that city. A college newspaper says the eatery is only the latest in a series of business ventures by Braun.

Ryan Braun is not your average professional athlete. He doesn’t just play for the Milwaukee Brewers and call it a day. Braun has got his hands in everything from his own T-shirt line to commercials for Remington’s ShortCut clippers, Muscle Milk, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, as well as numerous endorsement deals. Last summer he received (and turned down), an invitation from ABC to appear on The Bachelor. Braun’s latest business venture, though, hits closer to home. Ryan Braun’s Waterfront Grill opened its doors a few weeks ago…

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis hit his first big-league home run in style Thursday (4/23/10).

In just his fifth game since being called up from AAA Buffalo, Davis crushed a Kenshin Kawakami pitch 450 feet to right-center, tying the game at 1-1 against the Atlanta Braves (see video).

The New York Times (4/23/10) said Davis has “brought a noticeable boost in spirit around Citi Field in his first big-league week.”

With Friday’s win, the Mets are 5-and-1 since the arrival of Davis, who is hitting .350.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It didn’t take long for the the New York Mets to call up 23-year-old first baseman Ike Davis.

Davis, the 18th overall pick in the June 2008 amateur draft, hit a blistering .480 with three home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs in just 25 at-bats during the Mets’ Spring Training this year. The team sent him to the AAA Buffalo Bisons anyway to get some more plate experience, but an injury suffered by Mets starter Daniel Murphy helped pave the way for Davis’ swift return.

Davis wasted no time contributing. In his first MLB game Monday night (4/19/2010), he went 2-for-4 with one RBI in a 6-1 Mets victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Davis’ father, relief pitcher Ron Davis, played for five teams during an MLB career that stretched from 1978 to 1988.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Joke about minyans if you must, but when the 2010 Major League Baseball season debuts on Sun., Apr. 4, 10 Jewish players will be featured on league rosters.

There were some close calls. Scott Schoeneweis was released by the Milwaukee Brewers on Mar. 23, and the 36-year-old relief pitcher declined an option to play for the team’s AAA squad. But the Boston Red Sox scooped Schoeneweis up soon after, and on Apr. 2, the Sox reportedly gave him the final spot in their bullpen.

Ike Davis nearly was Jew #11 on MLB rosters. The 23-year-old first baseman had a phenomenal spring training with the New York Mets, batting .480 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in only 25 at-bats. But the team sent him down anyway, keeping him there even after starting 1B Daniel Murphy sprained his knee on Mar. 30.

— Scott Barancik

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The New York Mets sent Ike Davis to their AAA squad, despite a phenomenal Spring Training that saw the 23-year-old first baseman hit .480 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in just 25 at-bats.

From the New York Post:

“We brought [Davis] into the room and let him know how impressed we were with him this spring training,” GM Omar Minaya said. “He showed us a lot of good things. He needs to go to Triple-A and get at-bats.”

Davis, the 18th pick overall in the June 2008 amateur draft, was promoted to AA ball midway through the 2009 season. He hit .309 for the Binghamton Mets (AA), with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 207 at-bats.

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