Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (8/29/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 4/4 with a two-run HR, a walk and 3 runs scored in an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, raising his season batting average to .300 for the first time since June 28. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .422 in August, with a 5-hit game, a 4-hit game, three 3-hit performances, and six 2-hit games. Adding in 13 walks, his August on-base percentage is a sweet .495.
• RP Craig Breslow of the Oakland A’s pitched 2 hitless innings in an 8-2 win over the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old middle reliever is 4-4 with a 3.39 and 2 saves. He has 60 strikeouts in 58 ^1/3 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .202 batting average.
• In a rehab assignment with the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers), 2B Ian Kinsler hit an RBI single and scored a run as the RoughRiders beat the Midland RockHounds 6-4. In five games with Frisco, Kinsler is 4/15 (.267) with 4 RBIs and 2 walks. He has been on the disabled list since July 28.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) pitched 6 scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over the Arkansas Travelers. A 24-year-old Clemson recruit, Kopp allowed 7 hits and no walks while striking out four. He got out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the 5th inning by getting one batter to pop out and two to fan. Kopp was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 12-3 with Springfield.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 2/5 with a double and a home run in a 9-5 loss to the Great Falls Voyagers. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the league in doubles (23) and runs scored (62), ranks 2nd in OPS (.991), and has the third-highest batting average (.355).

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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 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 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 Saturday (8/14/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 3/5 with two doubles and scored the winning run in a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies. A 26-year-old in his fourth major-league season, Braun has hit .394 in his last 10 games, boosting his average to .289.
• RP Scot Drucker of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) pitched two innings of one-hit ball in a 7-3 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, striking out two and walking none. A 28-year-old in his fifth minor-league season, Drucker is 4-5 with a 5.69 ERA, 59 strikeouts and 26 walks.
• 2B Josh Satin of the Binghamton Mets (AA) hit his third home run in four games en route to an 11-9 win over the Reading Phillies. Since being promoted to “AA” mid-season, Satin is batting .325 with  a .417 on-base percentage and .485 slugging percentage. His recent home-run prowess is sudden: in his first 52 games with Binghamton this year, Satin had just one dinger.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 3/5 with one RBI in a 6-5 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Lavarnway opened the 10th and final inning with a single; a teammate sent in to pinch-run for him scored the winning run. Since being promoted to “AA” ball, the 23-year-old Yale recruit is batting .271 with 2 HRs and 22 RBIs in 96 at-bats.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 3/5 with a double and 1 RBI in a 7-5 victory over the Idaho Falls Chukars. A 21-year-old recruit from Duke University, Lemmerman is ranked 1st in the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (19), 5th in on-base percentage (.413), and 6th in batting average (.351) and slugging percentage (.539).
• SP Joshua Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) struck out 7 and walked none in a 6-2 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds. A 23-year-old in just his second year of minor-league ball, Zeid has struck out 91 batters in 88-and-2/3 innings but walked only 23. He has a 6-4 record and a 2.74 ERA. (PhuturePhillies.com has an interesting interview with Zeid.)

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday, Aug. 9, 2010:

• Batting leadoff, LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds went 2/4 with a double, a walk, and one run scored in a 12-2 win over the Las Vegas 51s. The 30-year-old Canadian also threw out a runner who was trying to extend a single into a double. Stern — who went 0/8 in brief stints with the Milwaukee Brewers this season — is hitting .299 with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 214 at-bats at Nashville.
• RP Jeff Urlaub of the rookie-league AZL Athletics (Oakland Athletics) earned his first minor-league save in a 6-3 victory over the AZL Royals, striking out three of the four batters he faced. A 30th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, he has a 2.66 ERA with 22 strikeouts and only 3 walks.
• RP Andrew Pevsner of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued his stellar debut, striking out 2 of the 4 batters he faced and giving up one hit in a 3-2 loss to the Orem Owlz. A 16th-round pick in the 2010 draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA, and he has struck out 17 batters in 16-and-2/3 innings pitched. He is a teammate of shortstop (and fellow Hebe) Jake Lemmerman.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Thursday, August 5, 2010:

• SP Brett Lorin of the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) pitched 5 shutout innings and struck out two in a 5-1 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds. A 23-year-old righty who stands 6’7″ (see Monsters of the Mound), Lorin is 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA since being promoted to “A” ball earlier this season.
• SP Jason Knapp, a 19-year-old “Monster of the Mound” with the rookie-league AZL Indians (Cleveland Indians), pitched three shutout innings in an 8-3 victory over the AZL Royals. In six innings pitched this season, Knapp has given up a total of 2 hits and no runs while striking out 11.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) went 4/4 with two doubles in a 3-2 triumph over the Casper Ghosts. Lemmerman had a hand in all three Raptors runs yesterday, driving in two and scoring one. The #1 Jewish player in the 2010 amateur draft, he is ranked fourth in the Rookie Pioneer League in batting average (.357), first in doubles (17), and sixth in on-base percentage (.416), slugging percentage (.554) and OPS (.970).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Sunday, July 25:

• Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-2 on Sunday with a home run and two walks. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman ranks among Rookie Pioneer League leaders in multiple categories, including runs scored (32, 1st), batting average (.371, tied for 2nd), on-base percentage (.430, 2nd), OPS (1.018, tied for 2nd), and slugging percentage (.589, 5th). The Raptors have the best record in their league.
  
• Charlie Cutler, “A+” Palm Beach Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals). The 23-year-old catcher hit a double and triple Sunday and had one RBI in a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Yankees. Since his demotion from the “AA” Springfield Cardinals, Lavarnway is batting .281 with a .348 on-base percentage. The Cardinals share the division lead with the Bradenton Maurauders.
  
• Richard Bleier, “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers). The 23-year-old starting pitcher threw his second complete-game shutout of the season Sunday in a 4-0 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. Bleier tossed just 90 pitches, allowing just six hits and one walk while striking out three. The RoughRiders are tied for the best record in the Texas League.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Thurs., July 22:

• Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). The 22-year-old catcher continued his hot streak, going 3-for-5 on Thursday with three RBIs. Since his promotion from the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is 12-for-27 with a remarkable 14 RBIs and 1.087 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).
• Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop continued his hot streak Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and four runs scored. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman is batting .372 with 16 extra-base hits in 113 at-bats.
• Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox. The first baseman went 3-for-6 and scored the go-ahead run in an 8-6, extra-inning victory over the Seattle Mariners. Youkilis is ranked third in the AL in on-base percentage (.407) and fourth both in slugging percentage (.569) and OPS (.976).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Midway through the 2010 season, Jewish minor leaguers are performing well. The 20 Jewish pitchers have a collective won-loss record of 59-52, a 3.85 ERA and a 2.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio through games played July 14. The 28 position players have a combined batting average of .274 and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of .503, according to Jewish Baseball News calculations.

A list of category leaders and laggards is shown below. But first, a few clarifications:

• Players marked with an asterisk have played in two or more leagues this season, and the statistics shown reflect their collective performance across all leagues. The team shown is the players’ current one.
• Calling David Kopp the winningest pitcher is slightly misleading. Kopp assembled an 8-1 record and 3.08 ERA with the “AA” Springfield Cardinals before being called up to the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds. In his first four games in Memphis, Kopp went 0-4 with a 7.53 ERA.
• Jake Lemmerman, a shortstop from Duke University and the top Jewish pick in the 2010 amateur draft, is tearing up the Rookie Pioneer League. Through 20 games with the Ogden Raptors, Lemmerman was batting .358 and had a .506 slugging percentage.

Now, your category leaders.

Position players

• Highest batting average(100+ at-bats) : Casey Haerther, “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (.319)
• Lowest batting average (100+ at-bats) : Jake Wald, “AA”  Mobile BayBears (.175)
• Most home runs: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (14)
• Most triples: Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (4)
• Most doubles: Nathan Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (29)
• Most RBIs: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (63)
• Most walks: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (44)
• Most strikeouts: Nathan Frieman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (76)
• Best walk/strikeout ratio: Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (1.25)
• Worst walk/strikeout ratio: David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (.31)
• Highest on-base percentage: Joshua Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets (.403)
• Highest slugging percentage: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (.487)
• Highest OPS (OBP+slugging): Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (.879)
• Most stolen bases: David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (13)

Pitchers

• Most victories: David Kopp*, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (8)
• Most losses: Jason Hirsh, “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees; Richard Bleier, “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (6)
• Best win-loss record: Michael Schlact*, “A+” Bakersfield Blaze (3-0)
• Best ERA (at least 25 innings): Dylan Axelrod*, “A+” Birmingham Barons (2.367); Daniel Rosenbaum, “A” Hagertown Suns (2.363)
• Worst ERA (at least 25 innings): Scot Drucker, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (5.56)
  
• Most strikeouts: Daniel Rosenbaum, “A” Hagertown Suns (85)
• Most walks: Aaron Poreda*, “AAA” Portland Beavers; Eric Berger, “AA” Akron Aeros; David Kopp*, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (39)
• Best strikeout/walk ratio (20+ innings): Dylan Axelrod*, “A” Birmingham Barons (5.2)
• Worst strikeout/walk ratio (20+ innings): Aaron Poreda*, “AAA” Portland Beavers (0.9)

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

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

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

Harrison Fanaroff, a high-school pitcher out of Potomac, Md., was selected by the Washington Nationals in the draft’s 50th and final round (1,496th overall). According to Washington Jewish Week, Fanaroff was thrilled to be picked but, as of last week, was leaning toward attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. According to an earlier article by the same reporter, Jeff Seidel, Fanaroff and other Jewish players accounted for more than half the baseball team at Churchill High School this year.

The Nationals, of course, are home to starting pitcher Jason Marquis, who has been on the disabled list since April 19.

On 6/10/2010, Jewish Baseball News reported the names of five other Jews selected in this year’s amateur draft. Here is an update on their status:

• Jake Lemmerman, SS (Los Angeles Dodgers: 5th round, 172th overall pick). Status: Signed.  Playing for the Ogden Raptors (Rookie Pioneer League).
• Jason Markovitz (Seattle Mariners: 13th round, 402nd overall pick): Status: Signed. Playing for the Everett AquaSox (Class A-short season).
• Mike Schwartz (Chicago White Sox: 17th round, 518th overall pick). Status: Signed. Playing for the Bristol White Sox (Rookie Applachian League).
• Jeremy Gould (New York Mets: 28th round, 842nd overall pick). Status: Signed. Team placement unknown.
• Michael Fagan (San Diego Padres: 45th round, 1354th pick). Status: Not signed. According to his school’s web site, Fagan “has decided to delay his professional (baseball) career and attend Princeton University in the fall.”

Thanks to Jewish Baseball News fan Dan Gordon for the tip on Harris Fanaroff.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — At least five Jewish players were selected in this week’s MLB amateur draft, two of them out of Duke University.

They include:

• Jake Lemmerman (Los Angeles Dodgers: 5th round, 172th overall pick). A 6’2″ shortstop who just completed his junior year at Duke (Div. I), Lemmerman led his team in eight offensive categories this season, including slugging percentage (.569) and on-base percentage (.418), and had the best fielding percentage of any ACC shortstop (.987).
• Jason Markovitz (Seattle Mariners: 13th round, 402nd overall pick). A 6’3″ relief pitcher from Long Beach State (Div. I), Markovitz finished the 2010 season with a team-leading 2.93 ERA, held opposing batters to a second-best .220 batting average, and struck out an impressive 34 batters in 27.33 innings pitched.
• Mike Schwartz (Chicago White Sox: 17th round, 518th overall pick). A 6’0″ first baseman from the University of Tampa (Div. II), Schwartz was the Sunshine State Conference 2010 Player of the Year, led the nation in walks (75), and led his team in batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.716) and on-base percentage (.596).
• Jeremy Gould (New York Mets: 28th round, 842nd overall pick). A 6’4″ outfielder and relief pitcher from Duke (Div. I), Gould ranked 3rd on the team in home runs (7) and on-base percentage (.386), and 2nd in ERA (4.76).
• Michael Fagan (San Diego Padres: 45th round, 1354th pick). A pitcher at the San Diego Jewish Academy (high school), Fagan led his team in ERA (0.78), struck out 103 batters in just 45 innings pitched, and led all batters in slugging percentage (.674). According to his school’s web site, Fagan “has decided to delay his professional (baseball) career and attend Princeton University in the fall.”

Ephraim Moxson of Jewish Sports Review says he and co-editor Shel Wallman are busily contacting other players drafted by the MLB in an attempt to identify additional Jews.

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