Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Peoria Javelinas beat the Peoria Saguaros 7-2 on Saturday (10/23/2010), and 2 of its 3 Jewish players were instrumental.

2B Jason Kipnis, a Cleveland Indians prospect, hit a two-run HR,, walked, and stole a base. Kipnis has been in a minor slump since driving in five runs on Oct. 15. Although he is tied for 3rd in the prestigious Arizona Fall League with 9 RBIs, the 2009 draft pick (2nd round, 63rd overall) is batting just .161 over 8 games (5/35).

C Ryan Lavarnway, who led all Boston Red Sox minor-leaguers with 102 RBIs in 2010, went 1/2, walked twice and scored a run while serving as DH. After 7 AFL games, the 2008 draft pick (6th round, 202nd overall) is batting .273 with 1 HR, 5 RBIs and a .452 on-base percentage.

RP Eric Berger, also an Indians prospect, did not play Saturday.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Texas Rangers defeated the New York Yankees 10-3 on Tuesday (10/19/2010), giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and leaving the team just one win away from its first World Series berth.

Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler chipped in, hitting an RBI single with two outs in the 7th inning and stealing second base moments later.

The last Jew to play in the World Series was Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis, in 2007. Youk went 2/9 with 2 doubles, 3 walks, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored as the Sox trounced the Colorado Rockies 4 games to zero.

In Arizona Fall League play yesterday:

• OF Ben Guez of the Surprise Rafters hit an RBI triple and drew a walk in a 5-4 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. Guez is a Detroit Tigers prospect.
• 2B Jason Kipnis, a Cleveland Indians prospect, hit an RBI double and reached base on an error in the Peoria Javelinas’ 6-5 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox. Though batting just .167 in 6 games, Kipnis is 2nd among AFL players with 7 RBIs.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, Kipnis’ teammate on the Javelinas, walked twice and tossed out 1 of 2 Solar Sox players who tried to steal second base. Lavarnway is a Boston Red Sox prospect.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Peoria Javelinas of the prestigious Arizona Fall League have 3 Jews on their roster, and all 3 shared the field Monday (10/18/2010) in a 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Mesa Solar Sox.

C Ryan Lavarnway, a Boston Red Sox prospect, singled, hit a sacrifice fly, threw out 1 of 2 runners who tried to steal 2nd base on him, and scored the winning run in the 10th inning. 2B Jason Kipnis, a Cleveland Indians prospect, walked and scored in the 10th, as well. And RP Eric Berger pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Solar Sox P Josh Zeid didn’t play; he is scheduled to pitch Wednesday night (10/20/2010) against the Scottsdale Scorpions. (See Zeid’s interesting blog here.)

In other baseball news, 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers went 0/4 in game 3 of the American League Championship Series, but his team didn’t suffer for it. The Rangers beat the New York Yankees 8-0 to take a 2-1 series lead.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (10/16/2010):

• In game 2 of the American League Championship Series, 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers went 1/3 with an RBI triple and a sacrifice as the Rangers defeated the New York Yankess 7-2; the series is tied 1-1. Kinsler’s first trip to the MLB playoffs is going exceptionally well. Over 7 games, he is batting .391 (5th among all players) with 3 HRs (2nd/tie), 7 RBIs (1st), 4 walks (2nd/tie), a .481 on-base percentage (2nd), and a .870 slugging percentage (3rd).
• 2B Jason Kipnis went of the Peoria Javelinas went 1/2 with an RBI double in a 6-4 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. Though he is batting just .188 after 4 games, the Cleveland Indians prospect has 6 RBIs, tying him for 3rd most among all Arizona Fall League players.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, also with the Javelinas, went 0/2 but walked twice in the 6-4 loss and gave up one stolen base. The Boston Red Sox prospect is batting .333 with 1 HR, 4 RBIs, and a .538 on-base percentage.

No Jewish baseball players were active on Sunday (10/17/2010).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Cleveland Indians prospect Jason Kipnis hit a 3-run HR and a 2-run triple Friday (10/16/2010) as the Peoria Javelinas routed the Peoria Saguaros 13-5.

The 5 RBIs were a welcome relief for the promising second baseman, who had gone hitless in his first 11 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League before smacking a triple. “I got to the point where I stopped trying to do too much,” Kipnis told MLB.com after the game. “I just worried about hard contact today.”

Fellow 2B (and Hebe) Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers had a tougher day. In the opening game of the American League Championship Series, the Rangers were leading the New York Yankees 5-1 when the Yanks scored 5 runs in the 8th inning. Kinsler led off the bottom of the 8th with a walk, but a baserunning error got him caught in a rundown and tagged out.

In non-baseball news, bachelor Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers reportedly attended a bash at Doug Reinhardt’s Hollywood Hills mansion. Reinhardt, a former minor-leaguer, is better known as an ex-boyfriend of socialite Paris Hilton. RadarOnline.com said the party guests included Brody Jenner, Stacy Keibler, Jasmine Waltz, and other young people Jewish Baseball News neither knows nor cares about.

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

Um, we missed one.

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

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

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

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

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Maybe we should change our motto from “People of the Book” to “People of the Blog.”

Eight of the 180 prospects who will play in the Arizona Fall League this year have agreed to blog about their experiences. Two of the 8 are Jewish.

P Josh Zeid, a 23-year-old Philadelphia Phillies prospect who will play for the Mesa Solar Sox, has already started his blog, Phinally Phocused. The New Haven, Conn., native’s debut entry actually addresses being Jewish, and why he initially chose to attend Vanderbilt University:

It was not only one of the best academic universities this side of the Mississippi, excluding the Ivy League’s, but because it was becoming a baseball powerhouse, with guys like David Price and Jeremy Sowers.  It also gave my family a peace of mind.  Growing up in a Jewish household, we focused on having a sound foundation based on private schools and living very close to my extended family.

I only had Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg to look up to as legitimate Jewish heroes, so in the back of my family’s mind was a hesitation and a desire for me to focus on getting a good education.  Where I grew up Jewish kids dreamt of playing pro sports, but in reality, becoming doctors, lawyers, accountants, or real estate entrepreneurs was more realistic. I felt I had a platform to be different, and I had the support from my parents and sister to do that.

Zeid, a 6’5″ right-hander, played for the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws during the regular season, going 8-4 with 8 saves and a 2.93 ERA. He worked both as a starter and a reliever. The BlueClaws went on to become the 2010 South Atlantic League champions.

Also blogging about the Arizona Fall League is 2B Jason Kipnis, a 23-year-old Cleveland Indians prospect who will play for the Peoria Javelinas and who spent part of his college career at Arizona State University. He opens his new blog, Kip’s Korner, thusly:

Finally, back in the SunDevil Nation! 1,800 miles, 2 days, 4 Redbulls, and a charged I-pod later, I’ve finally arrived in Arizona. It’s been a long journey to get to this point but it’s been a great one at that.

Kipnis had a phenomenal regular season in 2010. Split between the Indians’ “A-advanced” and “AA” teams , he had a combined batting average of .307, 8 triples, 16 HRs and 74 RBIs. When the “AAA” Columbus Clippers called him up for the playoffs, the Clippers won the championship, and Kipnis played a big role, hitting for the cycle in one game,  falling a single short of a cycle in the next, and going 10/22 overall. Baseball America named him a “Top 20 Prospect” in two leagues this year, the “A-advanced” Carolina League and the “AA” Eastern League.

The Arizona Fall League begins its 32-game season today (10/12/2010). According to MLB.com, Major League Baseball created the AFL so it could keep a closer eye on its “best” ballplayers, who might otherwise leave the country to play winter ball. All games are played in Spring Training stadiums, and each MLB team gets to send six top prospects to play, mostly from “AA” or “AAA” leagues.

Many go on to Major League careers. According to MLB.com, 56 percent of the players on the 8 MLB teams that reached the 2010 playoffs are Arizona Fall League alumni.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — When the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League open their 2010 season Oct. 12, the team’s roster will feature 3 Jewish minor leaguers:

• C Ryan Lavarnway. The 23-year-old Yale University recruit hit a combined .288 and 22 HRS this year with two minor-league teams, and he led all Boston Red Sox farm hands with 102 RBIs. Baseball America recently placed Lavarnway on its list of Top 20 prospects from the Carolina League.
• 2B Jason Kipnis. Like Lavarnway, Kipnis has been named a Top 20 prospect from the Carolina League. A member of the Cleveland Indians franchise, the 23-year-old Arizona State alum split the 2010 season between “A-advanced” and “AA” teams and had a combined batting average of .307, along with 8 triples, 16 HRs, 74 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .878. When the “AAA” Columbus Clippers called him up for the playoffs , Kipnis went 10/22, including hitting for the cycle in one game and falling a single short of a cycle in the next.
• SP Eric Berger. The 24-year-old Cleveland Indians prospect played briefly in “AAA” ball this year before joining Kipnis on the “AA” Akron Aeros. Berger went a combined 5-6 with a 4.90 ERA.

At least one other Jew is playing in the AFL this season. P Josh Zeid, who went 8-4 with 8 saves and a 2.93 ERA this year for the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies), will play for the Mesa Solar Sox. The 23-year-old Tulane University recruit struck out 111 batters in 107-and-1/3 innings while walking just 27.

Getting picked to play in the Arizona Fall League is no small honor.

According to MLB.com, Major League Baseball created the AFL so it could keep a closer eye on its “best” ballplayers, who might otherwise leave the country to play winter ball. All games are played in Spring Training stadiums, and each MLB team gets to send six top prospects to play, mostly from “AA” or “AAA”. The 2006 All-Star Game featured 25 AFL alums, says MLB.com.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Last week, Baseball America named SS Jake Lemmerman one of the Top 20 prospects from the Rookie Pioneer League.

Earlier today (10/4/2010), the venerable publication named 2 more Jews to one of its annual ‘top 20’ lists. Both 2B Jason Kipnis and C Ryan Lavarnway were listed as top prospects from the “A-advanced” Carolina League.

Kipnis, part of the Cleveland Indians’ franchise, began the 2010 season with the “A-advanced” Kinston Indians and later was promoted to the “AA” Akron Aeros, finishing the year with a combined batting average of .307, 8 triples, 16 HRs, 74 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .878. When the “AAA” Columbus Clippers called him up for the post-season, he went 10/22, hitting for the cycle in one game and falling a single short of a cycle in the next.

Says Baseball America:

Kipnis has a balanced approach and drives the ball to all fields. He’s aggressive at the plate but not overly so, and he should hit at least .280 in the majors with average power, if not more.

Lavarnway, part of the Boston Red Sox’ farm system, split the 2010 season between the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox and the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs. He hit a combined .288 with 22 HRs, 102 RBIs, .393 on-base percentage, and .489 slugging percentage. His 102 RBIs were tops among Red Sox farm hands, and he led all Jewish minor-leaguers in HRs, RBIs and walks (70).

Here is an excerpt from Baseball America’s commentary:

If he puts everything together, he could be a big league regular, but it may be more realistic to project him as an offensive-minded backup who also could fill in at first base and DH.

As of today, Baseball America has published ‘Top 20’ lists for nine of the 16 minor leagues associated with Major League Baseball. The remaining 7 will be released from Oct. 5 through Oct. 13.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday (9/21/2010):

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 with an RBI single in a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians, guaranteeing the Twins their 6th A.L. Central title in the past 9 years. Though he wasn’t called up from the minors until June and didn’t become a regular starter until July, the 25-year-old is making a serious bid for Rookie of the Year. Valencia leads A.L. rookies in batting average (.337) and slugging percentage (.471), ranks 2nd in on-base percentage (.379), and is 4th in doubles (17).
• If you tuned into the Versus Network at 8:05pm ET last night (9/21/2010), you witnessed another virtuoso playoff performance by 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AAA” Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians). The 23-year-old, who was called up from “AA” for the post-season, got on base 4 times and fell a single short of hitting his second straight cycle in a 12-6, national-championship win over the “AAA” Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners). Kipnis’ performance wasn’t enough to win game MVP — that honor went to teammate Jerad Head — but his 10/22 run during the “AAA” playoffs won’t hit his chances of starting the 2011 season in Columbus.

Jewish baseball fans take note: last night’s “AAA” championship marked the final minor-league game of the 2010 season. We at Jewish Baseball News will do our best to keep you apprised of player developments during the off-season.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –At 8:05pm ET tonight (9/21/2010), the “AAA” Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners) will face off against the “AAA” Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) in a one-game, winner-takes-all national title game on the Versus Network.

It’s not just the final game of the 2010 minor-league season. It’s also your opportunity to see Clippers 2B Jason Kipnis play.

Kipnis, 23, was called-up to Columbus for the post-season after spending the regular season on Cleveland’s “AA” and “A-advanced” clubs. He batted .389 during the 4-game International League championship series while playing DH, including hitting for the cycle — single, double, triple and HR — in the final game of the series, a 13-2 win over the Durham Bulls.

Tacoma is the Pacific Coast League champion.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A number of Jews played baseball on Friday (9/17/2010), the eve of Yom Kippur. And while some played as if they were being punished, others performed quite well:

• SP Jason Marquis of the Washington Nationals may wish he hadn’t agreed to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. He failed to complete the first inning, giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while retiring just one batter in a 9-1 defeat. It didn’t help that a likely double-play ball struck the second-base umpire, allowing a run to score and keeping Philadelphia’s at-bat alive.
• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 3/5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored in a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins had the opposite experience, going 2/3 with his 3rd major-league HR in a 3-1 loss to the Oakland A’s. Oakland RP Craig Breslow pitched 1-and-1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 16th hold of the season.
• Two Jewish major-leaguers — 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers and rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets — both went 0/3. Davis had gotten press coverage a day earlier by saying that he was leaving the decision about playing on Yom Kippur to his mother, who lost family in the Holocaust.

In minor-league championship games:

• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) hit 3 singles and stole 2 bases but couldn’t prevent a 10-6, extra-inning loss to the Tacoma Rainiers. Tacoma swept the Pacific League championship series, 3-0.
• RP Josh Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) did not play in Friday’s 2-1 win over the Greenville Drive. But on Thursday (9/16/2010), he pitched 3 perfect innings in the BlueClaws’ 6-1 win, striking out four. Lakewood leads the South Atlantic League championship series 2-1.
• The “Rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) didn’t play Friday because they lost the Pioneer League championship series the day before. RP Andrew Pevsner provided one of Ogden’s few bright spots in Thursday’s 14-3 loss to the Helena Brewers, pitching 3-and-1/3 perfect innings and striking out 4. Teammate Jake Lemmerman went 1/5 and scored a run.

And now, your Jewish Baseball News Star of the Day:

• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AAA” Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) hit for the cycle — single, double, triple and HR — en route to a 13-2 win over the Durham Bulls and Columbus’ first International League championship in 14 years. The 23-year-old was called-up to Columbus for the post-season after spending the regular season on Cleveland’s “AA” and “A-advanced” clubs. He batted .389 during the 4-game championship series while playing in the DH role.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Wednesday (9/15/2010):

It was a productive day for the four MLB’ers who took the field yesterday. The group went a combined 7/14 with 2 HRs, 8 RBIs and 4 runs scored, and all four players’ teams won:

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/5 with his 22nd HR and a game-tying, 9th-inning double in an 8-6 victory over the Houston Astros. It was the 4th straight two-hit game for Braun, who raised his average to .306 for the first time since June 29.
• 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers went 2/3 with a 2-run HR in an 11-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers. A year after joining baseball’s elite “30/30” club — he had 31 HRs and 31 stolen bases in 2009 — Kinsler has just 9 HRs and 13 stolen bases. But two lengthy stints on the disabled list in 2010 have shortened the 28-year-old’s season. Meanwhile, he has boosted his batting average from .253 in 2009 to .299 this season.
• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 with a double and a sacrifice fly in a 9-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. The 25-year-old also saved a run by forcing out a runner at home plate. Valencia leads all A.L. rookies with a .333 batting average and is a top contender for Rookie of the Year.
• Rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets went 1/3 with an RBI double in an 8-7, come-from-behind win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A 1st-round pick (18th overall) in the 2008 amateur draft, Davis is batting .261 with 31 doubles, 2nd-most among N.L. rookies.

In minor-league championship games:

• Playing in the DH role, 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AAA” Columbus Clippers went 1/4 with a double in a 4-0 triumph over the Durham Bulls. Columbus leads the five-game International League championship series 2-0.
• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 1/4 with a sacrifice fly in an 11-7 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers. Tacoma leads the five-game Pacific Coast League championship series 2-0.
• SP Jason Knapp of the “A” Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) struck out 6 batters over 3 and 1/3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs in a 9-6 win over the Clinton LumberKings. Lake County leads the five-game Midwest League championship series 1-0.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — How are Jewish players doing in the minor-league playoffs? Here is an overview, starting with players whose teams are still in the mix, and followed by those already celebrating victory or recently ousted.

Fighting for a championship

The Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) are fighting for the International League (AAA) championship, and 2B Jason Kipnis is doing his best to help. Called up Tuesday (9/14/2010) from the “AA” Akron Aeros, the 23-year-old contributed immediately, going 2/4 with a walk and 3 runs scored in an 18-5, Game 1 victory over the Durham Bulls.

The Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) lost Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League (AAA) championship series to the Tacoma Rainiers, 5-3. Memphis CF James Rapoport went 1/5 with a double in the loss. During a 1st-round sweep of the Oklahoma City RedHawks, he went a combined 7/11 with 2 RBIs, 2 walks and a stolen base.

Each of the two teams battling for the Carolina League (A-advanced) championship features a Jewish pitcher. In fact, one opened Game 1, while the other opened Game 2:

• In Game 1 of the series (9/14/2010), SP Danny Rosenbaum of the Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) gave up 6 hits and 1 earned run over 4 and 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash. Rosenbaum had a disastrous start earlier in the playoffs, giving up 7 earned runs over one inning in a 10-9 loss to the Frederick Keys (9/8/2010). (The Keys’ starter that night did slightly worse, giving up 8 runs, 6 of them earned, in just 2/3 of an inning.)
• In Game 2 of the series (9/14/2010), SP Dylan Axelrod of the Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) pitched well in a 5-3 loss to  Potomac, allowing two runs on just 3 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings while striking out 5. The defeat evened the series at 1-1. Earlier in the playoffs, Axelrod led Winston-Salem to a 2-0 victory over the Kinston Indians, allowing just two hits and 1 walk over 7 innings, while striking out 9 and retiring 19 batters in a row.

The Midwest League (A) championship series features yet another match-up between Jewish pitchers:

• The Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) will open Game 1 of the series tonight (9/15/2010) with rookie Jason Knapp on the mound. The 20-year-old phenom was dominant in his only other playoff game, a 3-2 win over the West Michigan WhiteCaps (9/10/2010). In that game, Knapp gave up just two infield hits over 5 innings while striking out six and walking one.
• Jason Markovitz will serve a relief role for the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners). So far he has pitched one scoreless inning in the playoffs.

The Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) are tied 1-1 with the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League (A) championship series. BlueClaws RP Josh Zeid pitched 3 perfect innings and struck out 4 en route to a 6-1 win in Game 2 (9/14/2010). In an earlier playoff series against the Hickory Crawdads, the 23-year-old pitched a scoreless inning in a 7-0 victory (9/8/2010), and then hit and walked the only 2 batters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Crawdads (9/10/2010).

Two Jews are playing for the Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) for the Pioneer League (Rookie) championship, a 3-game series currently led 1-0 by the Orem Owlz:

• SS Jake Lemmerman went 1/3 and drew a walk in the Raptors’ Game 1 loss to the Owlz, 3-2. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman is batting .231 in the playoffs but has a .444 on-base percentage and has scored 5 runs, tied for tops in the Pioneer League playoffs.
• In two separate playoff appearances, including Tuesday’s loss, RP Andrew Pevsner struck out the only batter he faced. In a third outing he faced three batters and gave up a double, and was charged with an earned run when the next pitcher gave up a home run. Pevsner’s ERA for the playoffs is 6.75.

Already celebrating

The Tri-City Valley Cats (Houston Astros) swept the New York-Penn League (A-short season) championship over the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets). One of the stars was Valley Cats IF Ben Orloff, who led the team with a .333 batting average in the playoffs and recently was named its 2010 Most Valuable Player. In Tuesday’s 5-2 finale (9/14/2010), Orloff went 2/5 and drove in a run.

Out of the running

Two Jewish players made it to the 1st round of the Texas League (AA) playoffs:

• In his only playoff appearance, Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) SP David Kopp pitched 5 and 1/3 innings in a loss to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), giving up 5 hits and 2 earned runs. Springfield lost the series 3-2. Cardinals C Charlie Cutler did not play.
• SP Richard Bleier of the Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers) pitched 5 and 2/3 innings in a series-opening loss to the Midland RockHounds, giving up 3 earned runs on 7 hits. Midland won the series 3-1.

Two Jewish players made it to the 1st round of the Midwest League (A) playoffs:

• 1B Nate Freiman of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went 4/9 (.444) with 2 RBIs and drew 5 walks, raising his on-base percentage to .643. Fort Wayne lost the series 2-1 to the Great Lakes Loons.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) went 1/12 (.083) and struck out six times; his only hit was a double. Cedar Rapids lost the series 2-1 to the Clinton LumberKings.
• RP Jason Novak of the Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals) was on the disabled list and did not play.

We’ll keep you posted on the playoff picture.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — For the Spring/Summer minor leagues, the 2010 season is over. So how did Jewish batters do?

According to Jewish Baseball News calculations, the 28 Jews who swung a bat in the minors this season — including several major-leaguers doing rehab stints — had a combined batting average of .280, along with 127 HRs and 834 RBIs.

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

• Players marked with an asterisk played at two or more levels in 2010. Statistics shown for them are cumulative; the team shown is the one a player ended the season with.
• To qualify for this list, a player must have had at least 300 plate appearances. (A total of 13 met the standard.)

Now, your category leaders.

HIGHEST BATTING AVERAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .363
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — .326
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — .311

LOWEST BATTING AVERAGE

• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — .249
• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .260

MOST HOME RUNS

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 22
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 16
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 14

MOST TRIPLES

• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 9
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 8
• CF James Rapoport, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds* (St. Louis Cardinals) — 4
  

MOST DOUBLES

• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 43
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 39
• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — 37

MOST RBIs

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 102
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 84
• 1B Casey Haerther, “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) — 74
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 74
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 74

MOST WALKS

• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — 70
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 66
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 66

MOST STRIKEOUTS

• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — 121
• 1B Nate Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) — 117
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — 107

FEWEST STRIKEOUTS

• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — 33
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 37
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — 47

BEST WALK/STRIKEOUT RATIO

• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 1.78 (66/37)
• C Charlie Cutler, “AA” Springfield Cardinals* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .97 (32/33)
• 1B James Rapoport, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds* (St. Louis Cardinals) — .78 (54/69)

WORST WALK/STRIKEOUT RATIO

• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — .33 (31/95)
• 1B Robbie Widlansky, “AA” Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) — .37 (18/49)
• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — .41 (37/91)

HIGHEST ON-BASE PERCENTAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .432
• 2B Josh Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets* (New York Mets) — .399
• OF Adam Stern, “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) — .399

HIGHEST SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — .610
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — .492
• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — .489

HIGHEST OPS (OBP+SLUGGING)

• SS Jake Lemmerman, “rookie-league” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) — 1.042
• C Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs* (Boston Red Sox) — .882
• 2B Jason Kipnis, “AA” Akron Aeros* (Cleveland Indians) — .878

MOST STOLEN BASES

• RF David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) — 23
• OF Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) — 21
• OF Ben Guez, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens* (Detroit Tigers) — 14

Up next: the best minor-league pitchers of 2010.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (9/6/2010):

In season-ending minor league games yesterday:

• RP Aaron Poreda of the “AAA” Portland Beavers (San Diego Padres) pitched 2 scoreless innings and gave up one walk in a 6-5 win over the Las Vegas 51s. The 6’6″ lefty, who was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in a 14-game stint with the Padres last year, struggled after being promoted from “AA” ball earlier this season. Poreda was 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA for the Beavers and gave up 38 walks in 29 innings.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) hit an RBI single in a 7-4 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway hit a combined .288 with 22 HRs, 102 RBIs, a .393 on-base percentage, and .489 slugging percentage. His 102 RBIs were tops among Red Sox farm hands.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) went 2/4 with an RBI single, a double, and a walk in a 6-5 win over the Beloit Snappers. A 5^th-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft (171^st overall), Haerther ranked 2nd on the Kernels in doubles (26) and RBIs (74/tie) and finished 3rd in batting average (.307) and HRs (8/tie). He also had 10 stolen bases.
• RF David Rubinstein of the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) went 2/5 with a double and an RBI single in a 7-4 win over the Hagerstown Suns. An 11th-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Rubinstein led the Power in doubles (36/tie), ranked 2nd  in batting average (.288) and stolen bases (22), and placed 4th in on-base percentage (.348) and slugging percentage (.410).
• SP Brett Lorin, David Rubinstein’s teammate on the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates), pitched 4 scoreless innings and struck out two against the Suns. A 6’7″ righty who was promoted to “A” ball midseason, Lorin finished the year with a combined 2-3 record, 4.62 ERA, 42 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 48 2/3 innings.

From the category of “guys we wish were Jewish”:

• Rookie LF Ryan Kalish of the Boston Red Sox went 2/3 with a grand-slam HR an a walk in a 12-5 drubbing of the (beloved) Tampa Bay Rays. It was the 22-year-old’s 3rd HR and second grand-slam since his MLB debut on July 31. As Jewish Baseball News recently reported, Kalish has a Jewish father but was raised Catholic.

And now, your Jewish Star of the Day:

• 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) hit a solo HR and a 2-run single in a 9-2 victory over the Erie SeaWolves. In a season split between the Aeros and the “A+” Kinston Indians, the 23-year-old Arizona State recruit finished the season with a combined batting average of .307, 16 HRs, 74 RBIs, a .386 on-base percentage, and .492 slugging percentage.

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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 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 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 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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