Jewish Baseball News

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Spring Training 2012 is in its second week, and a number of Jewish players are in the mix.

Fifteen Jews — including 6 pitchers and 9 position players — were invited to participate in Major League Baseball’s annual rite this year. They include all 13 who played MLB ball in 2011, plus former major league OF Ryan Kalish (Boston Red Sox) and current minor league P Brett Lorin (Arizona Diamondbacks). Fourteen of the 15 are on their teams’ 40-man roster. P John Grabow, who recently signed a minor-league contract with the Los Angeles dodgers, is the lone non-roster invitee.

The Boston Red Sox have the highest Jewish population of any team at Spring Training, with three players, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers, each with two.

Through games played March 10, Jewish batters were hitting a combined .253, with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs in 75 at-bats (see table below). New York Mets 1B Ike Davis led the group with a .400 average and .500 on-base percentage. Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia showed some power with a HR, two doubles, and a .357 average. National League MVP Ryan Braun was off to a slow start, with four strikeouts and just one hit in his first 8 at-bats, a home run.

Boston’s Kalish, who had off-season surgery on his neck and left shoulder, isn’t expected to play until June.

Jewish pitchers were playing admirably well. Five of the six hadn’t yielded a single run through March 10. Texas Rangers starter Scott Feldman, for example, gave up just two hits and a walk over five total innings while striking out three. Jason Marquis, a newly-minted Minnesota Twin, was the sole disappointment. He blew his first start by giving up 4 earned runs and 3 walks to the Red Sox before being removed in the 2nd inning. His second start, against the St. Louis Cardinals, was modestly better: Marquis gave up 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks over 3 innings.

Following are player stats through games played March 10:

	Batter	Team	Pos	AB	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
1	Ike Davis	NYM	1B	10	4	0	0	2	3	.400	.500	.500
2	Danny Valencia	MIN	3B	14	5	1	4	0	2	.357	.357	.714
3	Josh Satin	NYM	2B	12	3	0	1	1	5	.250	.308	.250
4	Kevin Youkilis	BOS	3B	9	2	0	1	2	2	.222	.364	.333
5	Ian Kinsler	TEX	2B	14	3	0	0	0	2	.214	.214	.214
6	Ryan Lavarnway	BOS	C	5	1	0	2	1	2	.200	.286	.200
7	Ryan Braun	MIL	LF	8	1	1	2	1	4	.125	.222	.500
8	Sam Fuld	TB	OF	3	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
9	Ryan Kalish	BOS	OF	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
	TOTALS			75	19	2	10	7	20	.253	–	–

	Player	Team	W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
1	Scott Feldman	TEX	0	0	0.00	5	2	0	0	1	3
2	Craig Breslow	ARI	0	0	0.00	2.1	1	0	0	0	2
3	Brett Lorin	ARI	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	0	1
4	Michael Schwimer	PHI	1	0	0.00	2	2	0	0	0	3
5	Jason Marquis	MIN	0	1	9.64	4.2	6	5	5	5	2
6	John Grabow	LAD	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	0	0	1
	TOTALS		1	1	–	16.3	11	5	5	6	12

To track the performance of Jewish players during Spring Training, check the Jewish Box Score on our home page every day.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — More than 50 Jewish athletes played minor-league baseball in 2011, and Jewish Baseball News has identified the very best.

Here is our 2011 list of the top Jewish minor-leaguers:

Lenny Linsky, P

Winner: Best rookie pitcher

Bowling Green Hot Rods (A)

Hudson Valley Renegages (A-short season)

Franchise: Tampa Bay Rays

 A 21-year-old in his first pro season, Linsky was 3-0 with 3 saves, a 1.23 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and just 7 walks in 29-and-1/3 innings. He held opposing batters to a .204 batting average.

Max Perlman, P

Runner-up: Best rookie pitcher

Sacramento River Cats (AAA)

AZL Athletics (Rookie)

Franchise: Oakland Athletics

Perlman’s story is among the season’s most interesting. Selected by Oakland in the 35^th round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 23-year-old played just 13 games of rookie-league ball before the franchise’s AAA squad called him up. In his first AAA start, Perlman gave up only a single and a walk in five innings. For the season he went a combined 3-2 with a 2.63 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 13 walks, and an opposing-batter average of .187.

Nick Rickles, C

Winner: Best rookie batter

Vermont Lake Monsters (A-short season)

AZL Athletics (Rookie)

Franchise: Oakland Athletics

The 21-year-old rookie hit .310 this season with 2 HRs, 11 doubles, 2 triples, and 35 RBIs in 168 at-bats. Rickles had an on-base percentage of .370 and stole 6 bases in 7 attempts.

Zach Borenstein, LF

Runner-up: Best rookie batter

AZL Angels (rookie league)

Franchise: Los Angeles Angels

A first-year pro, Borenstein accomplished a lot in just 113 at-bats, hitting 2 HRs, 4 triples, 6 doubles, and driving in 21 runs. Although the 21-year-old hit a relatively modest .274, he hit .315 with runners in scoring position and had an on-base percentage of .397. Borenstein also stole an impressive 12 bases in 13 tries.

Charlie Cutler, C

Winner: Comeback player

Springfield Cardinals (AA)

Franchise: St. Louis Cardinals

Cutler fared so poorly with the Springfield Cardinals early last season that the franchise demoted him. His bad luck continued into the 2011 season, with injuries keeping him out of action much of the first several months. But the 25-year-old returned with a vengeance, ending the year with a team-high .333 average as well as 5 HRs, 34 RBIs, and a .404 average with runners in scoring position.

Danny Rosenbaum, P

Winner: Best starting pitcher

Potomac Nationals (A)

Harrisburg Senators (AA)

Franchise: Washington Nationals

Rosenbaum amassed a 9-6 record and a 2.52 ERA while striking out 135 batters and walking 52. The 23-year-old was particularly effective against lefties, whom he held scoreless across 10-and-2/3 innings.

Brett Lorin, P

Runner-up: Best starting pitcher

Bradenton Marauders (A-advanced)

Franchise: Pittsburgh Pirates

Lorin finished the year with a 2.84 ERA, 99 strikeouts, and just 19 walks. Though thin run support left him with a middling 7-6 record, the 24-year-old went 5-2 during the season’s second half and held opposing teams to a .230 batting average.

Michael Schwimer, P

Winner: Best reliever

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA)

Franchise: Philadelphia Phillies

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this year, Schwimer baffled AAA batters, going 9-1 with 10 saves and a 1.85 ERA. The 25-year-old averaged 1.25 strikeouts per inning versus just 0.32 walks.

Jeff Urlaub, P

Runner-up: Best reliever

Burlington Bees (A)

Vermont Lake Monsters (A-short season)

Franchise: Oakland A’s

Urlaub finished the 2011 season with a 4-3 record, 5 saves, and a 2.41 ERA. The 24-year-old held opposing teams to a .217 batting average and struck out 7 times as many batters as he walked.

Ryan Lavarnway, C

Winner: Most Valuable Player

Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA)

Portland Sea Dogs (AA)

Franchise: Boston Red Sox

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this year, Lavarnway had career highs in batting average (.290) and HRs (32) while driving in 93 runs. The 24-year-old’s combination of plate discipline and power resulted in a .376 on-base percentage and .563 slugging percentage.

Josh Satin, 2B

Runner-up: Most valuable player

Buffalo Bisons (AAA)

Binghamton Mets (AA)

Franchise: New York Mets

One of three Jewish minor-leaguers to reach the Majors this season, Satin hit a career-high .323 with 12 HRs, 43 doubles, 2 triples, and 76 RBIs. The 26-year-old struck out 124 times but also drew 71 walks, giving him a .411 on-base percentage.

Nate Freiman, 1B

Honorable mention: Most Valuable Player

Lake Elsinore Storm (A-advanced)

Franchise: San Diego Padres

In his third year as a pro, Freiman batted .288 and led the Storm with 22 HRs and 111 RBIs. The 24-year-old’s RBI total was third-highest in the California League.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets infielder Josh Satin singled in his first MLB at-bat Sunday as the Mets dispatched the Washington Nationals 6-3 in D.C.

Satin, 26, led off the 3rd inning by smacking a 2-2, 63-mph curveball from Nationals P Livan Hernandez into left field (see video). He later scored on a single by Mets SS Ruben Tejada.

“It was great to be out there,” Satin told MLB.com. “To get a hit on my first at-bat was definitely more relaxing. It was awesome. It’s hard to describe.”

The University of California-Berkeley alum struck out in his next at-bat and was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning with the score tied and the bases loaded. Mets manager Terry Collins’ decision was vindicated when pinch-hitter Willie Harris hit a two-run single.

Selected by the Mets in the 6th round of the 2008 draft, Satin began the 2011 season with the Binghamton Mets (AA) before being promoted to the Buffalo Bisons (AAA) in July. Between the two he hit a combined .323 with 12 HRs, 76 RBIs, 43 doubles, a .411 on-base percentage, and .495 slugging percentage.

Satin is the 13th Jewish player to take the field with a major-league team this year. The Mets’ regular first baseman, fellow Jewish ballplayer Ike Davis, left the lineup in May with a season-ending injury.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The New York Mets made their first two September call-ups today (9/1/2011), and one of the lucky players is Jewish.

Josh Satin, a 26-year-old infielder in his 4th season with the Mets franchise, began the year with the Binghamton Mets (AA) before being promoted to the Buffalo Bisons (AAA) in July. Across the two teams he hit a combined .323 with 12 HRs, 76 RBIs, 43 doubles, a .411 on-base percentage, and .495 slugging percentage.

Satin is versatile with the glove. He played 57 games at 3B this season, 44 at 2B, 20 at 1B, and another 12 as designated hitter. Though this will be the Hidden Hills, Calif., native’s first stint on an MLB roster, he had 6 at-bats with the Mets during Spring Training this year, going 2-for-6 with 1 HR and 2 RBIs.

Satin will be the 13th Jewish player to take the field with a major-league team this year, and the second on the Mets. 1B Ike Davis was hitting .302 with 7 HRs and 25 RBIs as of May 10 when he collided with Mets P David Wright on a fly ball.

Jewish Baseball News reader Esther was the first of several fans to notify us about the decision to promote Satin, who will wear the number “3” on his jersey. The Mets also promoted P Josh Stinson today.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) hit for the cycle Friday night (6/24/2011) in a 5-3 victory over the Bowie Baysox.

The 26-year-old University of California-Berkeley recruit, who splits his time between second base and third base, accomplished the rare feat in just four at-bats, starting with a 1st-inning HR followed by a double, single, and triple.

Triples come the hardest for Satin. “It’s a running joke with the guys in the dugout that I’m not the fleetest of foot,” he told MLB.com. “Once the ball came off the wall, I knew it was my chance. I just thought, ‘Oh, my God,’ and I kicked it into another gear that I didn’t know I had.”

A 6th-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Satin is proving a good investment for the Mets. The MVP of the 2010 “A” Florida State League All-Star Game, he is among the Eastern League leaders in multiple categories this season. Satin is ranked 2nd in doubles (21/tie) and OPS (.947); 3rd in on-base percentage (.414), slugging percentage (.533), and walks (42/tie); 4th in RBIs (46/tie); and 7th in batting average (.318) and HRs (9/tie).

Baysox DH Robbie Widlansky went 1/4 in the game.

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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:

		TEAM	POS	AB	R	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP
James	Rapoport	STL	CF	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000
Ben	Guez	DET	CF	7	0	1	0	0	.429	.667
Ryan	Lavarnway	BOS	CF	9	1	1	1	3	.333	.333
Josh	Satin	NYM	2B	6	1	0	1	2	.333	.333
Ryan	Braun	MIL	LF	40	15	3	4	11	.325	.372
Danny	Valencia	MIN	3B	65	6	6	1	8	.308	.333
Ian	Kinsler	TEX	2B	63	14	7	5	13	.302	.389
Sam	Fuld	TB	CF	47	9	3	1	8	.277	.333
Ike	Davis	NYM	1B	55	5	4	3	13	.273	.344
Gabe	Kapler	LAD	RF	45	6	3	1	7	.244	.277
Ryan	Kalish	TB	LF	51	4	2	0	1	.235	.316
Jake	Lemmerman	LAD	SS	5	1	1	0	0	.200	.200
Kevin	Youkilis	BOS	3B	57	3	2	0	4	.175	.238
Jason	Kipnis	CLE	2B	18	3	0	1	2	.167	.250
TOTAL				469	68	33	18	72	.269

And the final 2011 stats for pitchers:

		TEAM	W	L	ERA	G	IP	H	BB	SO
John	Grabow	CHC	0	0	2.57	7	7.0	8	3	4
Jason	Marquis	WSH	1	1	4.02	4	15.2	15	6	9
Aaron	Poreda	SD	0	1	6.75	3	2.2	2	5	1
Michael	Schwimer	PHI	0	0	7.20	4	5.0	5	2	4
Craig	Breslow	OAK	0	0	11.25	5	4.0	9	2	2
TOTAL			1	2	5.35

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Arizona Fall League’s 30-game regular season came to an end Thursday (11/17/2008). So how did its six Jewish players do?

Hitters

• 2B Josh Satin, Mesa Solar Sox (New York Mets). In 41 at-bats, Satin hit a blistering .390 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, a .479 on-base percentage (OBP), and .512 slugging percentage (SLP). He saw limited play because the Mets, feeling he already had played a lot in 2010, put him on the AFL’s “taxi squad,” which restricted him to 2 games per week.
• 2B Jason Kipnis, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). In 78 at-bats, Kipnis hit .295 with 3 HRs, 11 doubles (tied for 1st in the league), 3 triples (3rd/tie), 3 HRs, 19 RBIs (4th/tie), .337 OBP, .628 SLG (5th), and 2 stolen bases. Great figures no doubt, but the real story is about mental toughness. Kipnis began the season uncharacteristically struggling at the plate, his batting average just .159 through October. But in November, he rebounded by batting .471 with 8 doubles and 9 RBIs. And he did it while enduring day-to-day uncertainty about where he would play: 2B, 3B, or DH.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, Peoria Javelinas (Boston Red Sox). In 82 at-bats, Lavarnway hit .268 with 3 doubles, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs, .380 OBP and .415 SLG. His 16 walks tied for 3rd in the league.
• OF Ben Guez, Surprise Rafters (Detroit Tigers). In 57 at-bats, Guez hit .228 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, .302 OBP, and 4 stolen bases. Six of his 13 hits were for extra bases, leading to a healthy .456 SLG. But Guez’s power stroke came at the cost of a low batting average…and 21 strikeouts.

Pitchers

• SP Josh Zeid, Mesa Solar Sox (Philadelphia Phillies). Zeid went 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA. In 14 innings, he struck out 12 and walked just one batter. He held opposing teams to a .204 batting average.
• RP Eric Berger, Peoria Javelinas (Cleveland Indians). Playing in a middle-relief role, Berger went 0-0 with an .082 ERA. In 11 innings, Berger struck out 12, walked 8, and held opposing teams to a .171 batting average.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here is your Arizona Fall League update for Wednesday, Nov. 10:

• 2B Jason Kipnis, a Cleveland Indians prospect, hit a double and a 2-run single in the Peoria Javelinas’ 8-5 win over the Surprise Rafters. Kipnis is batting .217 with 3 HRs, 10 extra-base hits, and 14 RBIs in 60 at-bats.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, a Boston Red Sox prospect and Kipnis’ teammate on the Javelinas, singled and hit a solo HR. He’s batting .302 with 3 HRs, 9 RBIs and a .423 on-base percentage. His 14 walks are tied for 2nd-best in the AFL.
• Rafters OF Ben Guez, a Detroit Tigers prospect, went 0/4 in a losing effort. He’s batting .279 with 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, 4 stolen bases, and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .949, 12th-best in the AFL.
• 2B Josh Satin, a New York Mets prospect who has seen limited action in the AFL but recently had a 5-RBI game, singled once and walked twice in a 9-6 loss to the Phoenix Desert Dogs. In 28 at-bats, Satin has 1 HR, 6 RBIs, a .429 batting average and .529 on-base percentage. Why is he getting so little playing time? Satin recently answered that question in a note to Jewish Baseball News:

I’m on the taxi squad which means you can only play twice a week. I played so many games this season that the Mets thought only playing a few a week would be a good idea.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets prospect Josh Satin hasn’t gotten much playing time in the Arizona Fall League, but he’s made the most of those opportunities.

On Friday (11/5/2010), Satin led the Mesa Solar Sox to a 13-5 win over the Surprise Rafters, going 3/5 with a 3-run HR and a 2-run single (see photo). He’s hitting .476 for the season in just 21 at-bats.

The 25-year-old North Hollywood native was among the top Jewish performers during the 2010 regular season. In a year split between the “A-advanced” St. Lucie Mets and the “AA” Binghamton Mets, he hit a combined .311 (3rd highest among minor-league Jews) with 39 doubles (2nd), 12 HRs, 74 RBIs (3rd/tie), and .399 on-base percentage (2nd/tie).

He also was named MVP of the 2010 Carolina League All-Star Game. Satin tied the game with a two-run HR in the 8th inning and hit a go-ahead single in the 10th to give the South division a 5-4 win.

Until midyear 2010, Satin mostly played 2B, but Binghamton split him evenly between 1B and 2B. In Friday’s game, he played 1B.

Surprise Rafters CF Ben Guez, a Detroit Tigers prospect, did not play Friday.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The prestigious Arizona Fall League has added a 6th Jewish player to its rosters, and his first appearance went well.

Mesa Solar Sox 2B Josh Satin, a New York Mets prospect who batted .311 during the regular minor-league season, reached base all four times Wednesday (10/20/2010) in a 6-3 loss to the Scottsdale Scorpions. The 25-year-old singled twice and walked twice as the Sox outhit the Scorpions 10-8 but made 4 errors and went 1/6 with runners in scoring position. Satin, who played 1B, teamed with fellow Hebe Josh Zeid for a 3-to-1 putout in the 3rd inning. SP Zeid gave up 1 run over 3 innings while striking out two.

Over in the MLB, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler — the lone Jew remaining in the playoffs — went 2/4 and stole a base, but it wasn’t enough to forestall a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees. The Rangers lead the 7-game American League Championship Series 3-2.

Game 6 of the series takes place Friday night — yep, the Sabbath — in Arlington.

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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 Tuesday (8/31/2010):

• Rookie 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2/4 and hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to defeat the Chicago White Sox 2-1. (Here is video of the hit — and of Valencia being mobbed by teammates afterward.) A mid-season call-up from “AAA” ball, Valencia is batting .332, tops among AL rookies. He is 3rd among AL rookies in on-base percentage (.375) and slugging percentage (.447).
• Two days after going 5/7 against the Albuquerque Isotopes, OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) got on base four times in a come-from-behind win over the Isotopes. Fuld had a single, drew three walks, drove in a run and scored 3 more in the 15-13 victory. The 28-year-old Stanford recruit did have one error, but it was his first of the season after 263 chances in the outfield. Fuld is batting .273 and is one of two Iowa starters with more walks (63) than strikeouts (36).
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with an RBI single and 2 walks in a 6-5 loss to the Binghamton Mets. (Binghamton 2B Josh Satin contributed a solo HR for the Mets.) In a season split between Portland and the “A-Advanced” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .291 with 22 HRs, 96 RBIs, a .397 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. His 96 RBIs are tops among Red Sox farm hands.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the “A” Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 3 scoreless innings in a 4-3 loss to the Beloit Snappers. In a season split between the LumberKings and the “A-short season” Everett AquaSox, Markovitz is 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 9 walks.
• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) hit a solo HR and an RBI single in a 6-2 win over the Idaho Falls Chukars. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the league in doubles (23) and runs scored (63); ranks 2nd in slugging percentage (.576), on-base percentage (.428) and OPS (1.003); and has the third-highest batting average (.357).
• RP Andrew Pevsner, Lemmerman’s teammate on the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers), pitched 2 scoreless innings and earned a “hold” in the win over the Chukars. A 16^th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Pevsner is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA (3rd best on the team) and has 30 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings pitched.

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for 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 — The New York Mets will host their annual Jewish Heritage Day at Citi Field on Sunday, Aug. 29, and they’re offering discounts to those in the know.

The Heritage Day festivities begin at 1:10 pm with a pre-game program of Jewish entertainment, a rendition of “God Bless America” by Jewish a capella singers Six13, and a regularly scheduled game against the Houston Astros. The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York is cosponsoring the event.

At least four ballplayers in the Mets’ franchise are Jewish. In addition to rookie 1B Ike Davis, who made his major-league debut on April 19, they include standout 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets and pitchers Jeremy Gould and Jeffrey Kaplan of the rookie-league GCL Mets.

To order tickets, go to mets.com/jcrc and click on the green button  that says “Click here to purchase tickets.” When you reach the Group Ticket Window, log in using the Jewish Heritage Day discount code for the sign-in I.D. (JCRC) and password (METS), all in CAPs.

Let’s support the Mets for supporting us.

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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 Thursday (8/19/2010):

• Batting leadoff, LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 3/4 and scored 1 run in an 8-7 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The 30-year-old Canadian — who went 0/8 in brief stints with the Brewers this season — is hitting .309 (3^rd highest on the team) with 4 HRs and 25 RBIs in 230 at-bats.
• SP David Kopp of the “AA” Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals) had his longest outing of the season, pitching 7 ^1/3 innings in a 4-2 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. A 24-year-old Clemson recruit, Kopp gave up 6 hits and walked one while striking out two. He was 0-5 during a stretch in “AAA” this season but is 11-3 with the Cardinals.
• 2B Josh Satin of the “AA” Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) went 2/5 with a double, HR and 2 RBIs in a 5-0 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Since being promoted to “AA” ball mid-season, Satin is batting .327 with  a .416 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. The 25-year-old Berkeley recruit has batted.450 in his last 10 games, with 4 HRs, 11 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.372.
• Playing in the DH position, C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a HR and one RBI in a 9-8 victory over the Altoona Curve. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .281 with 17 HRs, 86 RBIs, a .379 on-base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.

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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 Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010:

• RP Michael Schwimer of the “AAA” Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched a perfect inning of relief, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in a 5-1 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox. Since being promoted to “AAA” earlier this season, the 6’8″ middle reliever has gone 2-2 with a 1.10 ERA, and “AAA” batters are hitting just .183 against him.
• 2B Joshua Satin of the Binghamton Mets (AA) went 3/3 and hit a HR for the second straight day in a 5-4 loss to the Harrisburg Senators. The 25-year-old Berkeley recruit has the highest on-base percentage on the Mets (.409) and is ranked 2nd in batting average (.318). In 54 games since being promoted to “AAA” ball, he has 3 HRs, 18 doubles and 29 RBIs.
• Batting cleanup, 1B Nate Freiman of the “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres) went 2/4 with a home run, walk and 2 RBIs in a 10-6 victory over the Lake County Captains. Freiman leads the TinCaps in home runs (13/tie), runs scored (74) and RBIs (70). The 6’7″ native of Wellesley, Mass., is ranked 2nd on the team in doubles (32) and slugging percentage (.470), and he ranks 3rd in batting average (.304), walks (52) and on-base percentage (.381).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010:

• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) hit two triples and scored one run in a 13-3 loss to the Portland Beavers. A 29-year-old Stanford recruit with brief stints in the majors in 2007 and 2009, Fuld is batting .271 and is tied for third in the “AAA” Pacific Coast League with 7 triples. Despite Mondays loss, the Cubs are 67-50 and have a 3.5-game lead in their division.
• 2B Joshua Satin of the Binghamton Mets (AA) hit a 3-run HR in a 7-1 victory over the  Harrisburg Senators. In a season split between Binghamton and “A-advanced” St. Lucie Mets, Satin is batting a combined .312 with 7 HRs, 33 doubles, 62 RBIs and a .403 on-base percentage.
• RF David Rubinstein of the “A” West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) went 3/4 with a walk and a stolen base in a 17-3 loss to the Lakewood BlueClaws. A 23-year-old Appalachian State recruit who was a 2010 Mid-Season All-Star is batting .291 with 1 HR, 39 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.
• 1B Mike Schwartz of the rookie-league Bristol White Sox (Chicago White Sox) went 3/5 with three RBIs in an 8-3 win over the Danville Braves. A 2010 recruit out of the University of Tampa, Schwartz is 6/11 with 4 RBIs over his last 3 games.

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