Jewish Baseball News

By Scott Barancik and Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News

Your weekly source of pride-inducing updates:

• Ryan Braun hit his 37th HR on Sunday (9/2/2012), tying a career high. Thanks to the 3-run blast, he needs only 5 more RBIs to pierce the 100-RBI mark for the 5th straight season. So far, the only player to reach 100+ RBIs every season from 2008-2012 is Detroit Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera. Braun also enjoyed a 4-for-6, 5-RBI performance last Monday (8/27/2012).
• The good news is that San Diego Padres prospect Cody Decker hit his 28th HR of the season last week (8/26/2012), a solo shot in the 7th inning. The bad news is that he did it off of Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) reliever Josh Zeid. Zeid got the last laugh, however, earning a “hold” in the Hooks’ 2-1 win over Decker’s San Antonio Missions (AA).
• David Colvin, a 6’3″ reliever selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 27th round of the 2011 draft, was named Midwest League (A) pitcher of the week for July 23-30. The 23-year-old righty, who plays for the Clinton LumberKings, is 5-3 this season with a 3.15 ERA, 61 strikeouts in 68-and-one-third innings, and just 16 walks.
• Jacob Booden is showing increasing mastery in his first pro season. Totally ignored in the 2012 amateur draft, the 6’7″ reliever signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals afterward and was assigned to the Johnson City Cardinals (rookie). Booden ran up a 6.35 ERA in June, a 4.76 ERA in July, and an 0.79 ERA in August. The 22-year-old is averaging a strikeout per inning.
• It’s good news all around for Nate Freiman. The San Diego Padres assigned him to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League once the minor-league season ends. Freiman also has been named a Texas League All-Star. As if to celebrate, the San Antonio Missions (AA) first baseman hit a score-tying HR in the 7th inning of Sunday’s (9/2/2012) game against the Corpus Christi Hooks, and a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th inning. Freiman is hitting a career-high .301, with 24 HRs and 105 RBIs.
• Other players picked to play in the AFL are Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Joc Pederson and Tampa Bay Rays prospect Lenny Linsky.
• Tikkun magazine has published an article titled In Praise of Baseball. In it, author Andrew Kimbrell commends the sport for celebrating nonviolence, collegiality, natural time, agrarianism, diversity of place, sacrifice, the common man, transcendence, failure, and coming home. Thanks to The Izzy Project for sharing it.
• Maxx Tissenbaum reached base in 10 straight plate appearances last week, including his final two chances on Monday (8/27/2012) and all four appearances both on Tuesday and Wednesday. An MLB.com article about the 21-year-old Toronto native called him a “tough out,” observing that Tissenbaum has walked 27 times this season, nearly twice as often as he has struck out (13 times).
• Forget ‘People of the book’ —  just call us ‘People of the tweet.’ Twitter feeds authored by Toronto Blue Jays prospect Ian Kadish (Twitter) and San Diego Padres prospect Cody Decker (Twitter) are among minor-league baseball’s 20  best, according to Going 9 Baseball. Another top-ranked tweeter, Michael Schlacht, used to identify as Jewish but now is a practicing Christian.
• Most of you know the story of Adam Greenberg, a Chicago Cub who was struck in the head by the first pitch of his first and only plate appearance in the major leagues. But you may not know about a new campaign, called One At Bat, to let the 31-year-old return to Wrigley Field later this season and get an official at-bat. Yahoo! Sports writer Kevin Kaduk argues that the Cubs have no roster space to accommodate Greenberg, but that the cellar-dwelling Houston Astros — who will play their final series of the season in Chicago — do. Click here to sign the petition.

Have any good news about Jewish athletes? Send it to sbarancik@jewishbaseballnews.com.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Because our website was down on Monday, gosh darn it:

• If cats have nine lives, Jason Marquis may be a close second. After the Minnesota Twins unceremoniously dumped the 33-year-old journeyman and his 8.47 ERA last month, he was picked up by his 8^th MLB team, the San Diego Padres. Since then Marquis has excelled. Although poor run support has cost him three losses in four starts with San Diego, he has kept a trim 2.05 ERA and struck out 26 batters in 26-and-one-third innings, including a career-high 10 against the Texas Rangers last Monday (6/18/2012).
• Ryan Braun is on a tear. The reigning N.L. MVP’s hitting streak reached 18 games on Sunday (6/24/2012), and he leads the league in HRs (20/tie) while ranking 3^rd in RBIs (52). In his last 10 games alone, the 28-year-old Milwaukee Brewer hit .366 along with 5 HRs and 11 RBIs. Not surprisingly he ranked 4^th among N.L. outfielders in All-Star voting as of 6/19/2012, a shade behind Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants.
• Speaking of All-Stars, Ian Kinsler was leading all A.L. second baseman in votes as of 6/18/2012, but not by much. The Texas Ranger had 2,580,306 votes, versus 2,565,046 for New York Yankees 2B Robinson. Voting ends Thursday (6/28/2012); cast your votes here.
• What slump? Ike Davis continued his recovery last week with two decisive HRs. On Monday (6/18/2012) he hit his first MLB grand slam HR, giving the New York Mets all it needed to knock off the Baltimore Orioles 5-0 (see video). On Friday (6/22/2012) he smacked a 3-run home run in a 6-4 victory over the crosstown New York Yankees. Though Davis’ .190 batting average still needs improving, he’s hit .290 in his past 10 games and nevertheless ranks 3^rd on the Mets in HRs (8/tie), RBIs (36), and walks (26).
• Philadelphia Phillies reliever Michael Schwimer is making a strong case for remaining in the Majors. Earlier this season, the Phils demoted the 6’8” reliever after he went 0-1 with a blown save and a bloated 8.53 ERA. But in nine starts since returning this month, Schwimer has put up stellar numbers, including a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 walks/hits per inning, and a .138 opposing-batter average.
• Nate Freiman hit a walk-off HR on Thursday (6/21/2012) to give the San Antonio Missions (AA) a 5-3 win over the Corpus Christi Hooks in extra innings. Luckily the 6’7” first baseman didn’t connect off Hooks reliever Josh Zeid, who pitched 2 scoreless innings earlier in the game. Freiman leads the Texas League with 63 RBIs in 74 games, ranks 2^nd with 16 HRs, 3^rd in slugging percentage (.512), and 5^th in OPS (.861).
• Danny Valencia showed some pop in his bat Saturday (6/23/2012), homering twice in the Rochester Red Wings’ (AAA) 12-1 win over the Charlotte Knights. Valencia is averaging .247 since being demoted by the Minnesota Twins but had a nice run in his past 10 games, hitting .310 with an on-base percentage of .447.

Have any good news about Jewish athletes? Send it to sbarancik@jewishbaseballnews.com.

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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 — The West beat the East 3-2 in the Arizona Fall League’s “Rising Stars” game Saturday night (11/6/2010), and the 3 Jews selected to play in the nationally-broadcast showcase performed well.

Playing for the victorious West:

• C Ryan Lavarnway, a Boston Red Sox prospect, went 1/2. He led off a third-inning rally with a single but later was tossed out at home plate.
• 2B Jason Kipnis, the Cleveland Indians’ minor-league player of the year in 2010, doubled in his only at-bat. In a recent trend, he played 3B rather than 2B.

Playing for the East:

• SP Josh Zeid, a Philadelphia Phillies prospect who was voted Best Class-A Reliever this year, pitched a perfect 4th inning.

Fifty of the prestigious Arizona Fall League’s 180 players were chosen to play in the Rising Stars game. Although most play at the Class AA or AAA minor-league level, Zeid — a 6’5″ righty from New Haven, Conn. — played for the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws in 2010.

More than half of those who played in last year’s Rising Stars game were called-up to the Majors at some point in 2010.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Baseball’s annual “Rising Stars” game will be broadcast on Saturday night (11/6/2010), and this year there’s even more reason than usual to watch.

The 50 minor-leaguers chosen to play in the showcase game include 19 former 1st-round draft picks, and as a group they are considered among the most likely to play MLB ball in 2011. More than half of the contestants in 2009’s Rising Stars game ended up in the Majors in 2010.

What’s more, this year’s squad includes 3 Jewish players:

• SP Josh Zeid. The Philadelphia Phillies prospect recently was named Best Reliever in Class A ball. Currently playing for the Mesa Solar Sox of the prestigious Arizona Fall League, the 6’5″ righty is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA, 12 strikeouts and just one walk. See his blog here.
• C Ryan Lavarnway. The Boston Red Sox prospect led all Red Sox minor-leaguers with 102 RBIs in 2010. Currently playing for the AFL’s Peoria Javelinas, he is batting .264 with a .412 on-base percentage.
• 2B Jason Kipnis. The Cleveland Indians named him the franchise’s top minor-league player in 2010. Currently playing alongside Ryan Lavarnway on the Javelinas, he is batting .173 but has 3 HRs and 12 RBIs in just 52 at-bats. See his blog here.

OF Ben Guez was not selected to play. The Detroit Tigers prospect is currently batting .308 for the AFL’s Surprise Rafters and is ranked 7th among all AFL players in OPS (1.041), a statistic that combines a player’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The Rising Stars game will be broadcast nationally at 9:00pm ET Saturday night on the MLB Network. It also will be shown online at MLB.com.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Philadelphia Phillies prospect Josh Zeid has received a MiLBY award for Best Reliever at the Class A level.

Zeid, 23, was the top vote-getter among six nominees, receiving 39 percent of all votes cast. The award is issued by Minor League Baseball.

A 10th-round pick in the 2009 draft, the 6’5″ native of New Haven, Conn., spent 2010 with the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws, working both as a reliever and a starter. He finished the season 8-4 with 8 saves, a 2.93 ERA, 111 strikeouts — one per inning — and only 27 walks.

Zeid also helped the BlueClaws capture the South Atlantic League title. In the final game of the championship series, he pitched 4 perfect innings and struck out 5 consecutive batters.

Zeid is spending the off-season playing for the Mesa Solar Sox of the prestigious Arizona Fall League, and blogging about it for MLB.com.

Earlier this week, he made a little bit of history. In an Oct. 20 game against the Scottsdale Scorpions, Zeid faced No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper in what would be the 18-year-old phenom’s first official professional at-bat. Zeid got the Washington Nationals prospect to pop out to the shortstop.

Congratulations, Josh!

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Today (10/25/2010) is your last chance to cast a vote for Philadelphia Phillies prospect Josh Zeid, one of six Class A pitchers nominated by minor-league baseball for its 2010 Best Reliever award, known as a MiLBY.

A 10th-round pick in the 2009 draft, Zeid spent 2010 with the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws, both as a reliever and a starter. He finished the season 8-4 with 8 saves, a 2.93 ERA, 111 strikeouts — one per inning — and only 27 walks.

Zeid also helped the BlueClaws capture the South Atlantic League title. In the final game of the championship series, he pitched 4 perfect innings and struck out 5 consecutive batters. The 23-year-old is spending the off-season playing for the Mesa Solar Sox of the prestigious Arizona Fall League, and blogging about it for MLB.com.

To cast votes for Zeid — fans will determine the winner — surf on over to this page; click the bubble next to his name under “Class A-Full Season/Best Reliever”; click “Vote”; and repeat as often as you like. It’s not scientific: the player with the most click-happy family, friends and fans wins.

As of this morning, Zeid led the pack with 40 percent of the vote, but RP Steve Ames of the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers) was close behind with 35 percent.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Josh Zeid of the Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) is one of six nominees for Class A “Best Reliever” in the 2010 MiLBY Awards.

A 6’5″ pitcher out of New Haven, Conn., Zeid was a key part of the BlueClaws’ run to the South Atlantic League championship in 2010, both as a starter and a reliever. He amassed an 8-4 record over the regular season, with 8 saves, a 2.93 ERA, 111 strikeouts — one per inning — and only 27 walks.

In the final game of the South Atlantic championship series, Zeid pitched 4 perfect innings and at one point struck out 5 consecutive batters. The 23-year-old is spending the off-season playing for the Mesa Solar Sox of the prestigious Arizona Fall League, and blogging about it for MLB.com.

To cast votes for Zeid — fans will determine the winner — surf on over to this page, click the bubble next to his name under “Class A-Full Season/Best Reliever,” click “Vote,” and repeat as often as you like. It’s not scientific; the player with the most click-happy family, friends and fans wins. Voting ends on Mon., Oct. 25.

At least one other Jewish player was nominated for a 2010 MiLBY. SS Jake Lemmerman of the Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers), who earlier was named 2010 Pioneer League MVP, was one of six candidates for Class A/Short Season “Best Hitter.” He finished last in the voting, despite leading the league in doubles (24) and runs scored (69/tie); finishing 2nd in batting average (.363); ranking third in on-base percentage (.434) and slugging percentage (.610); and swatting 12 HRs and 47 RBIs.

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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 — 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 — A little bit of history was made Thursday (10/15/2010) when Peoria Javelinas C Ryan Lavarnway squatted opposite RP Eric Berger, a fellow Jew, during the 4th inning of a game against the Peoria Saguaros.

Both players made the best of their opportunities. Lavarnway, a Boston Red Sox prospect, hit a two-out, three-run HR that put the Javelinas ahead 4-1, smacked a double, and drew a walk. The Saguaros caught up, however, and the game ended in an 11-inning, 4-4 tie.

Berger, who plays in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system, pitched a scoreless (if not effortless) inning for the Javelinas, scattering 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2.

In another Arizona Fall League game, SP Josh Zeid, a Philadelphia Phillies prospect, earned the win for the Mesa Solar Sox in an 11-6 victory over the Surprise Rafters. Zeid gave up one run on 2 hits over 3 innings, striking out 3. Among his strikeout victims was Detroit Tigers prospect and Surprise OF Ben Guez, another of the 5 Jews playing in Jewish player.

Lavarnway, who hit 22 HRs with 102 RBIs in the minors this year, is playing in the AFL primarily to improve his catching skills (see article). Thursday’s game was mostly a good one on that front. Lavarnway threw-out 2 of 4 baserunners trying to steal but also had his first error of the season.

In an e-mail this morning, Martin Abramowitz — the brains behind the Jewish Major Leaguers baseball-card series — cited several examples of Jewish batterymates in Major League Baseball history:

• Harry Danning and Harry Feldman for the New York Giants in the 40’s.
• Sandy Koufax and Norm Sherry.
• Sol Rogovin and Joe Ginsberg for the Tigers in the early 50’s.

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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 — A number of Jewish ballplayers went to work on Saturday (9/18/2010), Yom Kippur. Two of them made the best of a difficult situation:

• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins continued his phenomenal rookie season, going 2/4 with a three-run HR in a 4-2 win over the Oakland A’s. Valencia, who leads all MLB rookies with a .340 batting average, also homered in Friday’s game. According to MLB.com, he is hitting .431 with runners in scoring position.

“He’s made a difference in a lot of games, and single-handedly won a handful,” (Twins starting pitcher Kevin) Slowey said of Valencia. “It’s been great for us. He was a guy that everybody knew he had the talent and it would just be a matter of time of getting up here and getting some repetitions.”

• For the second straight day, RP Josh Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) turned in a remarkable performance, pitching 4 perfect innings and striking out 5 consecutive batters in a 4-2 win over the Greenville Drive. The win earned Lakewood the South Atlantic League championship, and Zeid’s teammates mobbed him after the final out. A day earlier, Zeid pitched 3 perfect innings in the BlueClaws’ 6-1 win, striking out four.

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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 — 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 — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (9/4/2010):

Two MLB Jews went long:

• Rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets went 2/4 and hit his first HR since July 29 in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Davis singled in the 9th inning but the Mets failed to rally. The 23-year-old son of former MLB reliever Ron Davis is tied for 2nd among N.L. rookies in HRs (16) and is 3^rd in RBIs (58) and runs scored (58). He is batting .251 with an on-base percentage of .339.
• In his second game back after more than a month on the disabled list, 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers went 2/4 with a solo HR in a 12-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Kinsler is batting .300 with 7 HRs, 39 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .387 on-base percentage.

In the minors:

• OF Ben Guez of the “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) hit an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in a 6-4 victory over the Columbus Clippers. A 19th-round selection in the 2008 amateur draft, Guez  is batting .249 with 9 HRs and 32 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” mid-season. He has hit just .162 in his past 10 games.
• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 1/3 with a 2-run single in an 8-5 loss to the Iowa Cubs. Rapoport, 25, is batting .270 with 2 HRs and 34 RBIs since being promoted to “AAA” earlier this season. He has 4 triples and 8 stolen bases for the Redbirds.
• 1B Casey Haerther of the “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels) hit a double, a sacrifice fly, and the game-winning single in a 5-4 win over the Beloit Snappers. A 5^th-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft (171^st overall), Haerther is batting .304 with 7 HRs, 25 doubles, 70 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
• SP Joshua Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 4 of the 6 batters he faced in a 3-0 win over the Kannapolis Intimidators. Zeid earned a save as Lakewood held the Intimidators to two hits. A 23-year-old who was selected in the 10th round of the 2009 draft, Zeid is 8-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 8 saves. He has 111 strikeouts and 27 walks.

And now, your Jewish Star of the Day:

• SS Jake Lemmerman of the rookie-league Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers) hit an RBI single and his fifth HR in the past 5 games as the Raptors trounced the Casper Ghosts, 15-4. The top Jewish pick in the 2010 draft (5^th round, 172^nd overall), Lemmerman leads the Rookie Pioneer League in doubles (24) and runs scored (68); ranks 2nd in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.434), slugging percentage (.622) and OPS (1.058); and ranks 4th in HRs (12).

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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 Sunday, August 8, 2010:

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/4 with a walk, 2 RBIs and three runs scored in an 11-6 win over the Houston Astros. A 26-year-old in his fourth major-league season, Braun is on pace to hit career lows in home runs and RBIs this season. In the past 10 games he’s hit .425 with 5 RBIs and 9 runs scored.
• CF James Rapoport of the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) went 3/4 with a walk and one run scored in an 8-2 loss to the Reno Aces. Rapoport, 25, is batting .263 since being promoted to “AAA” ball earlier this season but .359 in August.
• SP Josh Zeid of the “A” Lakewood BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies) gave up just three hits and one run in a 5-4 loss to the West Virginia Power. Zeid, a 23-year-old in just his second year of minor-league ball, struck out 9 and walked two in seven innings, but BlueClaws reliever Luke Wertz gave up four runs in the 9th to lose the game. Zeid has an impressive 84 strikeoutsin 82 and 2/3 innings this season, along with 23 walks.

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