Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The number of Jewish minor-leaguers who will be attending a Major-League spring training this year has reached nine.

According to MLB.com, the invitees include:

1. Sam Fuld (Tampa Bay Rays)
2. Ben Guez (Detroit Tigers)
3. Jason Hirsh (New York Yankees)
4. Gabe Kapler (Los Angeles Dodgers)
5. Jason Kipnis (Cleveland Indians)
6. David Kopp (St. Louis Cardinals)
7. Ryan Lavarnway (Boston Red Sox)
8. Aaron Poreda (San Diego Padres)
9. Michael Schwimer (Philadelphia Phillies)

Jewish Baseball News will maintain a running list of these and other spring-training invitees through the end of March on our home page.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Chicago Cubs will send CF Sam Fuld to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a multi-player trade centered around Rays SP Matt Garza, ESPN.com reported today (1/7/2011).

The trade may signal renewed life for Fuld, a 29-year-old defensive specialist who has spent most of his professional career in the minors and was stuck behind a long line of standout players on the Cub’ outfield depth chart. Best known for his hustle, highlight-reel catches, and smarts (he’s a Stanford alum), Fuld is an on-base afficionado who nevertheless lacks the home-run power that many MLB teams want from their oufielders.

While playing for the “AAA” Iowa Cubs in 2010, he hit .272 with 4 HRs and 27 RBIs in 368 at-bats. Thanks to a great walk-to-strikeout ratio (66 BBs and 37 Ks), Fuld had a .383 on-base percentage. He had only 28 at-bats for the Cubs in 2010 (and a meager .143 batting average) but hit .299 in a longer stint the year before.

Just as Fuld is on his way to St. Petersburg, Rays RF Gabe Kapler may be on the way out. A 35-year-old free agent, Kapler hit just .210 with the Rays this year in a utility role.

Thanks to JBN reader Jessica R. for the tip on Fuld’s trade.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (9/25/2010):

• 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers reached base 3 times and stole his 14th base of the season in a 4-3, playoff-clinching win over the Oakland A’s. The 28-year-old singled, doubled and walked.
• 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins hit a grand-slam HR and a solo HR in an 11-10, 13-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was the second grand-slam of his remarkable rookie season. But Valencia had a tough 13th inning. Normally very reliable in the field, he made a critical error and then struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. The 25-year-old remains a top contender for Rookie of the Year. He leads all A.L. rookies in batting average (.327) and slugging percentage (.476) and ranks 3rd in RBIs (40).
• CF Sam Fuld of the Chicago Cubs went 2/4 with 2 RBIs in a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. When the Cards intentionally walked Alfonso Soriano to get to Fuld, the 29-year-old fielding specialist made them pay, smacking a two-run single. As Jewish Baseball News reader Jessica R. points out, Fuld has been eyewitness to — and the awkward beneficiary of — several player injuries recently. A week ago, he moved up a notch in the depth chart temporarily when Cubs RF Tyler Colvin suffered a bizarre, broken-bat injury. Fuld started yesterday’s game because Marlon Byrd had been hit in the eye with a foul tip. And in the 5th inning, Fuld hit a line drive into the face of Cardinals P Blake Hawksworth. “You could tell Fuld felt awful,” Jessica says.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Sunday (9/19/2010):

• In his first major-league start since 10/4/2009, CF Sam Fuld went 2/6 with an RBI double and a single to help the Chicago Cubs defeat the Florida Marlins, 13-3. As Jewish Baseball News reader Jessica R. points out, Fuld may get a few more starts due to a bizarre, broken-bat injury suffered Sunday by RF Tyler Colvin. ‘
• 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers reached base twice in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Kinsler singled and drew a walk.
• Rookie 1B Ike Davis of the New York Mets singled twice and scored once in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.
• RP Craig Breslow of the Oakland A’s pitched a perfect 9th inning and struck out two batters to preserve a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The 30-year-old middle reliever has a 3.19 ERA, tops among MLB Jews, and is having one of his best months of the season. His September ERA is 1.93, second only to his May ERA of 0.71.

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

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers hit his third HR in the past 5 games, a two-run shot that accounted for both of the Brewers’ runs in a 9-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. More impressive was Braun’s leaping catch over the outfield fence to rob the Giants’ Cody Ross of a home run. The play was so spectacular it inspired a separate article on MLB.com.

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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 Monday (8/30/2010):

• LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 2/5 with an RBI single in a 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Braun singled in the 10th inning but couldn’t spark a rally. The 26-year-old is hitting .421 in August and .301 for the year.
• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) went 5/7 with four singles and a double in a 20-9 crushing of the Albuquerque Isotopes. Fuld scored three runs but drove in none — in part because he batted leadoff, hit singles, and was bracketed by seven Cub home runs. According to this article, Fuld’s five hits tied a team high and matched his own career high, the prior occasion coming on 8/18/2008 while he was playing for the “AA” Tennessee Smokies.
• LF Adam Stern of the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) went 2/4 with a solo HR in a 3-1 loss to the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Stern’s home run came on the second pitch of the game. The 30-year-old Canadian is batting .406 in August and .326 for the season.
• In a rehab assignment with the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers), 2B Ian Kinsler hit a 2-run triple as the RoughRiders lost to the Midland RockHounds 6-4. In six games with Frisco, Kinsler is 5/19 (.263) with 6 RBIs and 2 walks. He has been on the disabled list since July 28.
• RP Jason Markovitz of the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners) pitched 2 scoreless innings and earned a “hold” in a 7-2 victory over the Peoria Chiefs. The 22-year-old rookie gave up one hit and had one strikeout. Since being promoted from the “A-short season” Everett AquaSox, Markovitz is 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13-and-1/3 innings.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/23/2010):

Two “AAA” players went head-to-head…

• As expected, the Chicago Cubs sent OF Sam Fuld back down to “AAA” on Monday to make room for 1B Micah Hoffpauir, but Fuld made the best of it. The 28-year-old stroked a pinch-hit triple in the 7^th inning to start a rally against the Nashville Sounds. Chicago had promoted Fuld to fill a roster vacancy created when 1B Derrek Lee was traded to the Atlanta Braves. During his three-game stint in the bigs, Fuld, a defensive specialist, went 0/2.
• Thanks in part to LF Adam Stern, the “AAA” Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) defeated the Iowa Cubs 8-6. The 30-year-old Canadian went 2/4 with a walk and two runs scored, raising his batting average to .322, second highest on the team. Like Fuld, Stern had a brief stint in this majors this season, going 0/8.

In other minor-league news…

• SP Daniel Rosenbaum of the “A+” Potomac Nationals (Washington Nationals) pitched masterfully against the Wilmington Blue Hooks, giving up just one hit (a solo HR) and one walk over 6 innings while striking out four. The 22-year-old Xavier University recruit left the game with the Nationals ahead 3-1, but his relievers couldn’t hold the lead, and the Nationals fell 6-3. In a season split between the Nationals and the “A” Hagerstown Suns, Rosenbaum is a combined 4-7 with 107 strikeouts, 38 walks and a 2.34 ERA.
• C Ryan Lavarnway of the “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) went 2/4 with a double, a HR and a walk in a 10-5 victory over the Harrison Senators. In a season split between the Sea Dogs and the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting a combined .284 with 18 HRs, 87 RBIs, a .383 on-base percentage and .470 slugging percentage. Over his past 10 games he is batting .361 with a .465 on-base percentage and .611 slugging percentage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — As predicted, the Chicago Cubs recalled LF Sam Fuld from “AAA” today (8/19/2010) and immediately put him to work.

With the San Diego Padres ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the 6^th inning, Fuld was sent in to pinch-hit for starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano. A 28-year-old veteran whose most recent MLB at-bat was on Oct. 4, 2009, Fuld took the first pitch for a ball, then flied out to center field on an 87 m.p.h. changeup. The Cubs went on to score 2 runs in the inning but eventually lost 5-3.

Fuld’s stay is likely to be brief. He was brought up to fill a vacancy created when 1B Derrek Lee was traded to the Atlanta Braves and is expected to be sent down again when 1B Micah Hoffpauir becomes eligible for promotion in several days.

Fuld is the 14^th Jewish player to play major-league ball this season. A speedy baserunner with a reputation for hustle and spectacular catches — check out this video of a catch he made to rob fellow Hebe Brad Ausmus of extra bases last year — he is batting .266 with the “AAA” Iowa Cubs, along with 8 triples (tied for 3^rd most in the league), 18 stolen bases, a .367 on-base percentage, and a team-best walk-to-strikeout ratio  of 51/31.

Fuld has had two prior MLB stints, both with the Cubs. In 2009 he hit .299 and had a .409 on-base percentage in 97 at-bats. In 2007 he went hitless in six at-bats but walked three times.

The Stanford alum, who stands a mere 5’10”, has been treated for Type 1 diabetes since age 10.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It may be for just a couple days, but it looks like the Chicago Cubs will be calling up LF Sam Fuld (8/19/2010).

MLB.com reports that Fuld will fill the roster space left by 1B Derrek Lee, who was traded Wednesday (8/18/2010) to the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs reportedly had hoped to call up 1B Micah Hoffpauir but he temporarily was ineligible due to a recent stint at Wrigley. Another web site called the Hoffpauir snafu “an unfortunate error.”

If Fuld gets any playing time with the Cubs, he will be the 14^th Jewish player to play major-league ball this season. A speedy baserunner with a reputation for hustle and spectacular catches, the 28-year-old Stanford alum is batting .266 with the “AAA” Iowa Cubs, along with 8 triples (tied for 3^rd best in the league), 18 stolen bases, a .367 on-base percentage, and a team-best walk-to-strikeout ratio (51/31).

Fuld has had two prior MLB stints, both with the Cubs. In 2009 he his .299 and and had a .409 on-base percentage in 97 at-bats. In 2007 he went hitless in six at-bats but walked three times.

Jewish Baseball News thanks reader (and Sam Fuld fan) Jessica Rosner for the tip.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Monday (8/16/2010):

• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) went 2/3 with a double, triple and two walks in a 5-3 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies. His triple came off the second pitch of the game. A 29-year-old Stanford recruit with brief stints in the majors in 2007 and 2009, Fuld is batting .271 and and has 8 triples, third most in the “AAA” Pacific Coast League.
• Playing DH, 1B Mike Schwartz of the rookie-league Bristol White Sox (Chicago White Sox) went 3/4 with 2 doubles and a walk in a 7-2 win over the Kingsport Mets. A 17th-round pick in the 2010 amateur draft, Schwartz is batting .272 with 1 HR and 16 RBIs in 92 at-bats. He leads the Sox with a .432 on-base percentage.

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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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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday, August 7, 2010:

• OF Sam Fuld of the “AAA” Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) went 2/5 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in a 7-3 win over the Tacoma Rainiers. A 29-year-old Stanford recruit with brief stints in the majors in 2007 and 2009, Fuld is batting .270 this season with 4 HRs, 25 RBIs, a team-leading 17 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .365.
• SP Dylan Axelrod of the “A-Advanced” Winston-Salem Dash (Chicago White Sox) gave up just four hits and one earned run over 8 innings, propelling the Dash to a 6-1 victory over the Frederick Keys. The 25-year-old struck out four and walked none. Since being promoted from “A” ball earlier this season, Axelrod has gone 6-2 with a 2.29 ERA across 74 and 2/3 innings, with a phenomenal strikeout-to-walk ratio of 59-10.

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

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

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

Now, your category leaders.

Position players

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

Pitchers

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

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — New York Mets 1B Ike Davis was the first Jewish player called up from AAA this season. Who will be the second?

You’d have to know a lot more about MLB depth charts than I do to make a truly educated guess. Being psychic helps, too; unexpected injuries often are the catalyst for calling up a player. (Mets 1B Daniel Murphy’s injury helped bring Ike Davis to Queens, for example.)

But player performance obviously matters, too. Here’s how AAA Jews are doing through Wednesday’s (5/5/2010) games:

• Scot Drucker, 27, relief pitcher with the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Has a 2-and-1 record with 1 save, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts and a 1.83 ERA.
• Sam Fuld, 28, left fielder with the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs). Batting .179 with 1 RBI and a .333 on-base percentage.
• Ben Guez, 23, center fielder with the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Batting .128 with 2 RBIs and a .244 OBP.
• Jason Hirsh, 28, starting pitcher with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees). Has a 2-and-3 record with 12 walks, 17 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA.
• Adam Stern, 30, left fielder with the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). Batting .227 with 1 RBI and a .292 OBP.
• Josh Whitesell, 28, first baseman with the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals). Batting .253 with four homers, 18 RBIs and a .377 OBP.

As a whole, Jews aren’t exactly tearing up AAA. The player closest to being on a hot streak these days is Hirsh, a former Houston Astro and Colorado Rockie who has pitched two consecutive one-hitters, including this near no-hitter.

I hadn’t noticed until today, but AAA is a little less Jewish these days. The Columbus Clippers (San Francisco Giants) released left fielder Brian Horwitz, 30, in late April.

— Scott Barancik

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A summary of the latest scuttlebutt on Jewish baseball players.

• LF Sam Fuld, who plays for the Iowa Cubs (AAA), is the best defensive outfielder in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, according to Baseball America. (Bleacherreport.com)
• 1B Kevin Youkilis, who hit two doubles and a triple in the Boston Red Sox’ 9-7 win over the New York Yankees last night, is the first Red Sox player to hit three extra-base hits in a season opener since Carlton Fisk did it in 1976. (Boston.com)
• Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler is starting the season in an unfortunate way: on the 15-day disabled list. Kinsler sprained his right ankle on March 12. (USAToday.com)
• Kinsler, by the way, is the Rangers’ “most productive” hitter, averaging 2.05 hits, walks and/or RBIs per game in a simulation. (Accuscore.com)
• RHP Scott Feldman will be the Texas Rangers’ starting pitcher in today’s Opening Day game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Feldman recently signed a two-year, $13.3-million contract extension that will keep him with the Rangers through at least 2012. (Reuters.com)

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