Jewish Box Score

Weekly Roundup: July 15-28

Horwitz slams Tigers

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• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Pirates) hit his first career grand-slam HR in a 6-1 win over the 1st-place Tigers on July 23. “I think you saw the emotion come out around first base, gave a big scream,” said the first-year Pirate, who had been slumping until recently. “Just to help the team win was really exciting.” Horwitz’s granny capped a 3-game series against Detroit in which he hit .583 (7-for-13) with one HR, 2 doubles, 7 RBIs, and one walk (7/29/2025)

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MLB News

• Do you think the Red Sox missed 3B Alex Bregman? In 12 games after coming off the injured list July 11, Bregman hit .302 (13-for-43) with 3 HRs, 2 doubles, and 9 RBIs. His round-trippers included a 3-run, pinch-hit HR in a 6-1 victory over the Cubs on July 20, a 2-run, go-ahead home run en route to a 4-3 win over the Dodgers on July 27, and a 3-run, go-ahead shot on July 28 that ended in a 5-4, walk-off loss to the Twins. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out this ridiculous behind-the-foul line throw that Bregman made on July 25 (7/29/2025)
• DH Joc Pederson (Rangers) finally returned to the diamond on July 27, two months after RHP Bryse Wilson (White Sox) fractured the slugger’s right hand with an 87.5-mph cutter. Pederson went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, but Texas prevailed 8-1 over the Braves. Meanwhile, teammate and recent acquisition Rowdy Tellez made his Texas debut on July 18, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in a 2-0 blanking of the Tigers. Tellez hit his first Rangers home run the following day, a 3-run, 432-foot shot that propelled Texas to a 4-1 win over Detroit. He finished the day 1-for-2 with a walk (7/29/2025)
• Several news outlets are reporting that CF Harrison Bader (Twins), who is having his best season at the plate since 2021, is trade bait. On July 26, MLB Trade Rumors ranked Bader #19 on its list of the Top 50 Trade Candidates for the 2025 Deadline. On July 27, USA Today reported the Dodgers were interested in acquiring Bader. That same day, Twins Daily speculated that Bader could be a good fit for at least four teams, including the Dodgers, Tigers, Mets, and Phillies. The same article quoted Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, who said of Bader: “He’s got playoff experience. He’s one of those energy givers. He’s got pretty good power this season and can play all around the outfield.” But with the trade deadline coming at 6:00pm ET on July 31, time is running short (7/29/2025)
• CF Harrison Bader may not be the only Jewish Major Leaguer drawing trade interest. On July 27, The Athletic reported that Rockies reliever Jake Bird was on the Yankees’ radar (7/29/2025)
• It’s been tough going lately for LHP Max Fried (Yankees). As of late May, the first-year New Yorker boasted the Major League’s lowest ERA, led all pitchers with a 10-1 record, and was ranked the A.L.’s top contender for the Cy Young Award. But in his past 10 starts dating back to May 30, Fried has gone 4-4 with a 4.24 ERA and a negative win probability measure. As of July 27, the downturn had lowered his predicted Cy Young ranking to #8. On the bright side, Fried received a standing ovation at Atlanta’s Truist Park on July 18. It was the long-time Brave’s first visit back since electing free agency in late 2024 (7/29/2025)
• RHP Dean Kremer (Orioles) gave up just one earned run on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings on July 19, but the O’s ended up losing 4-3 to the Rays. Kremer, who struck out 6 Tampa Bay batters, is averaging 7.34 whiffs per 9 innings, his second-lowest rate in six MLB seasons. On the other hand, the Israeli-American’s walk rate of 2.37 per 9 innings is a career best (7/29/2025)
• RHP Max Lazar (Phillies) tossed a perfect inning of relief on 2 strikeouts and just 10 pitches in a 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Red Sox on July 21. The triumph, which ended with a walk-off interference call, marked Lazar’s first career MLB win over 2 seasons totaling 20 appearances. (Click here to see Lazar’s post-game interview.) The Florida native’s 1.083 WHIP ranked #2 among Philadelphia relievers through July 28, and his 3.00 ERA stood at #4 (7/29/2025)
• On July 25, DH Nick Kurtz (Athletics) tied two Major-League records that retired Jewish star Shawn Green set 23 years ago. In a 15-3 win over the Astros, rookie Kurtz tied Green by going 6-for-6 with 4 HRs, and also by tallying 19 total bases. Green, then a Dodger, accomplished both feats in a 16-3 victory over the Brewers on May 23, 2002 (7/29/2025)
• The 2025 MLB Draft was a dismal one for Jewish fans. Only two of the 615 players selected in the 20-round draft — LHP Ryan Prager (Texas A&M), and 2B Henry Godbout (U. of Virginia) — were tribe members. So what happened to 18-year-old LHP Austin Weiss, a Maryland high-school student whom Baseball America had ranked the Draft’s #162 prospect? We don’t know. But Baseball America’s pre-draft scouting report might offer a clue. “Scouts were impressed with [Weiss’s] athleticism, competitiveness on the mound and strikes this spring,” the publication wrote, “and Weiss outpitched fellow mid-Atlantic pitching prospect Myles Upchurch in a high-profile matchup in April.” The publication went on to say that Weiss had committed to the U. of Maryland and was “viewed as a tough sign” (7/29/2025)
• The Phillies signed C Bennett Markinson, an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern U., to a minor-league contract on July 23 (7/29/2025)

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Minor-League Bulletin

• The Yankees’ franchise is chock full of Jewish players, as befits a New York team. RHP Max Fried, of course, is a top Major League pitcher. Meanwhile, the club’s Triple-A team has three right-handed Jewish relievers on its roster: Scott Effross, Harrison Cohen, and Eric Reyzelman. But it turns out the crosstown Mets are well-represented, too. Until very recently, the club’s High-A team featured three Jewish hurlers: relievers Josh Blum and Ben Simon, and starter RJ Gordon, a newly-identified player who was promoted to Double-A on July 7 (7/29/2025)
• Speaking of RHP RJ Gordon (Mets/AA), the U. of Oregon alum has won 2 of 2 starts since his Double-A debut on July 4, including a 12-9 win over the Phillies’ affiliate on July 25. Through his first three appearances with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, including one in relief, Gordon is 2-0 with a 4.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts against just 4 walks. Thanks to JBN reader Aaron Grouper and son for telling us about RJ (7/29/2025)
• In 5 relief appearances since being promoted to High-A on July, Mets prospect Josh Blum is 0-0 with a 0.90 ERA, has tallied one save, and has yielded just one earned run on 8 hits, zero walks, and 6 strikeouts over 10 combined innings (7/29/2025)
• LF RJ Schreck (Blue Jays/AAA), who escaped the injured list July 15, is doing just as well at the Triple-A level as he did at Double-A earlier this season. The third-year pro is hitting .267 (12-for-45) in Triple-A, with 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, a .389 OBP, and .922 OPS. Compare that to his Double-A stats: .266 average (37-for-139), 9 HRs, 20 RBIs, .396 OBP, and .914 OPS (7/29/2025)
• RHP Robert Stock (Red Sox) fanned 7 batters and walked 2 in a 9-5 defeat by the Twins’ affiliate on July 26, giving up 2 earned runs over 5 innings, but he was not tagged with the loss. Stock’s 96 strikeouts through July 28 were tied for #6 in the International League (7/29/2025)
• Through July 28, 3B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA) ranked among the Texas League’s top hitters in several plate-discipline measures. Mendlinger’s 12.8% strikeout rate was the league’s 2nd lowest, his 1.26 walk-to-strikeout ratio (39-to-31) also ranked #2, and his .398 OBP came in at #3 (7/29/2025)
• 3B Michael Snyder (Marlins/AA) smashed a 2-run double in the bottom of the 9th inning on July 20 to power a 4-3, walk-off win over the Reds’ affiliate on July 20 (see video). “I was looking for a pitch to drive, something middle of the zone,” Snyder said after the victory. “Pretty simple right there. Just put bat on ball and good things happen.” The Pensacola Blue Wahoos named Snyder the team’s Player of the Week on July 22 (7/29/2025)

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Transactions

• Yankees reassign RHP Scott Effross to Triple-A (7/26/2025)
• Rangers call up 1B Joc Pederson (7/25/2025)
• Mets reassign RHP Josh Mallitz to High-A (7/25/2025)
• Phillies assign C Bennett Markinson to rookie-league team (7/23/2025)
• Phillies sign C Bennett Markinson (Northwestern U.), an undrafted free agent, to a minor-league contract (7/22/2023)
• Rangers call up 1B Rowdy Tellez (7/18/2025)
• White Sox promote 1B Lyle Miller-Green to High-A club (7/18/2025)
• Blue Jays activate LF RJ Schreck (AAA) from injured list (7/18/2025)
• Rangers send 1B Joc Pederson on to Double-A for rehab assignment (7/15/2025)
• Blue Jays send LF RJ Schreck to rookie league for rehab assignment (7/15/2025)
• Padres reassign RHP Josh Mallitz to rookie league (7/15/2025)

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