By Scott Barancik, Editor
Baseball is coming back to life after its offseason slumber. Team Israel’s first game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is this Saturday, March 7, at 7:00pm ET against Venezuela on FS2. MLB’s regular season starts March 25. NCAA baseball began three weeks ago.
Jewish ballplayers across the sport are already making their presence felt.
Spring Training Notes
An even two dozen Jewish players have appeared in one or more Spring Training games through March 1, the cutoff date for the statistics cited below. The data set is very small. No pitcher has thrown more than 4.2 innings, and no hitter has tallied more than 14 ABs. Still, there are stories to tell:
- RHP Robert Stock, the indefatigable journeyman who signed with the Mets this season after playing for the Red Sox in 2025, delivered the Spring’s best pitching performance so far in a February 26 shutout over the Astros. Stock turned in 3 innings of one-hit relief and fanned 6 batters to earn a hold. Making the win even sweeter was teammate Ben Simon’s one-inning appearance later in the game. The Double-A righty gave up no hits while striking out two and walking two
- LHP Max Fried (Yankees) made his Spring debut in an 11-1 exhibition win over Panama on March 3. The ace southpaw threw three scoreless innings on one hit, three walks, and a strikeout. Fried previously declined an invitation to pitch for Team USA in the 2026 WBC
- Two other Jewish players in the Yankees’ system have taken the mound this spring. RHP Jake Bird (AAA) performed admirably in three shutout innings across three appearances, striking out five batters while allowing 2 hits and no walks and earning a hold. RHP Harrison Cohen (Yankees/AAA) threw 2 shutout innings across 2 games
- 3B Alex Bregman (Cubs)—who opened a gym for pro baseball players during the offseason—is making a great impression on his new team. Through March 1, Bregman is batting .455 (5-for-11) with a home run, 2 doubles, one RBI, 3 walks, and no strikeouts. He also hit a solo home run in Team USA’s 13-1 exhibition win over the Giants on March 3
- CF Harrison Bader is also making a strong first impression. The newly minted Giant—who will play for Israel in the WBC—is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a home run, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, a walk, and a strikeout
- 3B Jake Gelof (Dodgers/High-A) is making the most of his limited on-field time. In five plate appearances through March 1, the younger brother of 2B Zack Gelof (Athletics) drew a pinch-hit, bases-load walk on February 25 and stroked a 431-foot solo HR on February 28. Zack may play later this spring if his surgically repaired shoulder holds up
- 1B Matt Mervis (Nationals/AAA) is 2-for-7 with a double, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base across three appearances
- C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) is hitting .273 (3-for-11) with a double, triple, walk, and 2 RBIs. Younger brother and fellow catcher CJ Stubbs (Blue Jays/AAA) is 2-for-6 across three appearances
- Free agent Rowdy Tellez has not signed a new contract since leaving the Rangers after the 2025 season, but he will compete for Team Mexico in the 2026 WBC. In a 6-3 exhibition win over the Diamondbacks on March 3, Tellez went 2-for-4 with a solo HR and RBI single
Israel Takes on the WBC
- Team Israel, led by starter RHP Robert Stock, held the Marlins to 4 hits in a 1-0 exhibition win on March 3. Stock gave up 2 hits and a walk over 3 innings while striking out 3, and he was followed by six relievers—including minor-league free agent Daniel Federman, who earned a save by striking out the side in the 9th inning. Israel managed only three hits, but one was an RBI triple by C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies)
- Baseball America currently ranks Venezuela the #4 best team in the WBC, and Israel #13. The publication offered this evaluation of Israel’s chances in the tournament: “Pool D is brutally tough, and it’s hard to see Israel matching up with the D.R. or Venezuela. The Netherlands should be a tough game, as well, but a win against Nicaragua would likely ensure an automatic bid for 2029’s WBC. The combination of Harrison Bader, infielders Spencer Horwitz and Matt Mervis and catchers Garrett and CJ Stubbs gives this team some thump and veteran experience”
- Since Israel unveiled its 2026 WBC roster on February 7, three players have departed the team. OF Troy Johnston (Rockies/AAA) decided to stay at Spring Training. RHP Eli Morgan (Royals/AAA) is sidelined by a chronic injury. RHP Josh Blum suffered an elbow injury during his Spring debut on February 24. Replacing them on the roster are 2B Colby Halter (Athletics/AAA), LHP Jake Fishman (Toros de Tijuana/Mexico), and RHP Zack Leban (Sultanes de Monterrey/Mexico)
- In a recent interview with former New York Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz, 1B Spencer Horwitz (Pirates) said he wanted to play for Israel in the 2026 WBC because of his “amazing” experience at the 2023 tournament. Meanwhile, CF Harrison Bader (Giants) recently said he is “extremely excited” to play for Israel after two prior opportunities fell through
Darn It
- Last year, Jewish Baseball News added Giants prospect Dylan Hecht to its list of Jewish ballplayers after receiving a tip and third-party verification. The information was inaccurate. In a phone call last week, Hecht politely explained that while he has distant Jewish heritage, none of his grandparents were Jewish, and he does not identify as such. We regret the error and should have contacted Hecht directly to confirm the tip. We wish Dylan the best and look forward to watching him ascend the baseball ranks
Minor-League Transactions
- RHP Brian Zeldin signed a free-agent contract with the Twins on February 21. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2025, Zeldin pitched for the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League, an MLB Professional Partner League. He went 0-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 15 relief appearances while striking out 25 batters over 20.2 innings
- OF Sam Biller, who played for three Division 1 colleges before signing a free-agent deal with the Mets in August 2025, was released on February 3. The California native played in six games for New York’s Single-A team in 2025, hitting .235 (4-for-17) with one RBI, a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases, and a .381 OBP
- OF Caden Shapiro, a Princeton University alum who signed a free-agent deal with the Pirates in August 2025, retired in late 2025. Shapiro was assigned to Pittsburgh’s rookie-league team but never played. His father, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro, played football at Princeton
- Also retiring in late 2025 was C Bennett Markison, a Northwestern University alum who signed a free-agent deal with the Phillies in July 2025 but never got on the field
Foreign Leagues
- 2B/3B Michael Wielansky, a former Astros and Giants prospect who was released in 2024 and played indy ball later that year, is thriving in Mexico. As a Mexican summer league rookie in 2025, the 6’2″ St. Louis native—who stood just 4’9″ at his bar mitzvah—hit .365 (#15 in the league) for Charros de Jalisco, with 3 HRs, 47 RBIs, 27 stolen bases (#6), and a .921 OPS. A similarly strong performance in the Mexican winter league launched Jalisco into the 2026 Caribbean Series, where the team represented Mexico against champions from the Dominican, Venezuelan, Panamanian, and Puerto Rican winter leagues. Wielansky was named Series MVP after delivering one of the greatest individual performances in Series history. The 28-year-old hit a Series-best .538, tied an all-time record with 14 hits, tallied 6 RBIs (#2/tie), and scored the extra-inning run that gave Jalisco its first Caribbean Series championship
D-1 Colleges
- LF Sam Grunberg (Jacksonville University), younger brother of former Loyola Marymount outfielder Ben Grunberg, has joined JBN’s D-1 college roster. After graduating from high school in 2022 as the 11th-ranked first baseman in California, Grunberg played two years of junior-college ball before transferring to Lindenwood University (D-1) in 2025. He is now a senior at Jacksonville
- OF Dylan Drumke (Eastern Illinois University) missed the 2025 season with a severe back injury that required titanium screws. Now a graduate student, he is back for one last season. In 2024, Drumke hit .292 (57-for-195) with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs in just 195 ABs
High-School Prospects
- If a Jewish ballplayer plays at a D-1 college, Jewish Baseball News lists him in its college roster regardless of performance. Not so for our high-school list, which includes only top prospects. OF Ira Rootman, the newest player to join that list, fits the bill. A junior at Harvard-Westlake—a North Hollywood high school that has produced Jewish major leaguers Max Fried and Josh Satin, as well as current minor-leaguer RJ Schreck—Rootman is ranked the #1 outfielder and #6 player overall in California’s High School Class of 2027, according to Prep Baseball Report. He also is ranked nationally: #6 among all outfielders and the #44 player overall
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