By Scott Barancik, editor At least 28 Jewish athletes spent time at an MLB Spring Training camp in 2024. Sixteen were there by virtue of being on a 40-man roster, five received non-roster invitations, and eight were called-up from minor-league camp. (If we discover additional call-ups, we will add them here.) Here are some highlights:…
By Scott Barancik, editor A total of 21* Jews are at an MLB Spring Training camp this season, including 10 pitchers and 12 position players (see list below). Seventeen of the 22 are there by virtue of being on their team’s 40-man roster. The remaining five, including veteran outfielder and recent free-agent signee Kevin Pillar…
Neither of this year’s World Series combatants had a Jewish player on roster. In fact, it’s been a decade since either team did. But Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks both have some Jewish history (11/6/2023): Beginning with OF Elliot Maddox (1972-73), who was on original roster, Rangers have fielded total of 9 Jewish players since…
Giants activate OF Hunter Bishop (AA) from injured list (11/6/2023) DH Joc Pederson (Giants) declares free agency (11/2/2023) CF Harrison Bader (Reds) declares free agency (11/2/2023) LF Kevin Pillar (Braves) declares free agency (11/2/2023) Braves activate P Max Fried from injured list (10/7/2023) Brewers activate 1B Rowdy Tellez (10/5/2023) Blue Jays activate 1B Spencer Horwitz (10/5/2023) Cubs call-up 1B Matt Mervis from AAA (10/2/2023) Braves call-up P…
By Shel Wallman (Note: Originally published on 6/16/2023, this article has been updated three times. On 6/27/2023, we added IF Hank Zeisler of the U. of Missouri and C Will King of Eastern Kentucky U. to our All-America team. On 7/12/2023, we added P Ben Simon of Elon U. to the team. On 7/16/2023, we…
By Scott Barancik, editor A dozen of the 26 Jews who participated in this year’s MLB Spring Training have landed spots on an Opening Day roster. When the season begins today, the Atlanta Braves will lead the pack with three players. They include starting pitchers Max Fried and Jared Shuster along with veteran outfielder Kevin…
By Scott Barancik, editor Atlanta Braves star Max Fried is having a heckuva Spring. After finishing second last season in N.L. Cy Young Award voting, the 6’4″ All-Star is 3-0 this preseason with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 11.1 innings. Yet it’s possible he won’t be the only Jewish pitcher in Atlanta’s…
By Scott Barancik, editor A 3rd-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2017 amateur draft, the University of Florida alum and 2021 Gold Glove winner is poised to begin his first full season with the Yankees and 7th season overall in the Major Leagues. Harrison Bader, a 28-year-old centerfielder with the New York…
By Scott Barancik, editor Since its debut in 2009, Jewish Baseball News has focused its coverage exclusively on Major League, minor league, and independent league athletes. Thanks to Jewish sports-research legends Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman, JBN also has begun tracking Jews who play for NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities. Our new D-1 College…
By Scott Barancik, editor Colorado Rockies reliever Jake Bird, who made his MLB debut in June and later committed to represent Israel in next month’s World Baseball Classic, is the most recent Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish. The 27-year-old California native starred at UCLA, his hometown school. In 2018, his senior year, Bird…
By Scott Barancik, editor Israel’s final roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic was revealed this evening. It’s darn good. The 30-man list features MLB athletes such as All-Star LF Joc Pederson (Giants) and P Dean Kremer (Orioles), red-hot prospects 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) and 2B/3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA), and 2021 Summer Olympics stars 1B…
By Scott Barancik, editor Dalton Guthrie, a Philadelphia Phillies rookie who considered joining Team Israel for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is the latest Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish. The lanky 27-year-old is a talented and versatile fielder. Plucked out of the University of Florida in the 6th round of the 2017 amateur…
By Scott Barancik, Editor We’ve seen many Jewish accomplishments in the minor leagues between July 8, 2022 and September 15, 2022. Following are some highlights: Mazel Tov MLB.com recently named 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/Double-A/Midland RockHounds) #98 out of baseball’s 100 top minor-league prospects. The website projected that Gelof, just 22 years old, will make it…
By Scott Barancik, editor Two prospects who had been under Jewish Baseball News’ radar are now locked in. Both are infielders, power hitters, and high draft picks who play at the Double-A level Chase Strumpf (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), a 24-year-old UCLA alum who once played on Team USA’s 15-and-under squad and splits his time between second…
By Scott Barancik, editor Jewish Baseball News’ most recent MLB update took us through games played June 17. Following is an overview of what has happened since then, through games played August 21. Mazel Tov P Jake Fishman (Marlins) became the third Jewish pitcher to make his MLB debut in 2022. In 3.1 innings of…
By Scott Barancik, editor It’s been just 10 days since we reported that four current MLB players had committed to represent Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The quartet included starting pitcher Dean Kremer (Orioles), reliever Richard Bleier (Marlins), and two star outfielders: slugger and World Series hero Joc Pederson (Giants), and Gold Glove…
By Scott Barancik, editor The last time Israel played in the World Baseball Classic — which also happened to be the first time, in 2017 — the biggest names on its roster were Ike Davis, Sam Fuld, and Jason Marquis, all of whom had retired from pro ball. The 2023 WBC will be different. Last…
By Scott Barancik, editor After one of the most improbable call-ups of 2022, P Bubby Rossman made his Major League debut Wednesday night with the Philadelphia Phillies (July 13). The circumstances were unusual. Four Phillies, including two pitchers, were ineligible to play the Blue Jays in Canada — where COVID laws are stiffer — because…
By Scott Barancik, Editor It’s been two months since Jewish Baseball News brought you up to date on how our minor leaguers are doing. Here are some highlights through games played July 7, 2022: Mazel Tov Every year, 50 of the top prospects in the minor-league system are chosen to play in the MLB All-Star…
Many readers have expressed regret that Jewish Baseball News is no longer producing weekly MLB summaries. We hope someday to resume that level of activity. For now, however, the best we can do is produce occasional updates — such as the one below — and encourage you to follow our posts on social media. Jewish…
