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…
By Scott Barancik, Editor A total of 33 Jewish players have played minor-league ball in 2022. Here are some highlights through games played May 10: At the plate 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AA/Midland RockHounds) is only 22 years old, but the 2021 draftee is tearing up the Texas League (AA) like an old pro. The University…
By Scott Barancik, editor P Kenny Rosenberg made his MLB debut last night (4/18/2022) with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels were down 7-3 to the Houston Astros when they sent the 26-year-old southpaw to the mound in the 8th inning. Rosenberg struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches before yielding one…
Despite the will-they-or-won’t-they drama concerning the 2022 MLB season, a lot has happened during the offseason, and Spring Training has sprung. Jewish Baseball News wishes to welcome you back with abbreviated highlights. Comings and goings OF Joc Pederson signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. He played for the Chicago Cubs and World…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Following a historic appearance in the 2020 Olympics, the Israel Association of Baseball is looking to refresh its roster and build a pipeline of future players. One solution? Sponsor a series of Player Evaluation Weekends across the U.S. to identify promising high-school athletes. The first such academy, aimed at scouting ballplayers…
By Scott Barancik, Editor The Jewish Baseball Card Book, a hardcover history of trading cards covering the 169 Jews who played Major League ball between 1871 and 2016, is now available for just $18. The coffee-table book initially cost $49.95. You can purchase single copies on Amazon. But the $18 offer expires March 27. And…
By Scott Barancik, editor Spencer Horwitz, a surging prospect with the Toronto Blue Jays franchise, is the latest minor-league player to be identified as Jewish. The Jays got a bargain when they plucked Horwitz out of Radford University in the 24th round of the 2019 amateur draft. In just two seasons — 2020 was wiped…
Here is your summary for the week of November 1-7, plus other news and stats from the 2021 season World Series Max Fried (Braves) tossed 6 shutout innings on November 2, leading Atlanta to a 7-0 win over the Houston Astros — and the club’s first World Series championship since 1999. Fried yielded 4 hits…
Here is your summary for the week of October 25-31, which saw Houston take on Atlanta in the first 5 games of the 202`1 World Series: L’sholom Tyler Herron, a former 1st-round draft pick who reached as high as Triple-A, died October 27 at age 35. According to JTA, Herron was of Puerto Rican…
