xxxx By Scott Barancik, Editor Detroit 2B Ian Kinsler crushed his 200th career home run today in a 5-1 win over the Rays. The two-run shot, his second in two days, came off P Danny Farquhar in the 9th inning and struck the catwalk high above Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field. Kinsler is the fifth Jewish player to reach the…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league updates from the week of June 20-26, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week P Corey Baker (Cardinals/AAA) earned a shutout win in his first-ever Triple-A game, scattering four singles and a walk over 6.2 innings while striking out 6. Baker had two 1-2-3 innings and threw 62 of…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Don’t let the first name fool you. Reliever Ryan Sherriff (St. Louis Cardinals/AAA) is the latest player to join the growing roster of Jewish pro baseball players. The 26-year-old southpaw is enjoying a tremendous season with the Memphis Redbirds. Sherriff is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA — third-best among Pacific Coast League players with at least 30 innings…
By Scott Barancik, Editor At least 16 Jewish players were picked in the annual MLB draft that took place earlier this month. We’re going to tell you a little bit about each one. First, the list: Andy Yerzy (C), D’backs (2nd round, #52 overall) Kenny Rosenberg (P), Rays (8th, #240) Jason Goldstein (C), Mariners (9th, #267) Mitchell…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of June 13-19, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week LF Mike Meyers (Red Sox/High-A) hit .381 last week with a double, his fifth triple of the season, 2 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases. The highlight: a 4-for-5 showing on June 14….
By Scott Barancik, Editor For the second times in 18 days, the New York Yankees have added a Jewish player to their roster. Ike Davis, a first baseman who began his Major League career with the crosstown New York Mets in 2010 and also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland A’s, signed with the…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of June 6-12, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week SS Alex Bregman (Astros/AA) hit .400, drove in 7 runs, and hit a walk-off HR last week. The second-year prospect ranks among Texas League leaders with a .314 average (2nd), 13 HRs (2nd/tied),…
By Ethel Hilsenroth, contributing writer Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, winner of the 2011 N.L. Most Valuable Player award, is having another MVP-type season, excelling with both bat and glove. Could he win the award again? Statistics-wise, he’s in the mix. What makes this season very different from 2011, of course, is what happened in 2013. That’s the year Braun finally admitted,…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 30-June 5, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/High-A) maintained his hot hand, hitting .400 last week (8-for-20) with a home run, 7 RBIs, 4 walks and a stolen base. He ranks second in the California League in…
By Scott Barancik, Editor He tossed only three pitches off the mound at Toronto’s Rogers Centre today, but for Yankees rookie Richard Bleier, it probably felt like 300. The 29-year-old southpaw entered the game with one out in the bottom of the 8th inning and quickly put the Blue Jays to bed, forcing Michael Sanders to ground…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 23-29, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week P Jared Lakind (Pirates/AA) had a busy week, delivering four scoreless relief appearances to stretch his streak to 10. The 24-year-old gave up one hit and three walks while striking out five over a combined…
By Scott Barancik, Editor After toiling nine years in the minor leagues, Richard Bleier finally got The Call today. A 29-year-old southpaw and Team Israel alum, Bleier was promoted by the New York Yankees. He is a starter by trade but most likely will debut in the bullpen. The Texas Rangers selected Bleier in the sixth round of the 2008 draft….
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 16-22, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week SS Alex Bregman (Astros/AA) hit .367 with 3 HRs, 2 doubles, 10 RBIs, and 4 walks. The second-year pro is ranked first in the Texas League in on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.658)…
Your browser does not support iframes. By Scott Barancik, Editor When Oakland 3B Danny Valencia hit a career-best three home runs against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 15, it was by definition something special. After all, only 354 MLB players have hit a trifecta during the course of a 9-inning game since 1913. Heck, Hank Aaron — whose 755 career home…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 9-15, 2016. Highlights Astros #1 prospect Alex Bregman (AA) hit .286 with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 5 RBIs, and 3 walks in the week ended May 15. He also made his first professional start at third base, a show of versatility that could…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 2-8, 2016. Highlights After getting only one hit in his first 22 at-bats, former major leaguer Ike Davis (AAA/Rangers) went 3-for-5 with two doubles and five RBIs on May 2. Davis has reached base in his last six games and had…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league highlights from the week of April 25-May 1, 2016. Drossner is near perfect Brewers Single-A prospect Jake Drossner, a 2015 draftee, was nearly perfect April 28, yielding one hit and no walks over 5 innings of relief while striking out six. It was his first relief appearance of…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league highlights from the week of April 18-24. Borenstein’s streak Diamondbacks Triple-A prospect Zach Borenstein is 5-for-9 in his last four games with a double, HR, walk, and 4 RBIs. His 12 RBIs (in 51 at-bats) rank 14th in the Pacific Coast League. Goldberg’s promotion Brad Goldberg, a 6-foot-4…
By Scott Barancik, Editor As we munch matzoh on this sacred holiday of Pesach, some might wonder: Who are the most unleavened Jews in MLB history? We looked into this scholarly question and found two men, each a compact 5-foot-4-inches. Not surprisingly, both played ball in the early 1900s, when men Jewish and not alike struggled to rise….
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are minor-league highlights from the week of April 11-17. Bregman’s power trip It was a jaw-dropping week for No. 1 Astros prospect Alex Bregman. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft tore up Double-A pitching with a total of 5 HRs — more than he hit in all of 2015 — and 12 RBIs…
