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…
Here is your summary for the week of October 18-24, which saw Houston defeat Boston to in the A.L. Championship Series and Atlanta beat Los Angeles in the N.L. Championship Series. Game 1 of the World Series takes place tonight in Houston: Mazel tov Max Fried (Braves) is one of four pitchers to be…
By Scott Barancik, editor Eli Morgan, a rookie pitcher with the Cleveland Indians, is the latest Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish. A 25-year-old California native, Morgan was plucked out of Gonzaga University in the 8th round of the 2017 draft. The 5’10” righty made quick work of Cleveland’s farm system and proceeded to…
Here are your playoff stats for October 12-17, a 6-day period that included the A.L. and N.L. Division Series and the beginning of the leagues’ respective Championship Series: Stats to Share Through October 17, Jewish players had 2 of the 4 longest HRs in the 2021 playoffs. OF Joc Pederson (Braves) led the pack…
Here are your playoff stats for the six days from October 12-17, a period that includes both the A.L. and N.L. Division Series and the beginning of the leagues’ Champion Series. OF Joc Pederson (Braves) Pederson hit only .182 (2-for-11), but his clutch HR in Game 2 of the NLCS against Los Angeles tied the…
Mazel tov Max Fried was named N.L. Pitcher of the Month for September/October, the first Brave to win the monthly honor since 2013 (see
Stats to share Max Fried (Braves) has been a different pitcher since the All-Star break. His 1.78 ERA since July 13 is tied for #2 in the Majors and a vast improvement from his 4.71 ERA before the break. Other examples of his pre-break to post-break improvement include opponent batting average (.270 to .193), on-base…
Mazel tov Every year, current and former Major Leaguers issue a Heart & Hustle award to one player on each team. The winning player “demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.” It should come as no surprise that Kevin Pillar, in his first…
Mazel tov OF Ryan Braun, who last played in 2020 and spent his entire career in Milwaukee, eliminated all doubt his future on September 14 when he announced his retirement from baseball. “While it’s impossible to summarize my emotions, what I feel most is one, simple thing – gratitude,” he wrote on Twitter. Braun was…
Mazel tov C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians), who represented Team Israel in the 2021 Olympics, hit .375 with 2 doubles in 2 starts last week after being called-up from the minors. Lavarnway’s only other stint with Cleveland this season was a four-game stretch in June. After a less-than-perfect MLB debut on August 29, P Scott Effross…
Mazel tov P Scott Effross (Cubs) became the first Jewish player this season to make his Major League debut. After a 6-year sojourn in Chicago’s farm system, the 27-year-old reliever was called up on August 28 and made his first appearance the following day. It probably wasn’t the most satisfying experience; Effross hit a batter,…
Mazel tov Max Fried (Braves) pitched a gem on August 20, a 9-inning, complete-game shutout over the Orioles. Thanks to two double plays, Fried faced only 29 batters, two over the minimum. A leaping catch by teammate Joc Pederson also helped. The Forward published an article titled “100 years of baseball on radio, a century…
Mazel tov Kevin Pillar (Mets) is known for his outfield prowess, but on August 15 he took the mound for the first time in his MLB career, coming on with 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 9th inning of a game against the Dodgers. Pillar went to a full count on batter Chris…
