By Scott Barancik, editor Earlier today we announced the arrival of the Jewish Baseball News ball cap. “Just in time for Chanukah!” we proclaimed. Alas, taking a cue from the Obamacare School of Product Rollouts, we gave you an ordering system that did not work. Would-be customers were left wandering around PayPal like, well, Jews in the…
By Scott Barancik, editor Racking your brain for Chanukah gifts? Consider our new Jewish Baseball News caps. Made in Bangladesh and embroidered in good ol’ St. Petersburg, Fla., the headquarters of minor-league baseball, our one-size-fits-most caps will cover all but the bushiest Jew-fros. The hats are priced at $21.99 apiece, although volume discounts begin when you order…
By Scott Barancik, editor Until yesterday, Brad Ausmus‘s only experience at the helm of a baseball team was managing Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. But that didn’t stop the Detroit Tigers from hiring the 44-year-old former catcher to replace Jim Leyland as manager. Much is at stake for the team, which made the 2013 postseason…
By Scott Barancik, editor Aaron Poreda, a 6-foot-6-inch pitcher whose rapid rise to the Majors was matched by a swift decline, has signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers after a long layoff for “Tommy John” surgery. Poreda, 27, told Jewish Baseball News that Texas was one of 8 to 10 teams that sent scouts to watch…
By Scott Barancik, editor According to research by our friend Ron Kaplan at his excellent Kaplan’s Korner blog, Boston reliever Craig Breslow will be just the 24th Jewish player to appear in a World Series when he appears in the upcoming Red Sox-Cardinals finale. The New Haven, Conn., native is expected to be a key piece of…
By Scott Barancik, editor Zach Borenstein had a monster season in 2013, and he has the MVP award to prove it. The 23-year-old Los Angeles Angels prospect led the California League (Class A-advanced) in average, home runs, and several other statistics. His league-leading nine RBIs during the postseason helped the Inland Empire 66ers become league champions. But when…
By Scott Barancik, editor When defensive replacement Sam Fuld singled to open the 9th inning of Monday night’s tiebreaker against the Texas Rangers, you just knew he wasn’t going to passively run the bases. It was a perfect Fuldian storm. With the Rays up by a slim 4-2 margin and a Wild Card slot on the line,…
By Scott Barancik, editor Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in June, former LSU star Mason Katz underperformed during the regular season, hitting a modest .249 for the State College Spikes (Class A-short season) while striking out once in every 4 at-bats. His trajectory looked even worse: in the final 10 games, the 5-foot-10-inch second baseman managed to…
By Scott Barancik, editor Gary RailCats left fielder Adam Klein has been named MVP of the American Association championship series. Klein, 30, hit .533 with two doubles, 5 RBIs, five runs, and four walks as the Indiana-based RailCats defeated the Wichita Wingnuts 3 games to 1. A former Oakland Athletics farmhand, the 5-foot-11-inch Los Angeles native is…
By Scott Barancik, editor For some Jewish baseball fans, Yom Kippur isn’t just the holiest day on the calendar. It’s also a litmus test of a ballplayer’s commitment to Judaism. That’s not so true here at Jewish Baseball News, a secular website that holds no grudge against a ballplayer for choosing to swing a bat during the…
By Scott Barancik, editor The surging Baltimore Orioles needed a solid start from Scott Feldman on Friday (9/6/2013) to advance their playoff hopes, but the 30-year-old right-hander gave them even more. In the 127th start of his nine-year MLB career, Feldman pitched his first-ever shutout and second complete game as the O’s beat the Chicago White Sox…
By Scott Barancik, editor With one game left in the regular season, Zach Borenstein‘s numbers are stellar. His .335 batting average is tops in the California League (Class A-advanced). He has 27 home runs, tying him for 1st place. He leads the league in slugging percentage (.625) and OPS (1.026), and he ranks 3rd in on-base percentage…
By Scott Barancik, editor A couple of minor-leaguers we didn’t know about until recently have been added to our roster of Jewish players. As they used to say on Law and Order, here are their stories: Jeremy Rathjen, 23 A 6-foot-5-inch, 195-pound outfielder out of Rice University, Rathjen was chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round…
By Scott Barancik, editor Toronto Blue Jays prospect Kevin Pillar made his MLB debut Wednesday (8/14/2013) in a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Called up to replace the injured Colby Rasmus on the Jays’ roster, the 24-year-old outfielder was held hitless in four at-bats but impressed with his glove, turning the first line drive he…
By Scott Barancik, editor Josh Zeid, a 6-foot-4-inch reliever who played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers last year, has been called-up from Triple-A by the Houston Astros. It’s the 26-year-old New Haven native’s first time on a Major League roster since the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 10th round of the 2009…
By Scott Barancik, editor Cincinnati Reds prospect Jon Moscot has put together some pretty impressive stats this season. The 21-year-old Pepperdine alum has struck out 112 batters, third most in the California League (A-advanced), while walking just 36. After posting an ERA of just 3.76 over his past 10 starts, his season ERA of 4.59 is trending…
By Scott Barancik, editor Tough news today for Padres fans: starter Jason Marquis is done for the season after suffering “significant damage” to the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. A 34-year-old righty who has played for seven teams during his 14-year career, Marquis reportedly will undergo so-called Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament. Whether he will…
By Scott Barancik, editor Ian Kinsler became the career leader in stolen bases among Jewish players Monday night (7/22/2013) with his 163rd theft in 200 attempts (box score). The 31-year-old Texas Ranger drew a first-inning walk off of New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova, promptly stole second off of catcher Chris Stewart, and then scored on a single…
By Scott Barancik, editor Ryan Braun, the Jewish slugger who won the National League MVP award in 2011 and vehemently denied using performance-enhancing drugs thereafter, has been suspended for the rest of 2013 for violating baseball’s drug policy (see MLB.com article). “As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said in a statement….
By Scott Barancik, editor When the Kannapolis Intimidators handed reliever Brad Goldberg the ball Sunday (7/21/2013) with one out in the 4th inning and men on second and third bases, the odds of a historic outing were slim. A 10th-round pick of the Chicago White Sox this June, Goldberg had only six minor-league appearances under his belt…
