By Scott Barancik, editor When the Toronto Blue Jays selected outfielder Kevin Pillar in the 32nd round of the 2011 amateur draft, nobody expected him to speed through the club’s farm system. But sprint he has. After averaging .313 or better at every level through Double-A, the 24-year-old Pillar joined the Jays’ Triple-A squad last week to…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Eye color is not the first thing one notices about Oakland A’s rookie Nate Freiman. Does he part his hair on the left, or the right? No clue. The first thing every teammate, scout, agent, sportswriter, and fan observes about Freiman (pronounced ‘FRY-men’)…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— (Editor’s note: Coverage of the 2013 MLB amateur draft is a collaboration between Jewish Baseball News and our friends at Jewish Sports Review, a bi-monthly newsletter that tracks Jewish athletes in multiple sports around the globe. Click here for subscription information.) By Scott Barancik, editor Two more players…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Alex Bregman didn’t have to go to college. By his senior year in high school, in 2012, he had led the USA Baseball 18-and-under National Team to a gold medal, just as he had done with the 16-and-under National Team before. He had…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor We try to give you the news in bite-sized pieces via Facebook, Twitter, and our new ‘Bunts’ column, shown on the top-left corner of the Jewish Baseball News home page. But sometimes there’s more than a mouthful of news to deliver. Today is…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— (Editor’s note: Coverage of the 2013 MLB amateur draft is a collaboration between Jewish Baseball News and our friends at Jewish Sports Review, a bi-monthly newsletter that tracks Jewish athletes in multiple sports around the globe. Click here for subscription information.) By Scott Barancik, editor Two days ago…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— (Editor’s note: Coverage of the 2013 MLB amateur draft is a collaboration between Jewish Baseball News and our friends at Jewish Sports Review, a bi-monthly newsletter that tracks Jewish athletes in multiple sports around the globe. Click here for subscription information.) By Scott Barancik, editor For the second…
Author: Larry Ruttman (author’s website) Other contributors: Foreword by Bud Selig; Introduction by Marty Abramowitz Published: 2013 (publisher’s website) Pages: 544 (including 75 photographs) Price: $25.67 at Amazon (discounted from $34.95) Our rating: 4 stars (out of 5) Reviewed by Stuart M. Katz for Jewish Baseball News Overview In American Jews and America’s Game, author Larry Ruttman shares the stories…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Oakland A’s 1B Nate Freiman was named American League Rookie of the Month after hitting .351 with one HR, three doubles, nine RBIs, and a .928 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in May. Through yesterday’s games (6/3/2013), the 26-year-old Duke University alum ranked 2nd…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Nearly a year after injuring himself during his Double-A debut, Washington Nationals prospect Cameron Selik returned to the pitcher’s mound, tossing 1.1 innings of relief in the Potomac Nationals’ 6-5 win over the Frederick Keys on Tuesday. Selik, 25, is built like an NFL…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Danny Valencia returned to the Major Leagues yesterday (5/19/2013), and he celebrated by hitting a double in his first at-bat as a Baltimore Oriole, a liner to the warning track in right-center field off Tampa Bay Rays ace Matt Moore (see video). It…
Editor’s note: Maxx Tissenbaum is a 21-year-old prospect with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the San Diego Padres’ Single-A team, and an honest chronicler of life in the minor-leagues. Click here to see Maxx‘s past blog entries, and click here to join the Jewish Baseball News mail list. _____________________________ By Maxx Tissenbaum/Special to Jewish Baseball News Wow, what a week…
Despite a recent slump, Rays A-advanced prospect Maxx Tissenbaum has 5 RBIs over the last 2 games and is hitting .284 (5/25/2014) *** First-round draft pick Rob Kaminsky had the sort of start St. Louis dreamed of Thursday, yielding just 2 hits and 1 walk over 6 scoreless innings while striking out 9. Teammate Mason Katz sweetened it with…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Talk about pressure. Max Fried was a mere 18 years old when the San Diego Padres offered him a cool $3-million signing bonus in 2012. Hype followed the No. 7 draft pick everywhere. Even now, with only one full year of Minor League ball…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor Cody Decker is many things, but “average” is not one of them. Neither is “normal.” That seems to suit the 26-year-old San Diego Padres prospect just fine. The southern California native played a lead role in The Music Man and other productions in…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor During his nine years in the majors, Scott Feldman has never pitched a complete game. He has struck out more than 7 batters only once, an 11-strikeout performance with the Texas Rangers, back in 2009. That is, until Wednesday night (5/1/2013). In perhaps the…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik, editor If California League (High A) pitchers weren’t paying much attention to Zach Borenstein before, they certainly are now. The 22-year-old outfielder hit not one but two 3-run HRs Sunday night (4/28/2013) in the Inland Empire 66ers’ 12-7 victory over the Lancaster Lugnuts. The…
Editor’s note: Maxx Tissenbaum is a 21-year-old prospect with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, the San Diego Padres’ Single-A team, and an honest chronicler of life in the minor-leagues. Click here to see Maxx‘s past blog entries, and click here to join our mail list. _____________________________ By Maxx Tissenbaum/Special to Jewish Baseball News It has been a while since I…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Joc Pederson is living up to his billing. Ranked the Los Angeles Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, the Chattanooga Lookouts outfielder celebrated his 21st birthday Sunday (4/21/2013) by being named the Southern League (AA) Offensive Player of the Week. Pederson earned the…
Help keep Jewish Baseball News free! Use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News At least three players recently released by their Minor League teams have taken jobs in independent baseball leagues. All three played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers last year. Adam Greenberg has rejoined the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent…
