By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Getting drafted isn’t easy for NCAA Division III ballplayers. Only 12 were selected in Major League Baseball’s 2012 amateur draft. But Chicago native and Macalester College alum Mitch Glasser beat the odds when the Chicago White Sox, his childhood favorite, chose him in the 39th round, or 1,191st overall. Dubbed…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News And now, mid-week updates from the world of baseball. Kalish, Lavarnway blast Pawtucket Red Sox to victory Boston Red Sox prospects Ryan Kalish and Ryan Lavarnway provided a one-two punch Tuesday (6/4/2012) to power the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) to a 13-2 drubbing of the Indianapolis Indians. In his first appearance…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Max Fried, an 18-year-old southpaw from southern California, was the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2012 amateur draft Monday night (6/4/2012), selected by the San Diego Padres. (See video.) A 6’4″ curveball specialist who modeled his pitch on hero Sandy Koufax‘s, Fried has committed to UCLA…
Authors: Peter Ephross, Martin Abramowitz Published: 2012 Pages: 227 Price: $35 (Amazon.com or McFarland Publishing/800-253-2187) Our rating: 4 stars (out of 5) Reviewed by Stuart M. Katz for Jewish Baseball News Overview In Jewish Major Leaguers in Their Own Words, authors Peter Ephross and Martin Abramowitz present oral histories of 23 of the Jewish players who were on Major…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Is it Monday already? Then sprinkle these tidbits in your morning coffee: Michael Schwimer is back with Philadelphia Phillies after a four-week stint in AAA, and yesterday (6/3/2012) the move paid off. In his second relief stint since returning to the bigs, the gentle giant from Fairfax, Va. (6’8″, 240…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Because Monday was Memorial Day, dontcha know: Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler broke out of a 27-game HR slump on Sunday (5/27/2012) with a HR, double, and four RBIs in a 12-6 triumph over the Texas Rangers. Despite the drought, Kinsler leads the majors with 41 runs scored. Sunday’s two-hit game was…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The Minnesota Twins designated P Jason Marquis for assignment on Tuesday (5/22/2012), effectively removing him from the club’s active roster as well as its 40-man roster. Marquis, 33, has been largely ineffective in his first season with the Twins, going 2-4 with a 8.47 ERA, 12 strikeouts, and 14 walks…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News It’s been nearly 5 years since Shawn Green hung up his cleats, marking an end to a Major League career in which the tall slugger with the elegant swing hit .283, smashed 328 HRs, and drew a respectful 80 intentional walks. Since then, the two-time All-Star has penned a book,…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays can be painful. For relief, take two of these: Regular readers of this column may not be surprised to learn that San Diego Padres prospect Nate Freiman, a power-hitting 1st baseman with the San Antonio Missions (AA), leads the Texas League with 14 HRs. What may surprise them is that…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News You can’t buy beer or Crackerjacks at the Columbus Baseball Invitational in Ohio. But you can see six high-school teams from five states battle it out in an annual tournament immodestly dubbed the ‘Jewish World Series.’ Beginning today (5/17/2012), the 4-day round robin will feature host Columbus Torah Academy, Ramaz School…
By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News More than 50 Jews currently play Major- or minor-league ball, but few are generating more raves this season than award-winning Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum. The 24-year-old hurler is putting up ridiculous numbers for the Harrisburg Senators (AA), compiling a 5-0 record, league-leading 0.71 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and just…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays blow. So inhale this: Hungering for more Jewish ballplayers? Jewish Sports Review recently uncovered two: Toronto Blue Jays prospect Ian Kadish, and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jared Lakind. Kadish, a 23-year-old reliever, debuted last year with the Bluefield Blue Jays (Rookie), going 2-3 with a 2.67 ERA, 7 saves, and 35…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News When Josh Hamilton hit 4 HRs and a double in a single game last week (5/8/2012), it was a rare and spectacular event (see video and box score). The Texas Rangers CF went 5-for-5 with 8 RBIs in the Rangers’ 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Only 11 Major Leaguers have hit…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News It’s been a tough week for Jewish baseball fans. Two struggling players have been sent down to the minors, and a third may be on his way. On Wednesday (5/9/2012), the Philadelphia Phillies optioned reliever Michael Schwimer back to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA). Schwimer had struggled since being called up…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News A different kind of Jewish baseball documentary is in the works, and its producers need our help to complete post-production work. Got Balz? is the brainchild of San Francisco filmmakers Ken Schneider and Marcia Jarmel, whose son Mica is the focus of the film. Struck by the poverty of children…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays bite. So feed yourself something pleasing: Add this name to our ever-growing list of players: Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Joc Pederson. Drafted out of high school in 2010, the 20-year-old outfielder wowed the rookie Pioneer League last year by batting .353 with 11 HRs, 64 RBIs, 24 stolen bases,…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The Boston Red Sox placed 3B Kevn Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list yesterday (5/2/2012) due to a lower-back strain. “The good thing is they know what’s going on and it’s nothing like a surgery or a major injury,” he told the Boston Globe. Youkilis, who hadn’t played since April…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News When Ryan Braun smashed three HRs against the San Diego Padres on Monday night (see video), Jewish baseball fans everywhere celebrated. Here are a few more reasons to be proud: The Milwaukee Brewers right fielder is just the fifth Jewish player since 1918 to homer 3 or more times in a 9-inning…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News My 8-year-old says Mondays are among her favorite days of the week because she has ‘running club’ after school. For the rest of humanity, Mondays can be hellish. May these tidbits make your day a little easier: Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum recently was named the Eastern League’s player of the week, and…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The Philadelphia Phillies recalled prospect Michael Schwimer from the minors today (4/25/2012) and wasted no time putting him to work. The 26-year-old pitcher came on in relief of starter Cole Hamels, who carried the Phils to a 7-2 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks through eight innings. Schwimer pitched a perfect ninth,…
