By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 2-8, 2019: Mazel tov Danny Valencia, a 34-year-old infielder who spent nine years in the Major Leagues and last played in 2018, obtained Israeli citizenship last week and is playing for Israel in the European Championships held in Germany. Valencia manned third…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Israel’s bid to play baseball in the 2020 Olympics just grew a little more believable. Danny Valencia, a 34-year-old infielder who spent nine years in the Major Leagues, obtained Israeli citizenship today and is headed to Germany to play in the European Championships later this week. The top 5 finishers in that…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 26-September 1, 2019. Because there were no standout performances at the plate, Jewish Baseball News is skipping its regular Hitter of the Week award. Pitcher of the Week: Sam Delaplane (Mariners) Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) pitched 3.1 hitless innings over 3 games…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 26-September 1, 2019: Mazel tov LF Joc Pederson set a career high with his 27th and 28th home runs last week. The latter was special: a pinch-hit, 11th-inning home run on September 1 that traveled 454 feet and proved the game-winner…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Baseball journeyman Ty Kelly announced his retirement last weekend with characteristic humor, accusing retiring Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck of stealing his thunder. “Let me have my moment, Andrew,” he wrote. It turns out Kelly’s not quitting baseball entirely. The 31-year-old second baseman recently obtained Israeli citizenship and will be joining Israel’s…
In other sports Hockey: Florida Panthers rookie Chase Priskie made his NHL debut tonight against the Washington Capitals (11/4/2021) MMA: On Oct. 26, Israel’s Oron Kahlon (16-0) will face Afghanistan’s Javid Basharat (10-0) on Dana White’s Contender Series, a UFC program on ESPN+. Betting lines favor Basharat (10/25/2021) Hockey: The Canucks’ Quinn Hughes (#2) and…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019: Hitter of the Week: CJ Stubbs (Astros) C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs. The highlight came on August 23, when Stubbs went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs and…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019: Mazel tov Alex Bregman’s 2-run HR on August 22 marked the 119th Jewish home run of 2019, surpassing the 118 hit in 2018. Like the Majors as a whole, Jewish ballplayers are seeing a surge in HRs. Alex Bregman (32)…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019: Hitter of the Week: Scott Manea (Astros) C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) hit .286 (4-for-14) with 3 HRs, 3 RBIs, and 7 walks last week, good enough for a .524 on-base percentage. The highlight was a 2-HR game on…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019: Mazel tov 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), who joined the injured list on August 16 with a herniated cervical disk, played just one game last week, on August 12. It was a memorable one. Entering the game in the top…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 5-11, 2019: Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) hit .478 (11-for-23) with 7 doubles, a HR, 2 RBIs and a .520 OBP. Since Toronto sent him to the minors on July 15, Tellez…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 5-11, 2019: Mazel tov CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) recently talked to the Jewish News of Northern California about his bar mitzvah, a religious studies course he took in high school, and being one of the few Jewish players in the Major…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 29-August 4, 2019: Hitter of the Week: Zane Gurwitz (Angels) 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .391 (9-for-23) with a home run, triple, 2 doubles, 7 RBIs, and a .462 OBP. The highlight: going 4-for-5 with a HR on August…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 29-August 4, 2019: Mazel tov C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called-up from Triple-A on August 2 to provide back-up for starter Robinson Chirinos, who reported soreness in his left shoulder. In an earlier stint with Houston this season, Stubbs hit .160…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 22-28, 2019: Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/Triple-A/Buffalo Bisons), who was sent down to Triple-A on July 15, made a strong case last week for returning to Toronto, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with 4 HRs, a…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 22-28, 2019: Mazel tov Israel’s baseball team took another step toward qualifying for the 2020 Olympics last week when it crushed Lithuania in a battle of B-Pool champions at the European Championships. Israel beat Lithuania 12-2 and 15-0 in the best-of-three…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 15-21, 2019: Hitter of the Week: Ryan Lavarnway (Reds) C Ryan Lavarnway signed a one-year Major League contract with Cincinnati on July 18 and wasted no time contributing. In his Reds debut the following day — his first Major League start…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the week of July 15-21, 2019: Mazel tov C Ryan Lavarnway signed a one-year Major League contract with Cincinnati on July 18 and wasted no time contributing. In his Reds debut the following day — his first Major League start since July 29, 2017 —…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your MLB highlights for the three weeks beginning June 24, 2019 and ending July 14, 2019: Mazel tov The 2019 Home Run Derby was 25% Jewish, with Joc Pederson (Dodgers) and Alex Bregman (Astros) filling 2 of 8 slots. After beating Bregman 21-14 in the first round, Pederson faced…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of July 8-14, 2019: Hitter of the Week: David Vinsky (Cardinals) OF David Vinsky (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes), a 2019 draftee, hit .444 (12-for-27) with 3 doubles, 2 stolen bases, 5 RBIs, just 3 strikeouts, and a .500 OBP, highlighted by a 5-for-5…
