By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News Jeff Urlaub was in no rush to turn pro. The lanky pitcher from Scottsdale, Ariz., turned down draft offers in 2005 (right out of high school) and 2008 before finally accepting a contract in 2010 with the Oakland A’s. Since then, the 25-year-old reliever has been a model of…
Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link. —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News If it seemed like Jewish ballplayers were smacking a lot of home runs this season, it wasn’t your imagination. Several records were broken or matched in 2012. Jewish major leaguers (excluding pitchers) hit a combined 116 HRs, topping the prior record of…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Team Israel faces Spain this afternoon in the finals of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Jupiter, Fla. The winner will go on to play in the 16-team main WBC tournament in March 2013. Here is Team Israel’s batting order for today’s game: Ben Guez (CF) Joc Pederson (RF) Nate…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Team Israel was just introduced and the Israel anthem played here at Game 2 of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in Jupiter, Fla. Israel, the ‘visiting team,’ faces ‘home’ team Spain. Here is the lineup and batting order for Team Israel: Ben Guez (CF) Joc Pederson (RF) Nate Freiman (1B)…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Team Israel defeated South Africa 7-3 on Wednesday night (9/19/2012) to take Game 1 of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers held in Jupiter, Fla. (see video recap and box score). The greatest Jewish team in baseball history earned its victory both at the plate and on the mound, hitting a…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News In less than two hours, Team Israel will take the field against South Africa in Game 1 of the World Baseball Classic qualifiers taking place this week in Jupiter, Fla. The team just started batting practice after doing some light calisthenics. Here is the lineup and batting order for Team…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The long wait to see which players will represent Israel at World Baseball Classic qualifiers this week is over. Team Israel’s 28-man roster (see below) includes two former Major Leaguers (player/coaches Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler), three Israelis, and 23 minor-leaguers. Because the MLB season is still underway, no current…
By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News You don’t hear many Jewish athletes talk about their bar mitzvah, or how it helped them develop the discipline necessary to master their sport. But Ben Guez (pronounced ‘Gezz’), whose father hails from Tunisia and Paris, is no ordinary ballplayer. An outfielder in the Sam Fuld mode — strong…
By Scott Barancik and Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News Your weekly source of pride-inducing updates: Ryan Braun hit his 37th HR on Sunday (9/2/2012), tying a career high. Thanks to the 3-run blast, he needs only 5 more RBIs to pierce the 100-RBI mark for the 5th straight season. So far, the only player to…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Major League teams drafted at least 13 Jewish amateurs in June and signed at least two undrafted players. Since then at least 10 have signed, pushing the current number of MOTs in the majors and minors to 65. So who are the Fab 15? A complete list is included in…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, nor even pesky tropical storms, shall stay this website from its appointed rounds: Ike Davis was mobbed by New York Mets teammates Sunday after hitting his second round-tripper of the day, a walk-off HR against the Houston Astros. The New York Mets 1B…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Fear not: there is still some good news in the world: Sam Fuld‘s heroic fielding and hustle have earned him the nickname “Super Sam,” but Tampa Bay Rays fans may just want to call him “Sparkplug.” Though a wrist injury kept Fuld off the field this season until July 24,…
By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News For the second season in a row, Jewish ballplayers Garrett Wittels and Corey Baker are playing together on the Batavia Muckdogs (A-short season), a New York-based affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Though having a Jewish teammate is rare in baseball (in fact, last year they even had a third Jewish teammate, Venezuelan…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays bite. But you can bite back: Scott Feldman‘s winning streak ended Friday (8/10/2012) with a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, but what a streak it was. After losing his first six decisions of the season and amassing a 6.50 ERA, the 6-foot-6-inch Texas Ranger won the next six…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Two days ago, there were no Jews on the Boston Red Sox’s roster. Ryan Kalish had been sent back to AAA Pawtucket on July 8 after a mediocre three-week stint. Beloved infielder Kevin Youkilis had been traded to the Chicago White Sox on June 25. There was no simche at Fenway….
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News It’s not easy to muster a smile on Mondays, but here are a few good reasons: There are only three possible explanations for pitcher Scott Feldman‘s recent dominance: a pact with the devil, alien body-snatching, or performance-enhancing drugs. Through July 4, the Texas Ranger had a 2-6 record and a…
By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News In 2010, Zach Kapstein was drafted out of Tiverton (Rhode Island) High School by the team he grew up rooting for, the Boston Red Sox. The young catcher had put together a senior year the Sox simply could not ignore: a .603 batting average with five home runs, 22…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Boker tov, fellow Hebrews! Here’s some good news for your Monday morn: Seattle Mariners prospect Jack Marder was out most of June with injuries, but you wouldn’t know it from his first 3 games back, when he went 7-for-15 with 2 HRs, a double, and 5 RBIs (July 6-8). A 22-year-old catcher…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Our cup runneth over with good news this week: Does Kevin Youkilis have a flair for the dramatic, or what? The newly-minted Chicago White Sox third baseman homered in his first at-bat at U.S. Cellular Field (see video) and finished the day 3-for-6 with 4 RBIs. He’s 9-for-23 (.391) during the current homestand,…
By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News Baltimore Orioles prospect Robbie Widlansky is getting a lot of attention lately. A first baseman, outfielder, and DH with the Bowie Bowsox (AA), the 27-year-old will play in next week’s Eastern League All-Star game. In June he was named the league’s Player of the Month after hitting .407 with 10 doubles, 2 HRs,…
