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…
By Scott Barancik, editor The Eighth Commandment orders us not to steal. For Ian Kinsler, we make an exception. When the 31-year-old Texas Ranger singled and stole second base uncontested in the 9th inning of Saturday’s win over the Detroit Tigers (see video), it was the 162nd theft of his felonious 8-year career. Rangers number-crunchers celebrated: the…
By Scott Barancik, editor 2012 wasn’t a bad year for Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Joc Pederson. A third-year player drafted out of Palo Alto High School, the 6-foot-1 outfielder hit .313 with 18 HRs, 70 RBIs, a .396 on-base percentage, and 26 stolen bases for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A+). The Dodgers named him their Branch Rickey Minor…
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 There have been about…
By Scott Barancik, editor After a 21-game sojourn in the minors to regain his sweet swing, Ike Davis returned to the New York Mets’ lineup with a vengeance Friday (7/5/2013), going 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a walk in a 12-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers (box score). According to ESPN.com, Davis had arrived at the Mets’ clubhouse in Milwaukee yelling “Shalom,…
By Scott Barancik, editor Josh Satin, called up from Triple-A last month to sub for struggling first baseman (and fellow Jew) Ike Davis, has 7 doubles, a .390 batting average, and an eye-popping .510 on-base percentage in 41 at-bats since then. He’s reached base in 13 straight games, including three in which he had just one plate…
By Scott Barancik, editor The Orioles obtained Scott Feldman from the Chicago Cubs today in a bid to improve Baltimore’s starting rotation. A 6-foot-7-inch righthander who spent 8 years with the Texas Rangers, Feldman‘s 2013 debut with Chicago was shaping up to be his best season yet. Along with a 7-6 record — no small accomplishment…
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…
