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…
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…
