Used to be called ‘Bunts’
By Scott Barancik, editor On Tuesday, Major League teams can expand their rosters from 25 players to 40, an annual September ritual that allows top prospects a chance to take a swing at the big time. Although there are no guarantees, two Jewish pitchers might make the leap. One is Washington Nationals farmhand Richard Bleier, a…
By Scott Barancik, editor Here’s what’s happening in Major League Baseball. Ryan Braun hit his 250th career home run Wednesday. Among Jewish players, only legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328) have hit more. The homer, Braun’s 20th of the season, came against the Cubs’ Jason Hammel, the same pitcher who gave up Braun’s 249th…
By Scott Barancik, editor Ryan Braun is one shot away from becoming the third Jewish player to amass 250 career HRs, joining legends Hank Greenberg (331) and Shawn Green (328). Eighteen other active Major Leaguers already have 250-plus HRs. But when Braun joins their elite club, he will stand out in two ways. Rk Player HR Age…
By Scott Barancik, editor Danny Valencia, who was as shocked as his fans were when the Toronto Blue Jays designated him for assignment on Saturday (8/1/2015), has been claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. The 30-year-old Florida native was hitting .296 with 7 HRs, 13 doubles, and 29 RBIs in 162 at-bats when the…
By Scott Barancik, editor Israel’s senior national baseball team crushed its “C pool” competition in last year’s European Championship qualifiers. Now it’s cruising through the “B pool” qualifying tournament, which began Monday (7/27/2015) in Vienna and includes national teams from Austria, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. In Game 1, Israel defeated Belarus 13-1 on 13 hits…
By Scott Barancik, editor In one of the strongest Jewish draft classes in years, 11 amateurs were chosen in the first 20 rounds of the 2015 draft, and one of them (the Astros’ Alex Bregman) was selected #2 overall. The total Jewish head count was no fewer than 15. Who signed? And who decided to stay…
[Editor’s note: Havana Curveball is not yet available for individual purchase or rental. To screen the film at a school, library, synagogue, or local theater, contact Leah Lamb at leah@patchworksfilms.net.] By Stuart M. Katz, correspondent Havana Curveball, a new documentary by filmmakers Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, tells the tale of a bar mitzvah boy’s innocent and initially…
By Scott Barancik, editor Richard Bleier pitched 7 shutout innings Wednesday for the Harrisburg Senators (AA), giving up just four hits and not a single walk in a 13-0 win. So what else is new? In 103 Double-A innings this year, the 28-year-old Washington Nationals prospect has walked only nine batters, or 2.2% of those…
By Scott Barancik, editor Well, that didn’t take long. Washington Nationals prospect Rhett Wiseman, a 3rd-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt who made his pro debut July 10, has been named the New York-Penn League’s Player of the Week for the week of July 13-19. A centerfielder for the Auburn Doubledays (A-short season), he hit…
By Scott Barancik, editor Detroit’s Ian Kinsler hit 2 home runs Sunday, and he made sure the second one counted. Seattle was leading the Tigers 4-3 when Kinsler came up with a man on and two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Down 1-and-2 in the count to reliever Mark Lowe, who entered the…
By Scott Barancik, editor Matt Holliday’s misfortune has proved opportune for two Jewish ballplayers. Thanks to the Cardinals outfielder’s injury — sorry, Matt — Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson will replace him in the National League’s starting lineup at Tuesday’s All-Star Game (7/14/2015), and Brewers veteran Ryan Braun will replace Holliday as a reserve on the roster. It’s…
By Scott Barancik, editor The sports world is taking note of Kevin Pillar, the Blue Jays CF who has impressed not only with his glove (he is considered a strong Gold Glove candidate) but his bat. Sports-radio god Jim Rome interviewed Pillar earlier this week about his record setting 54-game hitting streak in college, being selected…
By Scott Barancik, editor Dodgers CF Joc Pederson has been named to the National League All-Star team as a reserve. He is one of just two rookies picked for the Tuesday, July 14 game, the other being Cubs 3B Kris Bryant. He is the first Dodgers rookie to be named to the team since P…
By Nate Fish, special to Jewish Baseball News Are you a baseball player? Do you want to come to Israel? The Israel Association of Baseball (IAB), in partnership with Masa Israel and Destination Israel, has created a program for baseball players with high school, college, or professional experience to travel to Israel to play and coach….
By Scott Barancik, editor Of course we wanted Steven Matz to be Jewish. The New York Mets rookie practically threw himself onto our collective doorstep last week with an improbable MLB debut, not only striking out six batters in a 7-2 win but going 3-for-3 with 4 RBIs. He was from New York. His middle…
The latest news as of July 2, 2015: MLB With voting for the 2015 All-Star game set to end tonight, it’s looking like Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson just might end up in the N.L.’s starting lineup. Though he was 6th among N.L. outfielders in the most recently-announced tally, three of the five players ahead of him are…
What’s going on in baseball as of June 30, 2015? MLB No, Mets rookie Steven Matz is not Jewish, sorry to say *** Speaking of Steven Matz, the young starter had 4 RBIs in his MLB debut Sunday, but he’s got a long way to go before matching MLB active career leader Jason Marquis, who…
By Scott Barancik, editor Danny Valencia has seen limited playing time this season, starting just 22 of Toronto’s 75 games through Friday (6/27/2015), and only now reaching 100 at-bats. But research by Jewish Baseball News suggests Toronto manager John Gibbons couldn’t ask for much more from a utility/platoon player. To try to capture the universe…
What’s going on in baseball? Your 6/27/2015 report: MLB Toronto’s Danny Valencia smashed a pinch-hit home run Friday on the first pitch he faced from Rangers first baseman Adam Rosales as the Blue Jays trounced 12-2. Valencia is hitting .357 in June, with 3 HR and 11 RBI. By and large, though, he’s been far more effective…
By Scott Barancik, editor Cody Decker is known for producing funny videos. But according to our research, he deserves at least as much praise for his production at the plate. Through games played Thursday (6/25/2015), the 28-year-old San Diego Padres prospect had 14 HRs and 49 RBIs in just 183 at-bats this season. That sounded pretty…
