MLB

By Scott Barancik, editor Welcome to the 2025 baseball season! Spring Training is well underway, and through March 3, the tally of Jews officially competing for an MLB team has reached 31. The group is nearly evenly divided between position players (16) and pitchers (11). (Updated 3/3/2025 to include Astros LHP Colton Gordon and Marlins…

Six of 18 Jews who played in MLB this season — CF Harrison Bader (Mets), 3B Alex Bregman (Astros), LHP Max Fried (Braves), RHP Dean Kremer (Orioles), RHP Max Lazar (Phillies), and C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) — make it onto a playoff roster, but three fall out when their teams are swept in 2-game Wild Card series. See ‘Jewish Box Score’ for details (10/2/2024) Of 18 Jews…

Phillies call-up RHP Max Lazar from Triple-A (10/1/2024) Cubs call-up 1B Matt Mervis from Triple-A (10/1/2024) Yankees reassign RHP Scott Effross to Triple-A (9/29/2024) Yankees call-up RHP Scott Effross from Triple-A (9/26/2024) Pirates release 1B Rowdy Tellez (9/25/2024) Pirates designate 1B Rowdy Tellez for assignment (9/24/2024) Yankees assign RHP Harrison Cohen (High-A) to Salt River Rafters of Arizona Fall League (9/25/2024) Dodgers assign 3B Jake Gelof (High-A) to Glendale…

By Scott Barancik, editor At least 28 Jewish athletes spent time at an MLB Spring Training camp in 2024. Sixteen were there by virtue of being on a 40-man roster, five received non-roster invitations, and eight were called-up from minor-league camp. (If we discover additional call-ups, we will add them here.) Here are some highlights:…

By Scott Barancik, editor A total of 21* Jews are at an MLB Spring Training camp this season, including 10 pitchers and 12 position players (see list below). Seventeen of the 22 are there by virtue of being on their team’s 40-man roster. The remaining five, including veteran outfielder and recent free-agent signee Kevin Pillar…

By Scott Barancik, editor A dozen of the 26 Jews who participated in this year’s MLB Spring Training have landed spots on an Opening Day roster. When the season begins today, the Atlanta Braves will lead the pack with three players. They include starting pitchers Max Fried and Jared Shuster along with veteran outfielder Kevin…

By Scott Barancik, editor Atlanta Braves star Max Fried is having a heckuva Spring. After finishing second last season in N.L. Cy Young Award voting, the 6’4″ All-Star is 3-0 this preseason with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 11.1 innings. Yet it’s possible he won’t be the only Jewish pitcher in Atlanta’s…

By Scott Barancik, editor A 3rd-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2017 amateur draft, the University of Florida alum and 2021 Gold Glove winner is poised to begin his first full season with the Yankees and 7th season overall in the Major Leagues. Harrison Bader, a 28-year-old centerfielder with the New York…

By Scott Barancik, editor Colorado Rockies reliever Jake Bird, who made his MLB debut in June and later committed to represent Israel in next month’s World Baseball Classic, is the most recent Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish. The 27-year-old California native starred at UCLA, his hometown school. In 2018, his senior year, Bird…

By Scott Barancik, editor Dalton Guthrie, a Philadelphia Phillies rookie who considered joining Team Israel for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is the latest Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish. The lanky 27-year-old is a talented and versatile fielder. Plucked out of the University of Florida in the 6th round of the 2017 amateur…

By Scott Barancik, editor Jewish Baseball News’ most recent MLB update took us through games played June 17. Following is an overview of what has happened since then, through games played August 21. Mazel Tov P Jake Fishman (Marlins) became the third Jewish pitcher to make his MLB debut in 2022. In 3.1 innings of…

By Scott Barancik, editor After one of the most improbable call-ups of 2022, P Bubby Rossman made his Major League debut Wednesday night with the Philadelphia Phillies (July 13). The circumstances were unusual. Four Phillies, including two pitchers, were ineligible to play the Blue Jays in Canada — where COVID laws are stiffer — because…

Many readers have expressed regret that Jewish Baseball News is no longer producing weekly MLB summaries. We hope someday to resume that level of activity. For now, however, the best we can do is produce occasional updates — such as the one below — and encourage you to follow our posts on social media. Jewish…

By Scott Barancik, editor P Kenny Rosenberg made his MLB debut last night (4/18/2022) with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels were down 7-3 to the Houston Astros when they sent the 26-year-old southpaw to the mound in the 8th inning. Rosenberg struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches before yielding one…

Despite the will-they-or-won’t-they drama concerning the 2022 MLB season, a lot has happened during the offseason, and Spring Training has sprung. Jewish Baseball News wishes to welcome you back with abbreviated highlights. Comings and goings OF Joc Pederson signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. He played for the Chicago Cubs and World…

Here is your summary for the week of November 1-7, plus other news and stats from the 2021 season World Series Max Fried (Braves) tossed 6 shutout innings on November 2, leading Atlanta to a 7-0 win over the Houston Astros — and the club’s first World Series championship since 1999. Fried yielded 4 hits…

Here is your summary for the week of October 25-31, which saw Houston take on Atlanta in the first 5 games of the 202`1 World Series:   L’sholom Tyler Herron, a former 1st-round draft pick who reached as high as Triple-A, died October 27 at age 35. According to JTA, Herron was of Puerto Rican…

Here is your summary for the week of October 18-24, which saw Houston defeat Boston to in the A.L. Championship Series and Atlanta beat Los Angeles in the N.L. Championship Series. Game 1 of the World Series takes place tonight in Houston:   Mazel tov Max Fried (Braves) is one of four pitchers to be…