By Scott Barancik, Editor
Here are your MLB highlights for the week of June 3-9, 2019:
Mazel tov
- At least 16 Jewish players were selected in last week’s MLB draft, including one each in the 1st and 2nd rounds.
- Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit his 332nd career home run to surpass Tigers legend Hank Greenberg as the all-time Jewish leader.
Stats to share
- P Max Fried (Atlanta) isn’t just delivering on the mound. In his three most recent appearances, the 6’4″ stringbean went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Fried’s .208 batting average ranks #8 among all MLB pitchers with at least 20 at-bats.
- Two MLB Jews are among league leaders in home runs, with 18 apiece. Alex Bregman (Astros) ranks #4 in the A.L., and Joc Pederson (Dodgers) is tied for #6 in the N.L. Meanwhile, Pederson’s slugging percentage (.616) ranks #5 in the N.L.
- Among all Major Leaguers with at least 200 at-bats, Bregman is one of just 7 players to have more walks (44) than strikeouts (37). His .389 on-base percentage is tied for #7 in the A.L.
At the plate
- 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) had at least one hit in 5 of 6 games. He hit .350 (7-for-20) with 3 doubles, 2 RBIs, and a .381 on-base percentage. Kinsler also turned a double-play with a veteran move.
- LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .304 with a HR and 5 RBIs. The strong week lifted his batting average to .273, one-thousandth of a point ahead of Alex Bregman to take the Jewish lead. Braun also made a slick sliding grab.
- 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .296 (8-for-27) with a HR, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, a stolen base, and a .367 OBP. He leads Jewish players in home runs (18/tie), RBIs (44), and OBP (.389).
- C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) hit .286 (2-for-7) with a .375 OBP in his second week as a big-leaguer.
- CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .174 (4-for-23) with a double and 2 RBIs. He leads all Jewish players with 14 doubles.
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .083 (1-for-12).
- LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .067 (1-for-15) with a .125 OBP.
On the mound
- Richard Bleier (Orioles) — the only MLB reliever to record sub-2.00 ERAs each year from 2016 to 2018 — continues to struggle with consistency this season. On June 4, he yielded 3 earned runs on 4 hits over just 1/3 of an inning. He bounced back on June 5 and June 7, pitching a total of 3.1 scoreless innings while yielding 3 hits and no walks.
- Max Fried (Braves) went 0-0 in two starts. On June 4, he yielded 5 earned runs over 4 innings on 9 hits and 2 walks. In a 6-inning stint on June 9, he pitched well enough to win but didn’t, giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 7. Fried is on a 3-game winless streak after winning 3 games in a row.
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