By Scott Barancik, editor Free agent Kevin Youkilis has covered a lot of ground the past two seasons, playing for A.L. teams in Boston, Chicago, and New York. This time, he’s moving a little farther afield: Japan. The three-time All-Star, 34, has signed a one-year, $4-million deal to play for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the defending…
By Scott Barancik, editor Ah, the off-season. That time of year when baseball fans and writers have little else to do but speculate about which players will move, and where. Ian Kinsler made a splash recently when the Texas Rangers traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers for slugger Prince Fielder. Who’s next? We at Jewish Baseball News…
By Scott Barancik, editor According to research by our friend Ron Kaplan at his excellent Kaplan’s Korner blog, Boston reliever Craig Breslow will be just the 24th Jewish player to appear in a World Series when he appears in the upcoming Red Sox-Cardinals finale. The New Haven, Conn., native is expected to be a key piece of…
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…
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…
Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News With the regular season now underway, we’re taking a quick look back at how Jewish players performed in spring training. The sheer number who played was impressive: a total of at least 24 Jews — 18 position players and six pitchers —…
Going Hanukkah shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link. —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Free agent Kevin Youkilis, who struck fear and loathing in the hearts of New Yorkers during an All-Star career with the Boston Red Sox, is joining the Yankees. Sports Illustrated and other news outlets reported this evening (12/11/2012) that the 33-year-old infielder…
Going Hanukkah shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link. —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News It’s been a busy off-season so far for Jewish ballplayers. The Boston Red Sox recently dealt 3B Danny Valencia to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. Though the 28-year-old Valencia had a tough 2012 season with the Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and…
Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link. —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News If it seemed like Jewish ballplayers were smacking a lot of home runs this season, it wasn’t your imagination. Several records were broken or matched in 2012. Jewish major leaguers (excluding pitchers) hit a combined 116 HRs, topping the prior record of…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The long wait to see which players will represent Israel at World Baseball Classic qualifiers this week is over. Team Israel’s 28-man roster (see below) includes two former Major Leaguers (player/coaches Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler), three Israelis, and 23 minor-leaguers. Because the MLB season is still underway, no current…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, nor even pesky tropical storms, shall stay this website from its appointed rounds: Ike Davis was mobbed by New York Mets teammates Sunday after hitting his second round-tripper of the day, a walk-off HR against the Houston Astros. The New York Mets 1B…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Two days ago, there were no Jews on the Boston Red Sox’s roster. Ryan Kalish had been sent back to AAA Pawtucket on July 8 after a mediocre three-week stint. Beloved infielder Kevin Youkilis had been traded to the Chicago White Sox on June 25. There was no simche at Fenway….
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News It’s not easy to muster a smile on Mondays, but here are a few good reasons: There are only three possible explanations for pitcher Scott Feldman‘s recent dominance: a pact with the devil, alien body-snatching, or performance-enhancing drugs. Through July 4, the Texas Ranger had a 2-6 record and a…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Boker tov, fellow Hebrews! Here’s some good news for your Monday morn: Seattle Mariners prospect Jack Marder was out most of June with injuries, but you wouldn’t know it from his first 3 games back, when he went 7-for-15 with 2 HRs, a double, and 5 RBIs (July 6-8). A 22-year-old catcher…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Our cup runneth over with good news this week: Does Kevin Youkilis have a flair for the dramatic, or what? The newly-minted Chicago White Sox third baseman homered in his first at-bat at U.S. Cellular Field (see video) and finished the day 3-for-6 with 4 RBIs. He’s 9-for-23 (.391) during the current homestand,…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Get ready to kvell, brothers and sisters. It’s Good news Monday! San Diego Padres prospect Nate Freiman won the Texas League Home Run Derby last Thursday (6/28/2012). A 6’7″ first baseman with the San Antonio Missions (AA), Freiman’s first swing of the contest reportedly was “the sweetest.” He launched a shot that not only…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News After weeks of speculation, the Boston Red Sox have traded All-Star infielder Kevin Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for two players and cash. The 33-year-old Youkilis ended his nine-year Boston stretch in style at Fenway Park today (6/24/2012), hitting a triple in his final at-bat and earning a standing…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Is it Monday already? Then sprinkle these tidbits in your morning coffee: Michael Schwimer is back with Philadelphia Phillies after a four-week stint in AAA, and yesterday (6/3/2012) the move paid off. In his second relief stint since returning to the bigs, the gentle giant from Fairfax, Va. (6’8″, 240…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays blow. So inhale this: Hungering for more Jewish ballplayers? Jewish Sports Review recently uncovered two: Toronto Blue Jays prospect Ian Kadish, and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jared Lakind. Kadish, a 23-year-old reliever, debuted last year with the Bluefield Blue Jays (Rookie), going 2-3 with a 2.67 ERA, 7 saves, and 35…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The Boston Red Sox placed 3B Kevn Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list yesterday (5/2/2012) due to a lower-back strain. “The good thing is they know what’s going on and it’s nothing like a surgery or a major injury,” he told the Boston Globe. Youkilis, who hadn’t played since April…
